How to Use iCloud on Windows 11: Sync Photos, Files, and Passwords Wirelessly
Using an iPhone or iPad with a Windows PC doesn’t mean you’re locked out of Apple’s ecosystem.
With iCloud for Windows, you can wirelessly sync photos, files, bookmarks, passwords, and more — as long as you install the correct version and understand how syncing really works.
This guide walks through the full setup process, explains what each iCloud feature does on Windows, and shows how to safely sign out or recover data if something goes wrong.
🎓 What You’ll Learn
• How to install iCloud for Windows the right way
• The difference between the legacy installer and Microsoft Store version
• How iCloud Photos syncs images across iPhone, Mac, and Windows
• How to access iCloud Drive files on a Windows PC
• How to sync bookmarks and passwords with Chrome and Edge
• How Shared Albums work on Windows
• How to recover deleted photos from iCloud
• How to safely sign out and remove iCloud data from a PC
☁️ iCloud on Windows: What Actually Syncs
iCloud keeps your devices in sync — not copied.
Delete a photo or file on one device, and it disappears everywhere unless recovered.
🖼️ iCloud Photos on Windows
iCloud Photos automatically downloads photos you take on your iPhone and makes them available on your Windows PC — no cable required.
Best for:
• Hands-free syncing
• Keeping one photo library across devices
• Accessing photos from multiple computers
📁 iCloud Drive on Windows
iCloud Drive works like OneDrive or Google Drive, letting you move files between Apple devices and Windows effortlessly.
Great for:
• PDFs
• Documents
• Photos & videos
• Cross-platform workflows
🔐 Passwords & Bookmarks
The Microsoft Store version of iCloud unlocks:
• iCloud Passwords app on Windows
• Browser extensions for Chrome & Edge
• Secure password syncing across devices
🧹 Signing Out & Data Removal
You can:
• Disable individual features (Photos, Drive, Passwords)
• Or fully sign out and remove all iCloud data from the PC
This is essential if you’re selling or retiring a Windows computer.