How to Use Download and Keep Originals in iCloud Photo Library

While you use iCloud to backup photos from iPhone or iPad, you will be given two options, Optimize iPhone Device and Download and Keep Originals. However, many of you may ignore or even do not know it.

As a result, they will find the photos exported to computer via some third-party tools are not full resolution.

What are they? How to use it?

Here, we will show the comprehensive introduction of it and the guide to use it.

• Part 1. Introduction of "optimize iPhone Storage" and "Download and Keep Originals"
• Part 2. How to Use "Download and Keep Originals" and "optimize iPhone Storage"
• Part 3. How to Access Full-Resolution Photos on iPhone
• Part 4. FAQs of Downloading iCloud Photos

Part 1. Introduction of "optimize iPhone Storage" and "Download and Keep Originals"

"Download and Keep Originals" and "optimize iPhone Storage" are the options given to you while you set up photos backup to iCloud on your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch.

iCloud photos keep all of your photos and videos in original and high-resolution version, while you turn on iCloud photos backup.

Back to your iOS device, it will leave the two options for you.

"Download and Keep Originals" means that the photos that will be backed up to iCloud will be kept original and full-resolution both on iCloud and iOS device.

"optimize iPhone Storage" means that the pictures that will be backed up to iCloud will be replaced with optimized version on iOS device, and full versions are stored in iCloud.

So the difference between those two options is the photos resolutions that are kept on your iOS device after iCloud backup.

Part 2. How to Use "Download and Keep Originals" and "optimize iPhone Storage"

"Download and Keep Originals" or "optimize iPhone Storage"?

The option will be decided by yourself based on your own needs.

If your iPhone has enough space, it will be OK to store original photos in full-resolution on iPhone. However, once your iPhone is low on space, "optimize iPhone Storage" will be good and automatically enabled, smaller and space-saving photos and videos are kept on your device.

For manually changing the settings, the steps are very easy to follow.

Step 1 On your iOS device running, go to "Settings" >"your name" > "iCloud" > "Photos".

For iOS device running in iOS 10.2 or earlier, tap "Settings" > "iCloud" > "Photos"

And then to turn on "iCloud Photos".

Step 2Hit "Optimize iPhone Storage" or "Download and Keep Originals" option as you wish.

You may need: How to Share Photos with iCloud Photo Sharing

Part 3. How to Access Full-Resolution Photos on iPhone

As mentioned above, once you select "optimize iPhone Storage", your iPhone will keep the optimized images with smaller size. In other word, the images on your iPhone will be not full-resolution.

When you access your iPhone photos on computer with some third-party tools, you will find the image may be not clear as its originals.

Want to access the full-resolution photos? Here are 3 ways, download iCloud photos to iPhone, download iPhone photos from iCloud, and disable photos iCloud backup.

Transfer Full Resolution Photos from iPhone to Computer

For downloading the original full-resolution photos on iPhone, you just need to switch from "optimize iPhone Storage" to "Download and Keep Originals" in Part 2.

Or just turn off photos backup on iCloud.

Go to "Settings" >"your name" > "iCloud" > "Photos" > Toggle "iCloud Photos" to OFF.

For iOS device running in iOS 10.2 or earlier, tap "Settings" > "iCloud" > "Photos" > Toggle "iCloud Photos" to OFF.

Note: Once you disable photos backup on iCloud, the photos synced to iCloud before will store in iCloud, but it will not sync to iCloud later. However, the photos backed up to iCloud will still keep optimized versions on your iOS device.

Then you could use third-party apps like MobieTrans, iPhone Transfer, etc. to easily transfer photos from iPhone/iPad/iPod touch to computer with original high quality.

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Don't miss: How to sync photos from iPhone to Computer

Download the Original Photos from iCloud for iPhone

Moreover, you can use Apeaksoft iPhone Data Recovery to access the full resolution images from Camera Roll, Photo Stream, Photo Library and app photos. Apart from accessing photos from iCloud, it can also restore the photos from iTunes. Moreover, even the deleted photos can be retrieved from iPhone 14/13/12/11/XS/XR/X, iPad Pro/mini/Air, etc.

Step 1 Free download iPhone Data Recovery to your computer. Install and run it immediately after the installation.

Select "Recover from iCloud Backup File" in the left bar. Input your Apple ID and the password to log in to iCloud account.

Step 2 After the successful login, you can see all the iCloud backup with the iCloud account.

Select the one you need, and click "Download" to start to download the iCloud backup.

Step 3 In the pop-up window, you need to select the data type that you want to access from iCloud.

Here, we need to select "Camera Roll", "Photo Stream", "Photo Library" and "App Photos". If you have other photos that are attached in app like Kik, Line, WhatsApp, Messenger, etc., just also checkmark them. Then click "Next" to start to scan and download the full-resolution photos from iCloud.

If you want to download documents from iCloud to Mac or Windows, then you should select the checkbox of App Document.

Step 4 Wait minutes and you can see all the selected photo types show in the left sidebar.

Click it and the detailed photos will show in the right window.

Checkmark the full resolution photos that you want to download, and click "Recover" to save them on your computer.

Download Original iPhone Photos from iCloud to Computer

If you only want to access the photos from iCloud to computer in full-resolution, you just download the photos from www.icloud.com.

Go to iCloud.com on your computer > Sign into your iCloud account with Apple ID and password > Click "Photos" > Select one or more photos and videos that you want to download > Click and hold the cloud icon in the upper-right corner of the window > Choose "Unmodified Original" to download the original full-resolution photos to your computer.

Note: Surely, the photos on your iPhone are still kept as optimized version. Want to get the downloaded full-resolution photos into iPhone? Check here.