Set up and use iCloud Photos

iCloud Photos works with the Photos app to continue your photos and videos deeply stored in iCloud, and up to date on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple TV, and iCloud.com.

iPad Pro and iPhone 12 Pro showing the same iCloud Photo Memory

  • How iCloud Photos works
  • Turn on iCloud Photos
  • What happens when you edit or delete photos
  • Download copies of your photos and videos
  • Brand sure that you have enough storage

How iCloud Photos works

iCloud Photos automatically keeps every photograph and video you take in iCloud, so you can admission your library from any device, someday you want. Whatever changes y'all make to your drove on one device modify on your other devices too. Your photos and videos are organized into Years, Months, Days, and All Photos. And all of your Memories and People are updated everywhere. That way you can chop-chop find the moment, family fellow member, or friend you're looking for.

Depending on your net speed, the time information technology takes for you to come across your photos and videos on all of your devices and iCloud.com might vary.

Turn on iCloud Photos

Make certain that you set up iCloud and sign in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on all of your devices. If you have a PC, you demand Windows 7 or later and iCloud for Windows.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

  1. Go to Settings > [your name].
  2. Tap iCloud.
  3. Tap Photos, then plow on iCloud Photos.

On your Mac

  1. Choose Apple bill of fare  > System Preferences.
  2. Click Apple tree ID.
  3. Click iCloud in the sidebar, and then select Photos.

If you have an earlier version of macOS, get to System Preferences > iCloud. Click Options next to Photos, then select iCloud Photos.

On Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD

  1. Go to Settings > Users and Accounts.
  2. Select iCloud.
  3. Plough on iCloud Photos.

On your Windows PC

What happens when you edit or delete photos

Your photos and videos are stored in iCloud in their original formats 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, like slo-mo, time-lapse, 4K videos, and Live Photos. The photos and videos yous capture with these devices are in HEIF and HEVC format. When you edit or delete photos or videos, it's reflected across all of your devices.

Edits evidence up on all of your devices

When you brand edits in the Photos app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch or on your Mac, the photo automatically updates beyond all your devices, including your Apple Television receiver. So when you ingather or enhance a photo from your iPhone, you run into the changes when you access your library from your Mac. Your original photos and videos are stored in iCloud and you tin can go back to them at any time, and revert whatsoever changes yous fabricated.

Photos delete from all of your devices

The photos and videos that y'all delete on one device are deleted everywhere that y'all utilise iCloud Photos. Photos and videos stay in the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days before they're deleted permanently.

Download copies of your photos and videos

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

Download your photos and videos from iCloud.com

Download photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

  1. Open the Photos app, then select one or more photos or videos.
  2. Tap the share push button.
  3. Tap AirDrop, then select the device that you want to share with. Learn more about using AirDrop.

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.

Brand certain that you have enough storage

The photos and videos that you lot proceed in iCloud Photos utilise your iCloud storage and your device storage. And as long equally you lot take enough space in iCloud and on your device, y'all can store as many photos and videos as you lot similar. Larn more than nearly iCloud storage and device storage.

If you demand more than iCloud storage

When you sign upwards for iCloud, you automatically go 5GB of free storage. If yous demand more space, you lot tin can buy more iCloud storage. Plans start at 50GB for $0.99 (USD) a calendar month. If you choose 200GB or 2TB plans, y'all tin can share your storage with family. Learn how to buy more iCloud storage.

If you demand more device storage

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

If you plough on Optimize Storage, iCloud Photos automatically manages 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 optimized but 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 cellular when you need them.

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

On your iPhone, iPad or iPod affect

  1. Go to Settings > [your proper noun] > iCloud.
  2. Tap Photos.
  3. Choose Optimize [device] Storage.

On your Mac

  1. Open the Photos app and click Photos in the card bar.
  2. Click Preferences.
  3. Go to the iCloud tab and cull a storage setting.

Pause library uploads to iCloud

When you lot plow on iCloud Photos, the fourth dimension it takes for your photos and videos to upload to iCloud depends on the size of your collection and your net speed. If you accept a big collection of photos and videos, your upload might accept more than fourth dimension than usual. You tin can see the status and pause the upload for i day.

  • On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod bear upon, open the Photos app, get to the Library tab, and tap All Photos. Then gyre to the bottom of your screen.
  • On your Mac, open the Photos app. Select Library in the sidebar, then click All Photos in the list of tabs in the toolbar. Whorl to the lesser of your photos and click Pause.

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