Fix Photos Not Uploading to iCloud Once & for All

iCloud photos not syncing means risking treasured pictures if something happens to your iPhone or iPad. Here's how to fix photos not uploading to iCloud photo storage, and how to upload photos to iCloud without worry.

Jump To:

• Restart Your iPhone or iPad
• Check Your Internet Connection
• Check Your Battery Level
• Get the Latest Apple Software Update
• Enable Photo Upload in iCloud Settings
• Make Sure You Have Enough iCloud Storage
• Make Sure You Have Enough Device Storage
• How to Speed Up iCloud Photo Upload

Photos Not Uploading to iCloud—Fixed! 

Are your iCloud photos not syncing? We'll teach you how to fix iCloud photo syncing issues. iCloud has been described as the glue that holds our Apple devices together. iCloud Photos allows users to save, search, and share photos and videos from any of their Apple devices. Here's how to get upload photos to iCloud working again, and fix all sync photos to iCloud from iPhone issues. For more tips and tricks for navigating iCloud, like what to do if your iCloud backup fails, don't forget to subscribe to our free Tip of the Day newsletter.

Restart Your iPhone or iPad

This is one of the most basic yet helpful steps to take, regardless of what kind of iPad or iPhone glitch you're struggling with. Restarting your iPhone or iPad doesn't get rid of any of your data or saved items; it just clears the data cache and can fix problems like crashing apps, a frozen device, or, in this case, an iCloud issue. If you're not sure how to do it, read our article on how to restart an iPhone or iPad. If your photos won't upload to iCloud even after restarting, try the following steps.

Check Your Internet Connection

If your iPhone or iPad isn't connected to the internet, there's no way for your photos to upload to iCloud. Make sure that your device is connected to the internet via a stable Wi-Fi or cellular network. If you suspect your connection is slow, try an internet speed test. If you are connected to a cellular network, your device may automatically pause the upload to avoid using up all your data. Try connecting to a Wi-Fi network and tapping resume to continue your iCloud photos upload.

Check Your Battery Level

Just like your device may auto-pause the iCloud upload if you aren't connected to Wi-Fi, your photos won't upload to iCloud if your battery is low. Try plugging your phone into a charger and tapping Resume. If you still experience your video or photo stream not updating, keep reading.

Get the Latest Apple Software Update

Installing the newest iOS update (or iPadOS) improves device security and prevents glitches and bugs, so there's a good chance that updating will help solve your issues with photos not uploading to iCloud. The first thing to do if your iPhone is not uploading photos to iCloud is to make sure that the software for your device is updated. If that doesn't fix the problem, move on to the next step on our list. If you're not sure if you have the latest update, just check in your settings if an update is available. 

Enable Photo Upload in iCloud Settings

You'll need to make sure that the correct settings are enabled to allow your photos to upload to iCloud. The steps below are the same on iPad. To do this:

1. Open the Settings app.
   
   
2. Tap your Apple ID profile at the top of the page.
   
   
3. Tap iCloud.
   
   
4. Tap Photos.
   
   
5. Make sure Sync this iPhone is toggled on.
   ​
   

Make Sure You Have Enough iCloud Storage

If iCloud photos are not uploading, you might not have enough iCloud storage. Without sufficient storage, your iPhone or iPad won't be able to perform several key functions, including uploading pictures and videos to iCloud Photos. We've written several tips about how to clear iCloud storage and, if your iCloud storage is full and you don't want to clear anything to free up space, how to buy more Apple iCloud storage. To find out how much iCloud storage you're using:

1. Open the Settings app.
   
   
2. Tap your Apple ID profile at the top of the page.
   
   
3. Tap iCloud.
   
   
4. Look at the top bar to see how much of your iCloud storage you've used.
   
   ​

​You'll see which apps are using the most storage, and if you're running low, you'll see a section called Recommendations for how to save data.

Make Sure You Have Enough Device Storage

As well as needing sufficient iCloud storage, your iPad or iPhone needs a certain amount of free storage space to upload your photos and videos to the cloud. Check how much storage your device has, and if you're almost maxed out, take steps to optimize your iPhone or iPad's storage.

1. Open the Settings app.
   
   
2. Tap General.
   
   
3. Tap iPhone Storage.
   
   
4. Look at the top bar to see how much of your iPhone Storage you've used. Your iPhone may take a minute or so to calculate the storage use in each category, so be patient while it does so.
   
   
5. As with iCloud Storage, your device will offer recommendations for how to optimize your storage, if necessary. These can be found in the Recommendations section.
   
   

How to Speed Up iCloud Photo Upload

If you experience an unusually slow iCloud Photo Upload, or syncing with iCloud paused, the steps above can be used to troubleshoot this as well! Make sure your iPhone or iPad is plugged into a charger and connected to a fast Wi-Fi network. If you still experience slow upload time, it may just be a long video that is being uploaded. Otherwise, try restarting your iPhone or iPad and try all the troubleshooting steps. This should speed it up!

By now, you should be able to upload and sync photos to iCloud again. Let me know in the comments if these steps worked to get your photos and videos uploading to iCloud again. If you tried something else that worked, please let us know in the comment section below. We hope you enjoyed the recap on how to upload photos to iCloud again if your iCloud photos are not syncing. We have a whole iCloud guide that covers how to access iCloud, how to view iCloud photos, and many other iCloud questions. Next, learn how to delete photos from your iPhone but not your iCloud Photo Library.