How to Download a Backup from iCloud

How to Download a Backup from iCloud.

Back up and restore files on your Apple devices via iCloud. But what if you need to download or export files from iCloud backup to third party devices? This is a simple process, but the steps may vary depending on your device.

You may need to download your backup files to other devices or free up iCloud storage space. We’ll show you how to download iCloud backups to Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices.

Download iCloud Backup From the Web

This is one of the easiest ways to download iCloud backup files to computers and mobile devices. However, please note that only certain types of files can be downloaded from the iCloud web platform – photos, contacts, and iCloud Drive files from the web.

Download backups to Mac and PC via iCloud Web

Visit the iCloud website (www.icloud.com) on your device’s web browser and sign in to your iCloud account.Select the category of the iCloud backup file you want to download. For example, select “Notes” to download all notes from iCloud backup, or “Photos” to download iCloud photos.

Select an album from the left sidebar, select the photo you want to upload, and select the Upload icon from the menu bar.

To download all photos from a backup, press Command + A (on Mac) or Control + A (on Windows) to select the entire library. After that, select the “Download” icon from the menu bar. iCloud will zip the photos into a downloadable ZIP file.

To upload contacts to iCloud storage, return to iCloud home or expand the iCloud menu and select Contacts.

Select the contact you want to download, click the gear icon in the bottom left corner, and select Export vCard. Your browser will download the contact in VCF (vCard) format to your computer.

To download all contacts from an iCloud backup, press Command + A (on Mac) or Control + A (on Windows) to select all contacts. After that, select the gear icon in the lower left corner and select “Export vCard” to download the contacts.

To access iCloud Drive files, select iCloud Drive from the iCloud home webpage and navigate to the folder containing the files you want to download. Select the file(s) and tap the “Download” icon in the menu bar to save it locally.

Uploading backups to mobile devices via iCloud Web

Visit iCloud.com in a web browser, sign in to your iCloud account, and select a file category. Then select the files you want to upload, tap the menu icon in the bottom corner and select Upload.

For documents (such as PDFs), tap Select in the top right corner, tap the file, and tap the Upload icon.

If you’re using Chrome for iOS, click “Open In” and select “Save to Files”.

Download iCloud Back to Mac using iCloud Drive

You can download iCloud backups from Finder if iCloud Drive is enabled on your Mac computer. Make sure your Mac is linked to the same Apple ID or iCloud account where the file is stored.

Open System Preferences, select your Apple ID, select iCloud in the sidebar, and check the box for iCloud Drive.

On Macs running macOS Mojave or earlier, go to System Preferences > iCloud and turn on iCloud Drive.

This will download all iCloud backup data to your Mac so you can access your files locally. Downloading all the backup files may take several minutes or hours, depending on the size of the backup files and the speed of your connection.

Open Finder and select the iCloud Drive folder under “iCloud” in the sidebar.

macOS automatically downloads iCloud backup files when you turn on iCloud Drive. If a file or folder has a cloud icon, it means that it is only available in the clouds.

To download the backup file to your Mac, select the cloud icon or right-click on the file and select Download Now.

If you want to delete the backup file from your Mac, right-click and select Delete Download.

Download iCloud Back to PC Using the iCloud App

You can also use iCloud for Windows to export iCloud backups to your PC or external storage devices. Install the app from the Microsoft Store or the Apple website and follow these steps.

Note. With iCloud for Windows, you can only upload media files (photos, videos, etc.) and browser bookmarks. One more thing: Installing iCloud will also install the “iCloud Photos” app on your computer. You will need both apps to upload media to your iCloud backup.

Launch iCloud, enter your Apple ID account information, and select Sign In.

Check the boxes for iCloud Drive and Photos. Then click the “Options” button next to “Photo” to configure the upload and download options.

Since you only need to download your backup files, please check iCloud Photo Library and download new photos and videos to my computer – select “Done” to proceed.

Click Apply and then Close to close the iCloud Control Panel.

Press the Windows key, type iCloud in the search bar, select iCloud Photos under Apps.

Select Upload photos and videos below the menu bar.

Select the folder(s) containing the images or videos you want to download and click the Download button to continue.

Unlike iCloud on Apple devices, you can’t preview backup files before downloading them. This is another disadvantage of iCloud for Windows.

Double-click the Downloads folder to view the downloaded backup files.

Some (large) files can take a few minutes to upload via iCloud, depending on your connection speed and file size.

Download iCloud BackUp Using Third-Party Apps

Many apps allow users to download files from an iCloud backup. These third-party apps support downloading a wide variety of file types from your backup – notes, pictures, images, contacts, calendars, and more. Plus, you can preview items before downloading them to your device.

However, one of the major drawbacks is that third-party apps often require payment or a subscription. Let’s see how to use two of these apps – iMyFone D-Back and PhoneRescue – to download iCloud backups.

Download iCloud backup with iMyFone D-Back ($49.95/month)

Install iMyFone D-Back iCloud Backup Extractor on your Windows or Mac computer and follow the steps below. You need to purchase an app or pay for a subscription to download iCloud backup files.

Open the app, select Restore from iCloud in the sidebar, and then select iCloud.

Sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID account information. The app does not store your account information, so you don’t have to worry.

If your account is using 2-step verification, please authorize sign-in and enter the security code sent to your devices.

Wait for the app to check the security check before proceeding to the next step.

Check the box next to the iCloud data category you want to restore or download. Better yet, check the “Select All” box to select all categories with backup data. Select Scan after selecting a file category or multiple categories.

Select a data category in the sidebar and select the files you want to upload in each category. Then click “Restore” and follow the instructions on the next page to download the selected files.

Download iCloud backup with PhoneRescue ($49.99/year)

PhoneRescue is a relatively cheaper alternative that also supports various file types. You can view iCloud backup items in a free trial, but you’ll need a subscription to download files. Download PhoneRescue from the manufacturer’s website, install it on your Mac or PC, and follow these steps.

Open the PhoneRescue app, go to the Data Recovery tab, select Restore from iCloud, and click the Go button.

Enter your Apple ID account information to sign in to iCloud.

If your account uses two-step verification, enter the code sent to your Apple device and click OK.

Select the category containing the files you want to download.

Select a subcategory in the sidebar, select the files you want to upload, and click the Upload button in the bottom left corner.

iCloud App, Web, or Third-Party Apps: Which Is Better?

We recommend downloading iCloud backups via the iCloud website or the Apple iCloud app. They are more secure than third-party apps – recovery tools can access personal data and sensitive files in your iCloud backup. Use third-party apps only if you need to upload certain types of files that are not supported on the website or the Apple iCloud app.