Merging photo's on a MacBook, iPad, and iPhone

My Photo's Library on my MacBook syncs with iCloud as the System Photo Library. The photos on my iPad and iPhone do not sync with the Photo Library in iCloud (yet). But I would like to sync them now.

The, MacBook and thus iCloud, System Photo Library contains pictures that are not all on my iPad, and not all on my iPhone.

On the iPad are photos that are not in the System Photo Library, and are not on the iPhone.

On the iPhone are photos that are not in the System Photo Library, and are not on the iPad.

How do I merge all devices so that all photos from my iPad and from my iPhone are included in the System Photo Library? Without the risc of removing photos from the System Photo Library, from the iPad, and from the iPhone.

I'm afraid that when the iPad and iPhone start to sync with the leading System Photo Library, the pictures on the iPad and iPhone that are not in the System Photo Library will be deleted.

I hope someone can help me safely merge the photos on this three devices, that are all on the same Apple account.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 12.2

Posted on Mar 12, 2022 3:09 PM

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2 replies

k_p95

Level 5

4,088 points

Mar 12, 2022 3:43 PM in response to Gerard Nijenbrinks

Hi,

For all of your photos to sync and appear on all devices signed in with the same Apple ID, you would need to enable iCloud Photos on each device.

IOS/iPadOS:

Settings > Name > iCloud > enable iCloud Photos.

macOS:

System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud > iCloud Photos should be checked.

The following articles should be able to further assist:

Mar 12, 2022 3:53 PM in response to k_p95

So you are sure this is without the risc of removing photos from the System Photo Library, nor from the iPad, or from the iPhone?

Because the System Photo Library is leading, it could think that these photos - that are on the iPad and/or iPhone, but not in the System Photo Library - were deleted from it, and thus, while syncing, remove them from the iPad and iPhone as well. As is done when you delete a photo from this Library yourself; they will be removed from other devices as well.

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Merging photo's on a MacBook, iPad, and iPhone