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User profile for user: Mac on Andy
Mac on Andy Author
User level: Level 4
2,098 points

iCloud Photos on Mac clarification

So I've read a few articles on iCloud Photos and generally understand how this works, but have a couple of queries I can't find the answer to. As background I have an iMac, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV 4K.


  1. All my photos in Photos on the Mac have titles, descriptions, keywords etc associated with them. If I turn on iCloud Photos on all these devices, does all this metadata also sync to the cloud, so that they would be visible on other devices as well?
  2. I'm planning on getting a new iMac next year to replace my current one. When this happens, would I restore the Photos Library to the new iMac from Time Machine/other backup, or would I simply turn on iCloud Photos on the new Mac and let it repopulate from the cloud? Or would either method work? Are there any advantages/disadvantages to either method? If I repopulate from the cloud, would all my titles, descriptions, keywords etc remain?


Thanks in advance for any advice.

Posted on Nov 22, 2020 6:34 AM

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User profile for user: Joseph_S.
Joseph_S.
User level: Community Specialist

Posted on Nov 30, 2020 11:33 AM

Hello Mac on Andy,


We understand that you have some questions about iCloud Photos, and we'd like to offer some resources that may help answer your questions. Check out the articles listed below:


Set up and use iCloud Photos


Get help with iCloud Photos


Access and view iCloud Photos on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch


Put simply, yes your photos should have the same data associated with them across devices. If you get a new device and enable iCloud Photos you should see all of your photos, however, that does not prevent you from backing up your photo library in other places. We hope this helps.


Take care.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: Joseph_S.
Joseph_S.
User level: Community Specialist

Nov 30, 2020 11:33 AM in response to Mac on Andy

Hello Mac on Andy,


We understand that you have some questions about iCloud Photos, and we'd like to offer some resources that may help answer your questions. Check out the articles listed below:


Set up and use iCloud Photos


Get help with iCloud Photos


Access and view iCloud Photos on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch


Put simply, yes your photos should have the same data associated with them across devices. If you get a new device and enable iCloud Photos you should see all of your photos, however, that does not prevent you from backing up your photo library in other places. We hope this helps.


Take care.

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iCloud Photos on Mac clarification

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