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User Case: iCloud Photo Library is Empty
About a week ago, when I logged into iCloud Photos, I got the message "iCloud Photo Library is empty" suddenly. Not sure what happened, but there are no photos in iCloud, but I do have photos in my Photos application on my computer, as well as on my iPhone. If I try to upload a photo to iCloud Photos, the photo uploads fine, but is not visible in iCloud Photos, but is visible on my iPhone. Help!!!!
- Question from iCloud Community
Why My iCloud Photos Library is Empty?
iCloud Photos is a default app for Apple users to store photos and videos from their camera roll. Generally speaking, once you enable iCloud Photos Library on your iPhone, local images and clips will be uploaded and synced to the cloud. However, some users are complaining about the issue of photos missing from iCloud Photo Library.
Don’t panic! Your precious memories are not disappearing suddenly. Why are all my photos not on iCloud? This issue can be caused by the wrong Apple ID, network disruptions, disabling the iCloud Photos library, etc.
In this guide, we will offer you 4 simple and easy solutions to work it out. If you are confronted with the question, continue to read the following part.
Note: Where are all my photos on iCloud? Basically, they will be stored on Photos in iCloud.
My iCloud Photos Library is Empty: 4 Fixes
In this section, 4 methods are provided for your reference to handle the photos gone from iCloud issue. After reading, select the proper solution based on your situation.
Way 1: Check Your Apple ID
Firstly, you should check your Apple ID to see whether you are signing in to the right account. The way to achieve this is easy. Simply go to Settings > [your Apple ID].
Way 2: Enable iCloud Photos
If you haven’t enabled iCloud Photos, local photos and videos won’t be synced to the cloud. So, if you find they are not in your iCloud Photos, you should check whether you have enabled it first. This is how to check:
Step 1: Head to Settings > [your Apple ID] > iCloud > Photos.
Step 2: Then hit Sync this iPhone.
Way 3: Check Internet Connection
A good connection keeps a smooth syncing process. If those photos are not in your iCloud, you should check the internet status. If the speed is slow, you can restart your router or find a place where the connection is better and stable.
Way 4: Check iCloud Storage
Why can't I see all my photos on iCloud still? Well, iCloud only offers 5GB of free space, so it is common to run out of the free cap. If your local photos don’t show on the cloud, check your iCloud storage space to see whether it is sufficient. If isn’t, upgrade your account or delete some unnecessary pics.
Way 5: Upload Photos Manually
If the above methods are not helpful, you can sign in to your iCloud on the web. Then, upload photos manually to your iCloud. Although this process is time-consuming, it is helpful.
Note: You can also contact the Apple support team to get the answer.
Advanced Tip: How to Backup iCloud Photos to Another Cloud
As said before, iCloud only provides you with 5GB of free space. If you don’t want to upgrade your account, how can you backup your important screenshots and videos? It’s recommended to back up photos from iCloud to another cloud drive that offers much more free space. And then delete the photos on your iCloud or local device.
This way, you will never ask “Why my iCloud photo library is empty” again. However, the question is how to backup iCloud Photos to another cloud drive easily and directly. In this case, MultCloud can make it a breeze.
MultCloud is a reliable and smart cloud-to-cloud backup service that allows you to back up files and photos from one cloud to another without any effort. Different from the download-and-upload process, MultCloud makes it efficient and direct to complete the task. Here are some conveniences and merits:

- Offline Backup. MultCloud consumes data traffic when you back up data between cloud services. Meanwhile, it offers 5GB of free data traffic every month. So, you can have a try to see whether it is helpful. For example, you can backup Google Photos to Google Drive.
- Automatic Backup. MultCloud allows you to create auto-backup tasks so that files can be migrated automatically. There are 4 schedule options, such as running at a designated time, daily, weekly, or monthly.
- Cross-Cloud Compatibility. A variety of cloud drives are provided by MultCloud, such as iCloud Drive, iCloud Photos, Google Drive, Google Photos, Dropbox, OneDrive, MEGA, and more.
- Intuitive Interface. MultCloud is a web-based cloud management service, so you don’t need to install it on your device. Its interface is simple and intuitive and main features are displayed on the left taskbar. You can get started without reading long and complex tutorials.
Now, refer to the following section to learn the way to backup iCloud Photos to another cloud. We will take OneDrive as an example.
Step 1: Head to the official webpage of MultCloud and create an account.
Step 2: Tap Add Cloud on the left taskbar. Add iCloud Photos and OneDrive respectively by tapping their icons one by one. Then, follow the onscreen notes to grant MultCloud access.
Step 3: Press Cloud Backup on the left. Choose iCloud Photos as the source cloud and OneDrive as the target cloud. Next, start the task by tapping Backup Now.
To make automatic backup tasks, you can hit the Schedule button. Meanwhile, you can hit Options to enable the file Filter feature. This allows you to include photos with certain extensions, such as .jpg, .png, etc. Likewise, you can backup Google Photos to Synology NAS without any effort.
Final Words
So, why my iCloud Photo Library is empty? After reading this article, you now get the answer and fixes to handle this issue. Meanwhile, to expand iCloud storage and add a layer of protection, it’s recommended to backup iCloud Photos to another cloud via MultCloud. In addition to backing up, MultCloud also makes it easy to transfer and sync data between clouds.
MultCloud Supports Clouds
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Google Drive
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Google Workspace
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OneDrive
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OneDrive for Business
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SharePoint
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Dropbox
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Dropbox Business
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MEGA
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Google Photos
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iCloud Photos
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FTP
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box
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box for Business
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pCloud
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Baidu
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Flickr
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HiDrive
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Yandex
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NAS
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WebDAV
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MediaFire
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iCloud Drive
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WEB.DE
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Evernote
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Amazon S3
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Wasabi
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ownCloud
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MySQL
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Egnyte
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Putio
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ADrive
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SugarSync
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Backblaze
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CloudMe
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MyDrive
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Cubby