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to reduce space on my iphone, can i delete photos and videos on my iphone but keep those phots and videos on my icloud?

to reduce used memory space on my iPhone, can i delete photos and videos on my iPhone but keep those phots and videos on my iCloud?

iPhone 7 Plus, iOS 15

Posted on Oct 12, 2022 4:58 PM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Oct 12, 2022 5:00 PM

No, but you can use the Optimize Storage option.

iCloud Photos is a syncing service. Any photo you delete from a device where iCloud Photos is turned on will also be deleted from iCloud and from any other device connected to iCloud Photos. You can potentially reduce the storage space required on a device by turning on Optimize Storage. See: Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support


Apple does not currently offer cloud-only storage for photos. If that is what you want or need, you may want to explore 3rd party options such as Google Photos or Dropbox.


Another way that photos may be on iCloud (if you don’t have iCloud Photos turned on) is via a backup of an iOS device. The only thing you can do with a backup is use it to restore a device or set up a new device. The contents of backups are not viewable at iCloud.com and if you delete a photo from a device it will not be included in future backups and will be lost.



3 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Oct 12, 2022 5:00 PM in response to Runner5944

No, but you can use the Optimize Storage option.

iCloud Photos is a syncing service. Any photo you delete from a device where iCloud Photos is turned on will also be deleted from iCloud and from any other device connected to iCloud Photos. You can potentially reduce the storage space required on a device by turning on Optimize Storage. See: Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support


Apple does not currently offer cloud-only storage for photos. If that is what you want or need, you may want to explore 3rd party options such as Google Photos or Dropbox.


Another way that photos may be on iCloud (if you don’t have iCloud Photos turned on) is via a backup of an iOS device. The only thing you can do with a backup is use it to restore a device or set up a new device. The contents of backups are not viewable at iCloud.com and if you delete a photo from a device it will not be included in future backups and will be lost.



Oct 12, 2022 5:18 PM in response to Runner5944

Runner5944 Said:

"to reduce used memory space on my iPhone, can i delete photos and videos on my iPhone but keep those phots and videos on my iCloud?"

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Getting More Storage on an iPhone:


Try Removing Data from the iPhone itself...

Internal storage cannot be upgraded. It is what it is. So, the maximum internal storage capacity never increases, even if you upgraded your iCloud plan. Learn More here: What's the Difference Between Device Storage and iCloud Storage? Apple Support


So, what to do:

Clear Internal Space...

SEE MY Two User Tips:

to reduce space on my iphone, can i delete photos and videos on my iphone but keep those phots and videos on my icloud?

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