icloud app on windows 11 - always initializing... (does it really work ??)

I have over a 1.5 terabytes of unused iCloud space. I have over 1 terabytes of unused space on the hard drive i use for photos. I want to have a local copy of all my pictures periodically updated on my computer. The icloud app on windows is very disappointing in that it will only download the first couple of hundred photos and then get stuck saying initialing. I leave the computer on 24/7 and its hardwired to my 1 gig fiber connection.

I have over 34,000 photos i need to download. I know that will take a while but it should at least do something....

Please help thinking apple and iCloud becoming a black hole....