On a Wednesday in November 2021, Apple quietly narrowed the distance between its professional creative tools and the Windows world, releasing iCloud for Windows version 13 with native support for ProRes video and ProRaw photos. For the many people who carry an iPhone but work on a PC, this update dissolves a persistent friction — the gap between what a device can capture and what a computer can actually use. It is a small but telling gesture: an acknowledgment that ecosystems are not walls, and that tools should follow people rather than confine them.
Apple expands iCloud for Windows with ProRes, ProRaw support
Closing the gap between what iPhones capture and what Windows can access
Mark
Why does Apple care about Windows users at all? Doesn't this just help people avoid buying a Mac?
Mimi
It probably does, but Apple seems to have decided that's a trade-off worth making. If you own an iPhone, Apple wants you in iCloud. The format support here—ProRes and ProRaw—those are tools for serious creators. Locking them out of Windows would just push those users to Google Photos or Dropbox.
Luke
Right, but let's be clear about what this actually enables. ProRes and ProRaw are formats that iPhone 13 Pro users can shoot in. How many people are actually doing that? This isn't a feature for the average iPhone owner.
Mimi
True. It's niche. But it's a niche that matters—filmmakers, photographers, people who take their iPhone seriously as a creative tool.
Mark
What about the password generator? That seems more broadly useful.
Mimi
It does. That's the real everyday feature in this update. It ties into iCloud Keychain, so you can generate strong passwords and have them sync across your devices.
Luke
But only if you're using Outlook 2016 or later for email and calendar. That's a constraint worth noting. Not everyone has that version.
Mark
So this update is really two things—one for professionals, one for regular users?
Mimi
Exactly. The ProRes and ProRaw support is a signal that Apple sees Windows as a legitimate creative platform for certain workflows. The password generator is just making the app more complete.
Luke
And it's free, which matters. Apple could have charged for this. They didn't.
Il Polso
- iPhone users shooting in ProRes or ProRaw had no clean path to access those files on Windows — workarounds and conversions were the only options.
- Version 13 of iCloud for Windows closes that gap, letting PC users interact with Apple's professional formats natively for the first time.
- Shared iCloud Drive folders gain more flexible permission controls, giving participants — not just owners — the ability to adjust access on the fly.
- A built-in password generator joins the iCloud Passwords tool, reducing reliance on weaker manual choices for Windows users.
- The free update is live on the Microsoft Store now, though full functionality still depends on running Outlook 2016 or later for mail and calendar features.
On a Wednesday in November 2021, Apple quietly narrowed the distance between its professional creative tools and the Windows world, releasing iCloud for Windows version 13 with native support for ProRes video and ProRaw photos. For the many people who carry an iPhone but work on a PC, this update dissolves a persistent friction — the gap between what a device can capture and what a computer can actually use. It is a small but telling gesture: an acknowledgment that ecosystems are not walls, and that tools should follow people rather than confine them.
Apple released iCloud for Windows version 13 on a Wednesday in November 2021, bringing with it something Windows-based iPhone users had been quietly waiting for: native support for ProRes video and ProRaw photos. Until now, anyone shooting in these professional formats on their iPhone faced an awkward reality — iCloud would sync the files, but the Windows app couldn't properly handle them, leaving users to convert or manually move files as a workaround. Version 13 removes that obstacle entirely.
The update goes beyond format support. Shared iCloud Drive folders now offer more flexible permission controls, allowing participants — not just the original sharer — to adjust who has access. It's a practical change for families and small teams managing files across devices.
Apple also expanded its iCloud Passwords tool, adding a password generator to the Windows version. Users can now create strong passwords directly within the app, rather than improvising or relying on external tools.
iCloud for Windows remains free and is available through the Microsoft Store, requiring Windows 10. Some features still depend on Outlook 2016 or later. The update reflects something larger in Apple's approach: an admission that iPhone ownership and Mac ownership are not the same thing, and that cross-platform users deserve tools that work with them rather than against them.
Apple released version 13 of iCloud for Windows on Wednesday, a significant update that brings support for two of the company's professional-grade formats—ProRes video and ProRaw photos—to PC users who have long felt the gap between what their iPhones could capture and what their computers could easily access.
The move addresses a real friction point for the growing number of people who own iPhones but work on Windows machines. Until now, those users could sync their photos and videos through iCloud, but the app didn't recognize ProRes or ProRaw files, which means anyone shooting with these formats on an iPhone couldn't easily work with them on a PC without converting or moving files through workarounds. Version 13 closes that gap, letting Windows users interact with these files natively through iCloud.
Beyond the format support, Apple packed the update with other practical additions. The new version gives people more granular control over shared iCloud Drive folders and files—specifically, participants in a shared folder can now adjust who has access to it, rather than being locked into whatever permissions were set initially. This matters for teams or families coordinating files across devices.
The update also expands the iCloud Passwords tool, which Apple introduced in summer 2020. The password generator now lives in the Windows version, letting users create strong passwords directly from the app rather than having to manage them elsewhere or rely on weaker manual choices.
iCloud for Windows has always been free, and version 13 maintains that. It's available now through the Microsoft Store and requires Windows 10. Some features, particularly those tied to email and calendar, need Outlook 2016 or later to function fully. The app itself remains one of Apple's bridges for people who don't live entirely within the company's ecosystem—a recognition that iPhone ownership doesn't automatically mean Mac ownership, and that cross-platform users deserve functional tools rather than friction.
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