6 Ways to Fix iCloud Sync Not Working in Windows 11

Quick Tips

• iCloud Service may have issues.
• Ensure you have a stable internet connection to rule out any network issues.
• The iCloud storage limit is a prominent reason why sync stops working.

Fix 1: Restart File Explorer and Photos App

iCloud is integrated into File Explorer and the Photos App. If iCloud sync isn’t working in the background, you can close and reopen the apps.

Step 1: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

Step 2: Right-click on File Explorer or Photos app > choose Restart.

Step 3: Relaunch and check if it is working as expected.

Fix 2: Launch iCloud Apps at Startup

iCloud has dedicated apps such as iCloud, iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain, and iCloud Photos. To ensure iCloud sync works, especially the photos, enable iCloud, iCloud Drive, and iCloud Photos at the startup. 

Step 1: Open Windows Settings (Win + I).

Step 2: Go to the Apps menu > select Startup.

Step 3: Enable iCloud, iCloud Drive, and iCloud Photos services and check if it resolves the sync issue.

Fix 3: Re-Sign Into Your iCloud Account

Have you recently changed your Apple account password or added 2FA (two-factor authentication) protection? The iCloud app on Windows might have problems syncing new data. You can sign out of the app and sign in again with new account details. Here’s what you need to do.

Note: Your PC will delete the files you uploaded to iCloud. However, they’ll still be available on other devices through iCloud from the same Apple account.

Step 1: Open the iCloud app and click on Account details.

Step 2: Authenticate yourself using your Apple password and 2FA.

Step 3: Click Sign Out and confirm your decision by clicking the Delete from PC button.

Step 4: Reopen the iCloud app, log in using the exact Apple account credentials, and start syncing iCloud data to your computer.

Fix 4: Check iCloud Storage

The free 5GB iCloud storage fills up quickly with media and device backup enabled by default. When running out of storage on iCloud, the service won’t sync the device photos to the platform.

Step 1: Open the iCloud app on Windows.

Step 2: Scroll the app to see a detailed iCloud storage breakdown.

You have two options here. You can subscribe to one of the iCloud+ plans, which offers additional iCloud features such as Private Relay, Hide My Email, the ability to integrate custom email domains, and more. You can also follow our posts to free up iCloud storage on your iPhone or iPad.

Fix 5: Re-Enable iCloud Photos Sync

If you still experience problems with iCloud sync, temporarily disable iCloud Photos sync and enable it again.

Step 1: Launch iCloud and click on the arrow button at the left of iCloud Photos.

Step 2: In the Photos settings, toggle off the option for Upload and store your PC photo library in iCloud.

Step 3: If Shared Albums are enabled on iCloud, turn it off.

Step 4: Click on Done, wait a while, restart your PC, and then turn them all on again. 

Fix 6: Update iCloud App

One of the major issues with apps installed from Microsoft Store is they don’t update frequently even though Microsoft claims it. It is possible that your iCloud app is not updated, and the only way to do it is by checking it manually.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Store and search for iCloud

Step 2: Select the iCloud app to open from the search result and click on Update next to the listing.