Set up and use iCloud Photos

iCloud Photos works with the Photos app to keep your photos and videos securely stored in iCloud, and up to date on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, Apple TV and iCloud.com.

How iCloud Photos works

iCloud Photos automatically keeps every photo and video you take in iCloud, so you can access your library from any device, anytime you want — just open the Photos app. Any changes you make to your collection on one device will be changed on your other devices too. Your photos and videos are organised into Years, Months, Days and All Photos. And all of your Memories and People & Pets are updated everywhere. That way, you can quickly find the moment, family member, or friend you're looking for.

Your photos and videos are stored in iCloud in their original format at full resolution. This includes HEIF, JPEG, RAW, PNG, GIF, TIFF, HEVC and MP4, as well as special formats you capture with your iPhone or iPad, such as slo-mo, time-lapse, 4K videos and Live Photos. The photos and videos you capture with these devices are in HEIF and HEVC format. Depending on your internet speed, the time it takes for you to see your photos and videos on all of your devices and iCloud.com might vary.

Turn on iCloud Photos

Make sure that you set up iCloud and sign in to iCloud with the same Apple Account on all of your devices.

On your iPhone, iPad or Apple Vision Pro

  1. Go to Settings > [your name].

  2. Tap iCloud.

  3. Tap Photos, then tap the switch next to Sync this [device].

On your Mac

  1. Choose Apple menu  > System Settings or choose Apple menu  > System Preferences.

  2. Click your name.

  3. Click iCloud, then select Photos.

  4. Click the switch next to Sync this Mac.

On Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD

  1. Go to Settings > Users and Accounts.

  2. Select iCloud.

  3. Turn on iCloud Photos.

On your Windows PC

Learn how to set up and use iCloud Photos on your PC

What happens when you edit or delete photos?

When you edit or delete photos or videos, the changes will be reflected across all of your devices.

Edits show up on all of your devices

When you make edits in the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad or on your Mac, the photo automatically updates across all your devices, including your Apple TV. So when you crop or enhance a photo from your iPhone, you see the changes when you access your library from your Mac. Your original photos and videos are stored in iCloud and you can go back to them at any time, and revert any changes that you made.

Photos are deleted from all of your devices

When you delete photos and videos on one device, they're deleted everywhere that you use iCloud Photos. If you delete something accidentally, you can recover it in the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days. After that, it will be deleted permanently.

Download copies of your photos and videos

When you turn on iCloud Photos, your photos and videos automatically upload to iCloud. They're not duplicated in your iCloud backup, so you should keep backup copies of your library. Use the steps below to download copies of your photos and videos to your Mac or PC. Or you can import your library to your Mac or PC.

Download your photos and videos from iCloud.com

  1. On iCloud.com, click Photos.

  2. Select the photos and videos you want to download.

  3. To download in the highest resolution, click the download buttondownload button in the top right-hand corner of the window. Or click the More buttonMore button, then click More Download Options.

    After you click the More button, you can choose which option is most compatible for your device in the Download Options menu.

    • To download in the format most compatible for your device, JPEG or H.264, select Most Compatible. To download your content as it was originally captured or imported, select Unmodified Original.

  4. Click download.

Download photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad or Apple Vision Pro

  1. Open the Photos app, then select one or more photos or videos.

  2. Tap the share buttonshare button.

  3. Tap AirDrop, then select the device you want to share with. Find out more about using AirDrop.

For large numbers of photos, find out how to import your photos instead.

Download photos and videos from your Mac

  1. On your Mac, open the Photos app.

  2. Select one or more photos or videos.

  3. Drag the content to your desktop, or Control-click and select Share > AirDrop.

Make sure that you have enough storage

The photos and videos that you keep in iCloud Photos use your iCloud storage and your device storage. As long as you have enough space in iCloud and on your device, you can store as many photos and videos as you like.

Find out more about iCloud storage and device storage

Get more iCloud storage

When you sign up for iCloud, you'll automatically get 5GB of free storage. If you need more space, and access to premium features, you can upgrade to iCloud+.

Find out how to upgrade to iCloud+

Check your iCloud settings for recommendations

In iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 or later, you can go to your iCloud settings to check whether there are photos and videos you don’t need anymore and can delete.

Find out how to make more space

Turn on Optimise Storage

iCloud Photos keeps all your photos and videos in their original, high-resolution version. To save storage space on your device, you can turn on Optimise Storage.

If you turn on Optimise Storage, iCloud Photos will automatically manage the size of your library on your device. Your original photos and videos are stored in iCloud and space-saving versions are kept on your device. Your library is optimised only when you need space, starting with the photos and videos you access least. You can download the original photos and videos over Wi-Fi or mobile data when you need them.

If you turn on Download Originals, iCloud Photos keeps your original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and on your device.

On your iPhone, iPad or Apple Vision Pro

  1. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.

  2. Tap Photos.

  3. Choose Optimise [device] Storage.

    You can choose Optimise [device] storage or Download and Keep Originals.

On your Mac

  1. Open the Photos app and click Photos in the menu bar.

  2. Click Settings or click Preferences.

  3. Go to the iCloud tab and choose a storage setting.

Pause library uploads to iCloud

When you turn on iCloud Photos, the time it takes for your photos and videos to upload to iCloud depends on the size of your collection and your internet speed. If you have a large collection of photos and videos, your upload may take more time than usual. You can see the status and pause the upload for one day. Depending on your library status, pause might not be available.

  • On your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro: Open the Photos app, scroll to the bottom and tap Pause. Or, tap the profile button and tap Pause. In iOS 17 or earlier, open the Photos app, go to the Library tab, and tap All Photos. Then scroll to the bottom of your screen and tap Pause.

  • On your Mac: Open the Photos app. Select Library in the sidebar, then click All Photos in the list of tabs in the toolbar. Scroll to the bottom of your photos and click Pause.

Find out how iCloud operates in China mainland.

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