User profile for user: samos3
samos3 Author
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Where are Iphone photos actually stored?

I have an Iphone 13 Pro Max ... where does it store photos? Is it in Icloud in the Photos app?


Are photos actually taking up space on my Iphone, or only using space in the cloud?


Is there any way to remove images in the Iphone's Photos app on my Iphone, but still leave them in the Photos cloud? (If I have a lot (200 for example) of photos on my Iphone, it gets to big to find specific pics so Id like to prune the number on my phone, but still leave them intact in the cloud. Can this be done?)


Sorry if this is basic, but I find the way the Iphone handles photos to be very confusing.



Posted on Jun 15, 2022 2:59 PM

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User profile for user: Phil0124
Phil0124
User level: Level 10
216,632 points

Posted on Jun 15, 2022 3:18 PM

samos3 wrote:

I have an Iphone 13 Pro Max ... where does it store photos? Is it in Icloud in the Photos app?

It depends.

If you have iCloud Photos turned on in Settings->Photos->iCloud Photos, then it stores them in iCloud but also on your iPhone as they are synced.


If you don't have iCloud Photos turned on, then they only exist on your iPhone, and are stored inside the Photos app.


Are photos actually taking up space on my Iphone, or only using space in the cloud?

Photos take up space on your iPhone wether you use iCloud Photos or not. You can reduce the amount of storage space it uses by turning on the "Optimize Storage" option in Settings->Photos (this option is only available when iCloud Photos is turned on)

Is there any way to remove images in the Iphone's Photos app on my Iphone, but still leave them in the Photos cloud?

Nope. iCloud syncs, so anything you delete from the iPhone is also deleted from iCloud.

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User profile for user: Phil0124
Phil0124
User level: Level 10
216,632 points

Jun 15, 2022 3:18 PM in response to samos3

samos3 wrote:

I have an Iphone 13 Pro Max ... where does it store photos? Is it in Icloud in the Photos app?

It depends.

If you have iCloud Photos turned on in Settings->Photos->iCloud Photos, then it stores them in iCloud but also on your iPhone as they are synced.


If you don't have iCloud Photos turned on, then they only exist on your iPhone, and are stored inside the Photos app.


Are photos actually taking up space on my Iphone, or only using space in the cloud?

Photos take up space on your iPhone wether you use iCloud Photos or not. You can reduce the amount of storage space it uses by turning on the "Optimize Storage" option in Settings->Photos (this option is only available when iCloud Photos is turned on)

Is there any way to remove images in the Iphone's Photos app on my Iphone, but still leave them in the Photos cloud?

Nope. iCloud syncs, so anything you delete from the iPhone is also deleted from iCloud.

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Where are Iphone photos actually stored?

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