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User profile for user: CirCir
CirCir Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Deleting photos without deleting from iCloud without turning iCloud off?

I need more space on my computer. My photos are taking up nearly half of the space. How do I delete the photos without deleting from my phone? I don't wish to turn off iCloud. I've already optimized as much as I can. I'd like to be able to view them in the Cloud without them downloading to my computer. From what I have looked up if I turn off iCloud, delete all the photos, and then turn it back on my photos will be deleted from my phone. Can someone clarify and give me a good option?

Mac mini, macOS 10.14

Posted on Aug 22, 2020 2:37 AM

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User profile for user: FoxFifth
FoxFifth
User level: Level 10
469,215 points

Posted on Aug 22, 2020 10:26 AM

There is no option where you can have iCloud Photos turned on in both your Mac and in your iPhone and not have them sync to both devices.


You can turn off iCloud Photos on the Mac and leave it off but that doesn't sound like what you want to do. If you do, see information in Get help with iCloud Photos - Apple Support

If you do turn it off and remove the photos from your computer, you can still view the photos that are on iCloud by using your internet browser and logging into iCloud.com.


If you want a cloud option where you can delete photos from devices and still have them in a cloud storage service, you may want to investigate 3rd party options such as Google Photos or Dropbox.


Another option would be to move your Mac Photos library to an external drive and still have it sync with iCloud Photos. See: Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support

Note that it will need to be the system photo library in order to sync with iCloud Photos: Designate a System Photo Library in Photos - Apple Support

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User profile for user: FoxFifth
FoxFifth
User level: Level 10
469,215 points

Aug 22, 2020 10:26 AM in response to CirCir

There is no option where you can have iCloud Photos turned on in both your Mac and in your iPhone and not have them sync to both devices.


You can turn off iCloud Photos on the Mac and leave it off but that doesn't sound like what you want to do. If you do, see information in Get help with iCloud Photos - Apple Support

If you do turn it off and remove the photos from your computer, you can still view the photos that are on iCloud by using your internet browser and logging into iCloud.com.


If you want a cloud option where you can delete photos from devices and still have them in a cloud storage service, you may want to investigate 3rd party options such as Google Photos or Dropbox.


Another option would be to move your Mac Photos library to an external drive and still have it sync with iCloud Photos. See: Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support

Note that it will need to be the system photo library in order to sync with iCloud Photos: Designate a System Photo Library in Photos - Apple Support

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Deleting photos without deleting from iCloud without turning iCloud off?

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