The iCloud app on Windows 11 laptop is no longer synchronizing photos from the cloud

The iCloud App on my Windows 11 laptop is no longer synchronizing photos from the cloud. Worse, it has locked all the photos on my laptop in a "synch pending" state so I cannot access them. The app is still synchronizing the "iCloud drive" but not the "iCloud photos". I believe this problem started with the August 2 2025 update of the iCloud App. My photos appear to be intact in the "iCloud" when I use the web browser to access iCloud.com, but the copies on my laptop hard drive have updates that I do not want to loose.


Help needed to unlock the photo files on my hard drive and get synchronization running again.



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Icloud photo synch to Windows 11 PC

Windows, Windows 11 (26100)

Posted on Aug 8, 2025 8:17 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 16, 2025 1:16 PM

Finally, I found the solution.


  1. Remove iCloud from the Windows pc.
  2. Reboot the pc.
  3. Rename/remove all folders related to iCloud. like "iCloud Photos" (in pictures) and "iCloudDrive" (in your userprofile) make a backup before removing the folders.
  4. Reinstall iCloud, logon with your Apple ID and follow the instructions.
  5. Reboot the pc.
  6. If you have iTunes installed, you probably have to log on with your Apple ID there again to


This solved my photo-syncing problem!

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 16, 2025 1:16 PM in response to C_Denninger

Finally, I found the solution.


  1. Remove iCloud from the Windows pc.
  2. Reboot the pc.
  3. Rename/remove all folders related to iCloud. like "iCloud Photos" (in pictures) and "iCloudDrive" (in your userprofile) make a backup before removing the folders.
  4. Reinstall iCloud, logon with your Apple ID and follow the instructions.
  5. Reboot the pc.
  6. If you have iTunes installed, you probably have to log on with your Apple ID there again to


This solved my photo-syncing problem!

Aug 19, 2025 11:50 AM in response to LeroyEdwin

Same story here.


I checked: If your iCloud Photos are not syncing - Apple Support to see that everything has indeed been synced. But not on my Dutch Windows 11 pc.

I even switched off iCloud-photos (iCloud-foto's) in the iCloud-app. But when I reboot my pc and turn the synchronization back on again. It won't change it's "Updating..." (Bijwerken...) state.


If I open the pictures in "Microsoft pictures" (Microsoft foto's) part of them is visible where others only display the (Dutch) non-syncing message: "Dit bestand kan nu niet worden geopend omdat iCloudPhotos synchronisatie is onderbroken. Hervat de synchronisatie en probeer het opnieuw."

I get similar messages when browsing the iCloud-photo's in Windows explorer (Windows verkenner) and other applications. Error-messages like: "The cloud provider is not running" appear.


This case looks similar to the unsolved: iCloud Photos stuck 'Updating' on Win 11 - Apple Community (I don't know how to look into the mentioned iCloud logs tough).



Note: I'm using Dutch software, so maybe not all translations are correct.

Aug 22, 2025 9:54 AM in response to C_Denninger

Update:

  • Today after almost two weeks the iCloud-photo's (Dutch: iCloud-foto's) tells me synchronizing is ready!


But, wait a sec....

  • The finished date is still August 6th? And today it is August 22nd?


  • When I open Microsoft Photo's (Microsoft Foto's) The downloaded pictures are also from a later date until the 10th of August to be precise. Pictures from a later date (it is the 22nd) are nowhere to be found.
  • Some of the photo's still are in the non-syncing message: "This file cannot be opened now because iCloud Photos syncing is paused. Resume syncing and try again."

(Dutch: "Dit bestand kan nu niet worden geopend omdat iCloudPhotos synchronisatie is onderbroken. Hervat de synchronisatie en probeer het opnieuw.")...



So this problem is still not solved, please fix this,

Thanks!

The iCloud app on Windows 11 laptop is no longer synchronizing photos from the cloud

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