I can also open settings without another folder being created. Set my options and boom! Photos downloaded. Then I installed iCloud from the MS Store. Then I confirmed OneDrive was not syncing my Pictures folder any longer. Then I went to registry removed the iCloud Photos registry keys. So I uninstalled iCloud, stopped OneDrive sync of Pictures, then deleted iCloud Drive folder. So I thought I would try to remove from sync as I could not find a way to move the iCloud Photos folder. I saw that my Pictures and therefore iCloud Photos were in the OneDrive Personal sync. So I saw the comment about about OneDrive. Everytime I went to iCloud app settings I would see another iCloud Photos link in Explorer. Docs sync fine, Photos just stayed at 'updating'. I reinstalled the Win10 store iCloud app multiple times. My question is: is anyone actually successfully using iCloud for Windows version 11 for photos uploading / downloading on their PC.? And if so - what are they doing that I am not, I wonder? Perhaps it is something to do with the fact that the iPhotos folder is in my Pictures folder in Windows, which is itself included in OneDrive? Mind you - this was the case before - with the version prior to 11.1 - which worked fine - so I am not sure this is relevant. It seems a new link is created every time I reset the iCloud settings. These all point to the actual 'iCloud Photos' folder in my 'Pictures' folder. these is an ever-increasing number of 'iCloud Photos' folder links presented to be in File Explorer's navigation pane.

The previous version (that included the separate options to download and upload photos) worked fine.

This does not happen - the status in the iCloud app in the notification area stays as 'Updating …'.

the latest iCloud for Windows (version 11.1) does not seem to work: the guidance says 'optimised versions of all photos and videos automatically download to your PC once you enable iCloud Photos'.

Hi - thank you, but following that guidance is exactly what I did before posting this issue.

Apple iphoto for windows 10