How Can I Fully Back Up My iCloud Photos to an External Drive?

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to create a full backup of my iCloud Photos to an external hard drive (Mac or PC). I want to make sure all original, high-resolution photos and videos are safely stored offline—just in case something happens to my iCloud account or storage.

What’s the best and most reliable method for doing this? Should I use the Photos app on Mac, download from iCloud.com, or use iCloud for Windows? Are there any limitations or things I should watch out for (like file quality, metadata loss, or download limits)?

Thanks in advance for any help or tips!