Import from Apple Photos

Mobile

If you are using Apple Photos on your phone, then the most seamless way is to install the Ente app on your mobile device. The Ente app will directly read from your iCloud library and import.

TIP

For large libraries, this process may take a bit of time, so you can speed it up by keeping the app running in the foreground while the initial import is in progress. You can do this by going to Settings > Backup > Backup settings and turning on "Disable auto lock" (Note: this is only needed during the initial import, subsequently the app will automatically backup photos in the background as you take them).

Importing iCloud shared albums

iCloud shared albums use reduced-quality copies of your photos and videos — they are not the same as your original files. Apple downscales photos to 2,048 pixels on the long edge and caps videos at 720p / 15 minutes. Location data, captions, and original dates are also stripped.

Because of these limitations, the best approach depends on whether you have access to the originals.

If you (or the album owner) still have the originals

This is the recommended path, as it preserves full quality and metadata.

1. Install the Ente app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. The Ente app will directly read from your iCloud library and back up the originals with full quality and metadata.
3. Organize the photos into albums inside Ente after upload.

If shared album copies are all you have

1. On iPhone/iPad: Open the shared album, select the photos, tap the share button, and save them to your device library.
2. On iCloud.com: Open the shared album, select up to 1,000 items, and click Download.
3. Import the saved photos into Ente using the mobile app or the desktop app.

NOTE

Photos downloaded from iCloud shared albums will be lower quality than the originals and will be missing location data and original dates. The download date may replace the original capture date, causing photos to sort incorrectly. After importing, you can fix dates manually in Ente if needed.

For information regarding desktop migration, please go through this FAQ.

If you run into any issues during this migration, please reach out to [email protected] and we will be happy to help you!