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iCloud Photos

I have a very large Photos library that has surpassed my 4TB of iCloud storage. I have gotten a copy of my photos out of the Photos library, though I’m sure some will be missing, but it is what it is. I tried to turn off iCloud Photos, but I eventually have to do something else and can’t keep waiting for it to stop spinning. When I come back, iCloud Photos is still on. Trying to turn it off last night got my phone so locked up that I had to restore it. I have downgraded my storage to the Premier One 2TB since I will only be using iCloud Photos for iPhone photos and files and such. I created a new Photos library on my MBP (M1, everything updated, no betas), and I made it the system library, but then it started syncing to iCloud and my old library. I trashed the new library and went back to the old one but haven’t redesignated it as the system library. I noticed it is now missing about two months of photos. I tried to manually import photos from my phone, but it won’t connect to the device module in Image Capture and prepares endlessly in Photos.


I want iCloud Photos to delete everything there and just pick up with what’s on our phones. I want to manually import the photos from everyone’s phones to the old library and start fresh. No one’s devices can back up, and I am starting to consider if ease of use is just too controlling for me. It shouldn’t be this hard.


Can someone tell me how to get this to work the way I want? I need old library complete and fresh new library to sync with devices and iCloud Photos. Thanks!

Posted on Aug 30, 2021 6:47 AM

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Posted on Aug 30, 2021 12:43 PM

If by "getting off" you mean deleting (Ie you already have them all on your mac or ipad) - it might be easiest to re-initialise / reset your phone.


Though you then lose all other data that isn't synced with iCloud.


Or you can try this method (but again I think life will be too short)

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-delete-all-photos-from-iphone?r=US&IR=T

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Aug 30, 2021 12:43 PM in response to Shane Reynolds

If by "getting off" you mean deleting (Ie you already have them all on your mac or ipad) - it might be easiest to re-initialise / reset your phone.


Though you then lose all other data that isn't synced with iCloud.


Or you can try this method (but again I think life will be too short)

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-delete-all-photos-from-iphone?r=US&IR=T

Aug 30, 2021 9:36 AM in response to Shane Reynolds

Hi Shane


Holy Cow - that is one huge library. I think you are going to need to split it up (as it looks you have already realised).


First thing, you need to stop the iCloud syncing - because since you have turned iCloud off and or on - it will try a complete new sync, and with 4TB you may well not live long enough. 🙂.


The best way I can think of for this is to create a new empty library, designate it the system library, and then close it. (This will stop your other libraries being the system library - and hence stop them trying to sync to iCloud). Close the photos app altogether


You should then be able to turn off iCloud photos in system settings.


Do you have a backup - if not get one sorted now. You are going to be processing huge amounts of data and the chances of things not going missing during that process is close to zero.


Backup sorted? I would then split up the big offline library. You can do this by creating copies (You'll need some big external drives - NOT network drives - and correctly formatted APFS or MacOS extended.)


You can do this by creating copies (Yes, you are in this for a long haul) and then deleting the photos you DON'T want in each copy. The fastest way may be to take one copy (so you now have two) then delete half the photos from each (Eg before/after a particular date). Then copy those two libraries and repeat. So as time goes you are copying smaller and smaller libraries.


Once you've done that to a point where you have manageable archive libraries, you can create a new library for new/working photos, which you can then sync with the phones. Though if you have 4TB worth of photos in the phones (presumably with optimise phone storage set), then there will be some management needed there also.

Aug 30, 2021 12:17 PM in response to TonyCollinet

Thank you so much for the response. I think I'm good on the Mac; I did as you suggested and created a new library, designated it as the system library, and then closed Apple Photos. My phone has now locked up again. Its entire storage is full of photos; it appears the changes on the Mac last night got the phone to try to download everything overnight. It just spins when I try to turn off iCloud Photos, but I need to quickly delete all photos from the phone before it locks up again. What would you recommend for quickly getting the photos off?

iCloud Photos

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