In a quiet but meaningful gesture toward creative collaboration, Apple has extended its professional media formats — ProRes video and ProRAW photography — to Windows users through iCloud for Windows 13. The update acknowledges a long-standing friction in hybrid creative workflows, where teams spanning both Mac and Windows machines have had to improvise around format incompatibilities. By also bringing password generation and more flexible shared folder controls to the Windows platform, Apple signals that its ecosystem ambitions are no longer bounded by its own hardware.
Apple expands iCloud for Windows 13 with ProRes, ProRAW support
Windows users can now access ProRes and ProRAW files stored in iCloud
Mark
Why does it matter that ProRes and ProRAW are coming to Windows through iCloud? Aren't there other ways to move files around?
Mimi
There are, but they're clunky. If you're a video editor or photographer working on Windows but your colleague is on Mac, you'd have to convert files or use external tools. Now they sync automatically through iCloud, the same way they would if everyone was on Apple hardware.
Luke
But let's be clear—this is just access through iCloud. You still can't edit ProRes or ProRAW natively on Windows. You can view them, download them, work with them if you have third-party software that supports those formats. Apple isn't opening up the formats themselves.
Mimi
Right. But that's still meaningful. It removes a barrier to hybrid teams. Before, you'd have to think about format compatibility before even starting a project.
Mark
What about the password generation feature? Is that new to iCloud for Windows, or has it been there?
Mimi
It's new. Apple added a password manager to iCloud for Windows in August, and now in November they're adding the ability to generate strong passwords within that app. Mac users have had this for longer.
Luke
So Windows is catching up, not leading. And we should note that the source doesn't say how many people actually use iCloud for Windows, or whether this update is driving adoption.
Mark
Fair point. Do we know if this is part of a larger strategy, or just incremental updates?
Mimi
The pattern suggests strategy. Three updates in a few months, each adding professional-focused features. It looks like Apple is deliberately making iCloud for Windows more capable.
Luke
The source calls it a "major update," but the actual feature set is modest—three things, really. That's worth noting. Major is relative.
Mark
So what's the real story here?
Mimi
Apple is slowly erasing the penalty for using Windows. If you're a creative professional, you don't have to choose between Mac and Windows anymore. You can use both, and your files follow you.
Luke
As long as you're in the Apple ecosystem and paying for iCloud storage. That's the constraint.
Der Puls
- Creative professionals working across Mac and Windows have long faced a quiet tax — converting or workarounds just to open Apple's own professional formats on a Windows machine.
- iCloud for Windows 13 removes that barrier, granting Windows users native access to ProRes videos and ProRAW photos stored in iCloud for the first time.
- The update also shifts shared folder dynamics, allowing any participant — not just the original owner — to add or remove collaborators, decentralizing control over shared projects.
- A password generation feature through the iCloud Passwords app narrows the gap between Windows and Mac users, pushing the platform closer to feature parity.
- This is Apple's third major iCloud for Windows update in recent months, suggesting an accelerating commitment to making its services genuinely competitive on Microsoft's platform.
In a quiet but meaningful gesture toward creative collaboration, Apple has extended its professional media formats — ProRes video and ProRAW photography — to Windows users through iCloud for Windows 13. The update acknowledges a long-standing friction in hybrid creative workflows, where teams spanning both Mac and Windows machines have had to improvise around format incompatibilities. By also bringing password generation and more flexible shared folder controls to the Windows platform, Apple signals that its ecosystem ambitions are no longer bounded by its own hardware.
Apple's release of iCloud for Windows 13 marks a notable step in the company's effort to make its professional creative tools accessible beyond its own hardware. The update brings native support for ProRes video and ProRAW photos to Windows machines — formats that, until now, required workarounds or conversion for anyone not working on a Mac. For creative teams that span both operating systems, a common reality in media production and design, this removes a persistent friction from collaborative workflows.
ProRes is a video codec built for editing and post-production, while ProRAW gives photographers fine-grained control over image processing. Both represent Apple's ambitions in professional creative work, and their arrival in iCloud for Windows 13 means those ambitions can now travel across operating system lines without compromise.
The update also reshapes how shared folders function: participants in a shared iCloud Drive folder can now add or remove other people themselves, rather than routing every permission change through the original owner. Alongside this, the iCloud Passwords app gains a password generation feature on Windows, bringing it closer to what Mac users have already had access to.
This is the third significant version update for iCloud for Windows in recent months — Apple released version 12.5 in August with a new password manager — pointing to an accelerating pace of development. The app has been available since early 2019 and has steadily grown to support iCloud Drive, Photos, Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and Bookmarks. The latest additions suggest Apple is treating Windows not as an afterthought, but as a platform worth investing in for the professionals who depend on both worlds.
Apple has released iCloud for Windows 13, a significant update that extends support for two of the company's professional media formats to Windows users. The new version now allows people working on Windows PCs to access ProRes videos and ProRAW photos stored in iCloud, formats that have traditionally been locked within Apple's ecosystem.
ProRes and ProRAW represent Apple's push into professional creative work. ProRes is a video codec designed for editing and post-production, while ProRAW is a raw image format that gives photographers maximum flexibility in processing. Until now, Windows users who wanted to work with these files had to rely on workarounds or convert them to other formats. The addition of native support in iCloud for Windows 13 removes that friction, making it easier for creative teams that span both Mac and Windows machines to collaborate on the same projects.
The update also introduces a password generation feature through the iCloud Passwords app, allowing Windows users to create strong, secure passwords directly within iCloud. This brings Windows users closer to feature parity with Mac users who have had access to similar tools. Additionally, the update changes how shared folders work: participants in a shared iCloud Drive file or folder can now add or remove other people, giving more granular control over collaboration without requiring the original owner to manage every permission change.
This is the third major version bump for iCloud for Windows in recent months. Apple released version 12.5 in August with a new password manager, signaling an accelerating pace of development for the Windows application. The software itself has been available since February 2019, when Apple first brought iCloud syncing to Windows machines. Over time, the app has accumulated support for iCloud Drive, Photos, Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and Bookmarks alongside the newly added Passwords feature.
The timing of these updates reflects a broader shift in how Apple approaches cross-platform services. Rather than treating Windows as a secondary concern, the company is actively expanding iCloud's capabilities on Microsoft's platform, particularly in areas that matter to professional users. For creative professionals who work across both operating systems—a common scenario in media production, design, and photography—these additions reduce the friction of maintaining separate workflows. Windows users can now download or update to version 13 through the Microsoft Store or Apple's support website.
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