If i delete pics from icloud will they stay on my Mac computer?

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Level 1

4 points

If i delete pics from icloud will they stay on my Mac computer?

So I accidently hit iCloud for Photos & it put a bunch of them in iCloud which I did not want .. so when I went to turn it off it asks if I want to delete the pics on my phone but they will stay in icloud or if I want to redownload to my phone. I don't necessarily want the pics filling up my iCloud and I don't necessarily need to keep them on the phone so I am ok with a delete since they don't make that super easy to do in the first place.. I just don't want them deleted from my computer. I have 36k pictures on my phone and around 130k in my computer. I have had problems between the phone & computer before with some transferring some not and with iCloud as well.

Anyone know the answer to what happens to the pics that came to the computer if I click to delete from phone and then delete from iCloud as well? Will I then lose them on my computer and if so is there a workaround?

Posted on Feb 22, 2022 11:02 AM

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Answer 1

tygb

Level 9

65,010 points

Feb 26, 2022 5:55 PM in response to OnDaRoad

Archive the photos on computer Archive or make copies of the information you store in iCloud - Apple Support

When iPhone / computer are signed in with same Apple ID and password on the same network , when photos are deleted from either device they are deleted and kept in recently deleted only for 30 days , after that they are erased from iCloud.com as well in devices .

From computer , the photos can also be backed up to an external hard drive .

I have 36k pictures on my phone and around 130k in my computer.

Did you set up photo library Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support

Read Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac or PC - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Feb 23, 2022 9:53 AM in response to OnDaRoad

Hi OnDaRoad,

Photos contain a lot of valuable memories, and we understand you have some questions about what happens when images are deleted from iCloud Photos. The good news is that you're in the right place for help.

When the iCloud Photos option is enabled on an iPhone and "Optimize iPhone Storage" is also selected in Settings > Photos, the full resolution image file is stored in iCloud, and a lower resolution version is displayed on the iPhone. Turning iCloud Photos off will keep the images in iCloud, as long as another device is also using iCloud Photos, and all of the lower resolution versions will be removed from the iPhone. If the iPhone is the only device using iCloud Photos, the images will be removed from iCloud after 30 days.

If there are other devices such as a Mac or iPad also signed in to iCloud Photos, and an image is deleted from the iPhone, that image will be removed from those other devices as well. This is because iCloud Photos is intended to be a syncing service to keep images updated across all devices signed into iCloud; it is not intended to be a backup service. We have some more information in "What happens when you delete photos from a device using iCloud Photos?" at Get help with iCloud Photos

If we've misunderstood your question in any way, or you have additional concerns, please be sure to let us know.

Have a great day!

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Answer 3

OnDaRoad Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 26, 2022 11:19 AM in response to Amanda239_91

That is how I kind of understood it to be which is why I never used iCloud for my pictures. The problem being that it accidently or through an upgrade got turned on and uploaded as much as it could hold. When I go to turn it off it gives me the choice to delete .. which is fine for deleting from phone but I don't know how to tell what is iCloud based or what is actually stored on my computer because I want the pics to stay on my computer. iCloud took a portion of my 36k pictures ... not sure what order. So maybe best to just pic the choice to redownload to the phone and then turn off the iCloud and then risk doing a duplicate transfer from phone to computer and deal with that rather than losing pics??? Just maddening!

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Answer 4

OnDaRoad Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 1, 2022 9:48 PM in response to tygb

So now when I try to click to turn off the iCloud Photos and select the download to Phone option so I can keep originals on my phone & then transfer them to my computer .. it says I can't do that because I don't have enough room. I have a 256g iPhone .. I have 200 g iCloud. The phone was not full before so but now it does show almost full .... so I am guessing the whole iCloud thing has done something with regards to this as well. Just maddening. I just want to move pics from phone to computer and delete most from phone without removing from computer. I use the pics on my computer all the time. #Maddening

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Answer 5

tygb

Level 9

65,010 points

Mar 2, 2022 4:54 AM in response to OnDaRoad

I have a 256g iPhone .. I have 200 g iCloud.

See the article What's the difference between device storage and iCloud storage? - Apple Support

You can delete unknown apps Delete apps on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

Also caches / cookies Clear the history and cookies from Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support they occupy very less space .

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If i delete pics from icloud will they stay on my Mac computer?

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