How to Fix Old Version of iCloud on Windows Error 1

How to Fix Old Version of iCloud on Windows Error

Apple’s iCloud for Windows offers the best way to access both iCloud Drive and iCloud Photos on a Windows PC. However, if you’ve recently updated the desktop or Microsoft Store version of iCloud, you may have noticed a ridiculous-looking notification about iCloud Photos called ‘We’ve detected that you’re using an older version of Windows’. Why is this happening? And what can you do to get rid of it?

Starting with iCloud for Windows 11.1 (this is the app version, not the Windows version), Apple changed the inner workings of the app for better functionality (especially with photos and videos) in Windows 10. But unlike the error message, simply updating Windows 10 to the latest version is not enough. You also need to install a few basic codecs to eliminate the error.

Without further delay, let’s check everything you need to do to prevent this error from appearing again and again every time you start your computer.

update windows 10

Obviously, the first thing to do when you see the message ‘We have detected that you are using an older version of Windows’ will be to update Windows 10. If you haven’t already, now is the time to do it. But first, it’s a good idea to check your current version of Windows 10.

Medicine winning Enter the Start menu or Search box and press Enter. In the About Windows box that appears, you can find the required details listed next to Version.

Fix Icloud Photos Old Windows Version Error 1

iCloud for Windows 11.1 requires at least Windows 10 1909 OS Build 18363 (November 2019 Update) or later to function properly. If your computer is already up to date, continue to the next section. Otherwise, close the About Windows box and continue updating Windows on your PC.

Medicine windows update Press Enter in the Start menu or Search box, and then click Check for Updates in the Windows Update console to start a scan. When it detects the latest updates, click Download or Download and Install Now to update Windows 10. You will need to restart your computer to complete the update.

Fix Icloud Photos Old Windows Version Error 2

See our troubleshooting guide if Windows Update gets stuck in the process.

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Install HEIF Codec

iPhones use a revolutionary file format called HEIF (often referred to as HEIC) to save the photos you take. This format consumes incredibly less storage space and also allows for technically superior images with better depth maps and a wider color gamut.

However, Windows 10 does not have native support for the HEIF format. To fix compatibility issues, the iCloud Photos component in iCloud for Windows requires you to download a corresponding codec to decode HEIF images. Conveniently, Microsoft itself has a codec that you can install pretty easily.

Fix Icloud Photos Old Windows Version Error 3

Go to Microsoft Store, search for ‘heif image extensions’, select HEIC Image Extensions from the search results, then click Get. You can also click the Download button below to launch the codec download page directly.

Install HEVC Decoder

In addition to HEIF, iPhones also use an uncommon format called HEVC to save videos. It helps you store twice as much video content as traditional formats, providing similar storage benefits. This makes a big difference when shooting video at higher resolutions.

But again, Windows 10 does not have native support for the HEVC format. That’s why iCloud Photos requires a codec that can help Windows 10 play video files on your PC.

Once again, Microsoft comes to the rescue with a relevant codec. But confusingly, the Microsoft Store lists two HEVC codecs – one extension is completely free and the other requires a $0.99 payment. Both have similar descriptions apart from their names – ‘HEVC Video Extensions’ and ‘HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer’ for paid and free versions respectively.

Icloud Photos Old Windows Version Bug Fix 4

The only difference is the Properties snippet; The paid version can ‘play and produce HEVC encoded video content’, while the free version can only ‘play HEVC encoded video content’.

Searching for ‘hevc video extensions’ directly in the Microsoft Store will only bring up the paid version of the HEVC extension. Instead, we recommend installing the free version as it should suffice. You can access it using the Download button below.

We’ve also added a Download button to the paid version in case you run into problems installing the free HEVC codec on your computer.

Live Error Free

After updating Windows 10 to at least OS Build 18636 (1909) and then installing both the HEIF and HEVC image and video codecs, the ‘We detected that you are using an older version of Windows’ will no longer appear in it. Your PC’s Action Center.

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However, iCloud for Windows is not exactly known for its excellent functionality on Windows. If you have other problems using the app, refer to these troubleshooting guides for iCloud Drive and iCloud Photos.

Next: Save a ton of storage on your PC’s primary partition by moving the iCloud Drive folder elsewhere. Click the link below to find out how.

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