Many Appele users own a Windows laptop. And the compatibility gap between the two platforms leaves something to be desired. But the good news is that the two companies have been bridging the gap steadily over the years.

The iCloud for Windows app has made it a lot easier for Apple users to access their iCloud data on the Windows system in the past. But still accessing your iCloud Photos from the File Explorer window was chaotic. There was no apparent order to the photos.

But now, with the new Photos app in Windows 11 that enjoys a direct iCloud Photos integration, the messy days for photos are behind us. You can see your Windows and iCloud photos in one place with the new update.

iCloud photos are also organized by date now, as they should be. And it’s extremely easy to set it up. Well, what are we waiting for?

Sync iCloud Photos with the Photos App

The update to the Photos app is rolling out now and some of you might already have the updated app on your system. Open the Photos app on your Windows 11 system.

If you have the updated app, you’ll get an onboarding message with details about the new iCloud Photos integration in the Photos app. Click ‘Next’ and follow the other prompts to close the window.

If your app isn’t updated automatically, go to the Microsoft Store and click the ‘Library’ icon from the left. Then, update your Photos app manually.

Next, you need the iCloud for Windows app installed on your system and iCloud Photos enabled. If you already have iCloud Photos enabled, your work is done. Your iCloud Photos will appear in the Photos app automatically.

Otherwise, go to the Microsoft Store and search for ‘iCloud’. Then, click the ‘Free’ button to download and install the app.

Launch the app and sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID.

Then, enable the ‘iCloud Photos’ option from the app.

Choose which albums you want to enable from ‘iCloud Photos’ and ‘Shared Photos’ and click ‘Done’.

Then, click ‘Apply’ to enable iCloud Photos on your Windows 11 PC. If you get an Apple diagnostics prompt, choose whether you want to share diagnostics with Apple or not; it’s entirely up to you.

And that’s it, your iCloud Photos will sync automatically with the Windows 11 Photos app. You can access them by navigating to ‘iCloud Photos’ from the menu on the left.

iCloud Photos integration in the Photos app in Windows 11 makes the experience of using Windows 11 more seamless. Of course, it is far from perfect; the iCloud Photos on Windows also include photos from the hidden album in the midst, for one instance. But it is a lot better than the previous implementation.