Photo Export app icon

Photo Export

Free, open-source macOS app to export and back up your iCloud photos to any local or external drive, organized by year and month.

A native, open-source app. No cloud services, no subscriptions, no account required — your photos, your folders.

Coming soon on the Mac App Store Download from GitHub Get Started View Source
macOS 15+ Privacy-first MIT License No Account Required

Why Use Photo Export for Your iCloud Backup?

Photo Export uses Apple's PhotoKit framework — the same system API that powers the built-in Photos app. It sees exactly what your Photos app sees: every photo, video, and album synced through iCloud Photos. No reverse engineering, no private APIs, no workarounds.

This matters because PhotoKit is the only supported way to read the Photos library on macOS. It means the app works reliably across macOS updates, respects your privacy settings, and can request iCloud originals on demand through Apple's own infrastructure. Your credentials never leave your Mac.

Your photos, your folders No cloud lock-in. Export originals to any drive you control.
Organized automatically Photos sorted into a clean Year/Month/ folder hierarchy.
Only exports new photos Skips photos you've already exported. Never creates duplicates.
Handles interruptions Pause, resume, and recover from interruptions. Individual failures don't stop the batch.

Features

Library Browsing

Browse your entire Photos library with a year/month sidebar. See photo counts and export status at a glance.

Thumbnail Previews

Fast thumbnail grid with in-memory caching. Click any photo for a full-size preview.

Smart Export Tracking

Remembers every exported photo. Resume-safe — never re-exports what's already been copied.

Pause / Resume / Cancel

Full control over the export queue. Pause a long export and pick it up later.

Remembers Your Folder

Your chosen destination folder is remembered across app launches — no need to re-select it.

Graceful Error Handling

Handles denied access, unavailable drives, and individual photo failures without crashing the batch.

How to Export Your iCloud Photos in 3 Steps

Prerequisite: Make sure iCloud Photos is enabled on your Mac (System Settings → Apple Account → iCloud → Photos). Photo Export reads your local Photos library, so your iCloud photos need to be syncing to this Mac.

1

Grant access & pick a folder

Authorize Photos library access and choose a destination folder on any local or external drive.

2

Browse your library

Navigate by year and month. Preview thumbnails and inspect individual photos before exporting.

3

Export

Hit export and the app copies original files into an organized Year/Month/ folder tree. Track progress in real time.

Screenshots

Photo Export app showing the year/month sidebar, thumbnail grid, and full-size photo preview

Installation

Mac App Store

Coming soon. Automatic updates, trusted distribution. Your purchase supports development of an open-source project.

GitHub Releases (free)

  1. Download the latest .dmg from GitHub Releases
  2. Open the DMG and drag Photo Export to your Applications folder
  3. Launch the app and grant Photos library access when prompted
Requirements: macOS 15.0+. Both versions are signed and notarized by Apple. Both are identical in functionality.

Ideas for the future

  • Concurrent export pipeline for faster throughput
  • iCloud originals handling (download or skip remote-only photos)
  • Live Photos and paired media support
  • Retry failed exports without restarting the batch
  • Media filtering and search within the library browser
  • Flexible naming schemes beyond year/month

See all ideas →

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this work with iCloud Photo Library?
Yes. Photo Export reads your Apple Photos library, which includes all photos synced via iCloud. It can also download iCloud originals that are stored remotely on demand during export.
Can I export photos to an external hard drive?
Absolutely. You can choose any local or external drive as your export destination. The app remembers your choice across launches.
Will it download iCloud originals that are stored remotely?
Yes. During export, the app automatically downloads originals from iCloud when they aren't stored locally on your Mac. No manual downloading required.
Is it free?
Photo Export is free and open source on GitHub Releases. It's also available as a paid app on the Mac App Store — the purchase supports ongoing development. Both versions are identical in functionality.
Does it export videos too?
Yes. The app exports photos and videos. Live Photos are exported as a single still image — full motion export (paired image + video) is planned for a future release.
What happens if the export is interrupted?
The app tracks every exported photo. If the export is interrupted, you can resume and it will skip most already-exported files. In rare cases (e.g. a crash mid-write), a file may be copied again.

Get started

Download Photo Export, grant Photos access, and start backing up your library today. Free on GitHub, or support the project on the Mac App Store.

Download from GitHub Read the docs View on GitHub