HT204570: Get help with your iCloud Photo Library

Learn about Get help with your iCloud Photo Library
Ranlise

Q: How do I keep my iCloud stored photos but delete them off my iPhone to save space?

I have been trying to delete photos off my iPhone 6 in order to free up storage space.  How do I keep all my photo in iCloud, AND at the same delete them off my phone?  According to info I have found everything gets deleted which makes no sense - why have an iCloud account?

Mac OS X - Dual-core Intel Xeon, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Feb 21, 2016 5:32 AM

Close

Q: How do I keep my iCloud stored photos but delete them off my iPhone to save space?

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Feb 21, 2016 5:53 AM in response to Ranlise
    Level 10 (106,946 points)
    iLife
    Feb 21, 2016 5:53 AM in response to Ranlise
    According to info I have found everything gets deleted which makes no sense - why have an iCloud account?

    That is correct.  iCloud Photo Library is a syncing service, and will ensure that you are seeing the same photos on all devices that are syncing with iCloud. Delete a photo from one device, and it will be deleted from all other devices as well.

    To save storage on your devices, use "Optimize Storage". Then your devices will only keep the smaller, optimized versions for browsing, and if you want to edit or share a photo, the full size version will be retrieved from iCloud.

     

    See:   iCloud Photo Library FAQ