Import an iCloud Photos data copy

Apple can send you a full copy of everything in iCloud Photos, with spreadsheets that record each photo’s date, favorites and albums. You don’t need a Mac for this. Like Google Takeout, it takes two sittings: one to ask Apple, and one, a few days later, to import.

Request your copy from Apple

1. Go to privacy.apple.com and sign in with your Apple Account. On the Imports page, Open privacy.apple.com takes you there.
2. Choose the option to request a copy of your data.
3. Tick iCloud Photos. You can leave everything else unticked.
4. Continue, and choose the largest file size Apple offers, so there are fewer parts to download.
5. Complete the request. Apple checks it’s really you and prepares the copy, which can take several days. You’ll get an email when it’s ready.

Apple only keeps the download for a limited time. Download the parts soon after the email arrives.

Download every part

Return to privacy.apple.com and download each part. They’re named like “iCloud Photos Part 1 of 4”. Put them all in one folder.

• You don’t need to unzip them. Magpie reads the .zip files directly.
• Import all the parts at once. The spreadsheets with dates, favorites and albums can be in a different part from the photos they describe.

Import it

1. Open Imports from the sidebar.
2. Under Move a whole library, choose iCloud Photos data copy.
3. Click Choose .zip files and select every part at once. If you already unzipped them, click Choose an unzipped folder instead. You can also drag the parts or the folder onto the box.
4. Wait while Magpie opens your archives and reads dates and albums. Nothing is uploaded yet.
5. Check the summary, then click Import … files (the button shows how many).

Keep the tab open while it runs. See Follow an import while it runs.

What comes across

• Original dates. If the photo file has its own date with a time zone, that’s used; Apple’s date fills in when it doesn’t.
• Places, from the photo files themselves.
• Favorites. Photos you marked as favorites in Photos become your favorites.
• Hidden photos. They come in, but stay out of your timeline, as they did on your iPhone.
• Albums. Magpie notes which albums each photo was in and recreates them by name. If you already have an album with the same name, the photos join it.
• Live Photos stay together as one item.

Captions and keywords aren’t in Apple’s data copy. If you have them, an Apple Photos export from a Mac keeps them. You can run both: photos already in your library aren’t added twice.

What’s left out

• Recently deleted photos.
• Memories, which Apple builds from your photos rather than storing as photos.
• Files that aren’t photos or videos.
• The same photo found in more than one part. It’s uploaded once.

If something goes wrong

• “We didn’t find the “Photo Details” spreadsheet.” Some parts are missing. Choose every part Apple sent, all at once, so dates, favorites and albums come across. If you go ahead without them, the photos still come in with the details stored inside each file.
• “One of the files isn’t a readable .zip.” That part may still be downloading, or the download was cut short. Download it again, then choose all the parts again.
• A part is missing from Apple’s page. Download whatever is there and import it. When the rest arrives, import everything again: photos already in your library are recognized and skipped, and their albums and favorites are added.

For more, see If an import goes wrong.