How to Download iCloud Backup to PC or Mac and View Backup Files
Last Updated on November 3, 2021 by Ian McEwan
We can all agree to the fact that backup is a total lifesaver. Putting a copy of all your files together like documents, photos, videos, and more in one safe place makes you feel at ease. Thinking that whatever may happen, you can always rely on your backups to save the day and produce another copy of your files.
What is iCloud backup and why do people want to download it
For iPhone users, a known backup tool is iCloud. It is a storage system for iDevice users to store digital data and settings. In addition, iCloud can be used to download the iCloud backup files to restore erased data and settings.
There could be unknown events and chances where users format their iPhone, lose their device or accidentally delete the data of the device. After all, we want to keep using our phones with all the important data and settings secured.
But there goes the question, is it possible to download iCloud backup? Well yes, Apple lets you download your iCloud backup with no worries, but there are certain limitations which we will discuss later in this article.
For now, take a look at the different ways we provided on how to download the iCloud backup.
Different Ways to Download iCloud Backup
There are several ways to download your iCloud backup and we provided some of them below. Check them out and see what fits you.
Method 1: Download iCloud Backups via iCloud.com
As I’ve said, iDevice users can easily download their iCloud backups through its website iCloud.com. Aside from photos, users can find any documents and other files like Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Notes, etc.
Note that the iCloud backup data you find on iCloud.com is coming from your iPhone and other iOS devices that are registered to the same iCloud account. That means you can find the files that are currently saved on your iPhone. But once you delete them from your device, most likely, iCloud.com will delete them from its library as well. Still, there’re chances where you can download those deleted files from it.
Before proceeding make sure to turn on iCloud Photos on your device to automatically sync and upload your photos from your device to the website.
- Sign in to the iCloud website with your Apple ID username and password on any of your devices.
- To download photos from iCloud backup, click on the "Photos" icon, select a photo and then click the "Download" icon in the upper right corner.
Method 2: Download iCloud Backups with iCloud Drive Client on Windows PC
If you own a Windows PC and you want to access and manage your iCloud backup on it, you can certainly do that by installing an iCloud Drive.
Note: To sync and access your photos from iCloud on your iPhone to your iCloud Drive on your Windows PC make sure to turn on iCloud Photos on your iPhone/iPad.
- Download and install the iCloud for Windows on your Windows PC.
- Next, set up iCloud on your computer and sign in to your Apple ID account, then enable the iCloud Drive checkbox.
- To download your photo backups from iCloud, simply select "Photos" and click on the "Options" button adjacent to it on the iCloud interface.
- From here, enable the option of "iCloud Photo Library" and "iCloud Photo Sharing".
- Additionally, enable the option of "Download new photos and videos to my PC" to get all the new photos clicked from your iOS device on your PC.
- Wait for a while as iCloud will sync photos from the cloud to your iCloud drive.
- After downloading, go to the iCloud Photos folder on your PC to view them. Your files will be segregated into three categories: Upload, Download, and Shared.
Tip: From now on, you can find an iCloud Drive on This PC. There, you can have access to other files of your iCloud backup, like Songs, Apps infor, Notes, Contacts, Messages,etc.
Method 3: Download iPhone iCloud Backups with Third-party Tool
Like I mentioned above, downloading iCloud backups on their services has some limitations. You can only download photos from your iCloud backups. With these limitations, we can’t manage and create another secure copy of our data.
Good thing that there is a third-party tool that can help you download all your data from your iCloud backup. Sounds interesting right? Introducing echoshare IOS Data Backup and Restore.
echoshare IOS Data Backup and Restore is a program dedicated to helping iOS users manage their data. With this reliable program, you can easily download your iCloud backup on your computer without hassle.
And what’s more amazing about this program is that it has a Selective Restore feature, that lets you select all the data you want to backup or restore. So all those iCloud data that you are unable to download will be easily accessed and managed with the help of echoshare iOS Data Backup and Restore.
In addition, echoshare enables you to recover data like contacts, messages, photos, and more, in the most efficient and straightforward manner. echoshare also recovers files from many common scenarios. Also, you can use this program to scan deleted or lost data on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and preview the details before recovery.
Backup and restore have never been easier, and that is all thanks to echoshare iOS Data Backup and Restore. Download this reliable program now, and start to back up your files and recover lost data.
Steps to Download iCloud Backup using echoshare IOS Data Backup and Restore
Step 1: Download, install and launch echoshare iOS Data Backup and Restore on your PC.
Step 2: On the echoshare interface, click iPhone Data Recover and choose Recover from iCloud Backup.
Step 3: Next, enter your iCloud account and password to log in.
Step 4: After logging in, the program can find all iCloud backup files in your account. Choose the one where you're going to recover data and click on the "Download" button.
Step 5: A pop-up window will show, then choose the type of files you would like to download. Click on the "Next" button to start downloading.
Step 6: Once it’s done, tick the files that you want and click on the "Recover to Computer" or "Recover to your device" button to save them on your computer or your device.
Tips/Bonus
Can't download iPhone backup from iCloud?
If you are having trouble downloading your backup files to your iPhone from iCloud, then try to find the local backup file found in the MobileSync folder.
How to Manage iCloud Storage
Here are all the things you need to know about your iCloud storage and how to manage it on your iPhone.
1. Access iCloud
To access iCloud, simply open Settings, and choose iCloud, and then select Storage toward the top of the screen. On Storage, you will see the Total Storage you have and the Available Storage.
2. Manage Storage
On the Manage Storage screen, you will see what is stored on your iCloud. From there, you will see four sections that indicate how your storage is occupied: Photos, Backups, Documents and Data, and Mail.
3. iCloud Photo Library
On your screen tap the Photo Library button. You see how many photos and videos occupy the storage, to free up your storage you will have to delete some photos directly into the Photos app.
4. iPhone in the Backups Section
On the Backup section, you will see the Info screen. The date and size of the last backup appear at the top. Scroll down and tap Show All Apps to see the apps for which iCloud backs up data, not the apps themselves, only the data.
5. Tap Back or swipe right to return to the Manage Storage screen
6. Documents & Data Section
Tap Back or swipe right to return to the Manage Storage screen, then scroll down and choose the Show All button and you can access the Documents & Data section. From there you can see all the types and sizes of files that are stored on iCloud Drive. Tap an app to see the list of files stored from that app.
7. Manage Storage
If you see you’re running low on available storage, you can purchase additional iCloud storage. Cloud Drive and iCloud Photo Library give you 5GB total storage for mail, contacts, calendars, documents, photos, and backup.
FAQs
Can I change the iPhone backup location?
No, Apple doesn't allow users to change the default location for its system backups. You can either use symbolic links or download a third-party program that will move backups for you.
Where is the default iTunes backup folder?
The default iTunes backup location is set to the PC or Mac's primary disk, and in macOS 10.15, iOS backups as created by Finder are stored in the same place.