Windows 11 Gets Photos App With iCloud Integration

With the update of the Photos app for Windows 11 , the previously announced iCloud integration is now also coming, as Microsoft confirms. By the end of November at the latest, all users should be offered the updated version, including synchronization for Apple’s online storage.

Just a few weeks ago, the Redmond-based company announced its intention to deepen its partnership with Apple in order to better integrate well-known services such as Apple TV, Music and iCloud into the Windows 11 operating system. After a comparatively short test phase, a new photos app is now being rolled out that not only collects local photos and those from the in-house OneDrive, but also searches the iCloud storage for photos.

Windows, OneDrive and iCloud media libraries

As Microsoft’s senior product manager Dave Grochocki explains in a blog post , the new feature should be available to all Windows 11 users by the end of the month. Not only the new photos app, but also the latest version of Apple iCloud are required for operation. Both will be available for download from the Microsoft Store , with distribution likely to come in waves.

Anyone who has concerns that their own iCloud media library could severely limit the storage space of the Windows 11 PC is given the all-clear. After setting up the Apple iCloud app, only preview images are downloaded or partially streamed from the Internet. The iCloud photos are only saved permanently on the PC when the images are opened or with the appropriate settings via the context menu.

Likewise, all pictures from the Windows 11 library are not automatically synced to iCloud, although it may appear so in the Apple app options . For this, the corresponding files would first have to be copied into the newly created iCloud Photos folder. Neither your local SSD / hard drive, nor your iCloud online storage will fill up when linked.