You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Removing photos from iCloud issue

I am trying to delete my photos from iCloud. When I try to do this it says "Some of your photos stored in iCloud are not downloaded on this iPhone".


I have my settings set so that all originals are downloaded to my phone and when i go to the photos app it says all photos are synced. I fail to see how there could be photos stored in iCloud that are not currently on my phone. I would rather not risk losing any photos. Has any one come across this before? Any solution?

Posted on Feb 8, 2023 2:43 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 10, 2023 2:28 AM

Hi,


You have misunderstood, I am trying to free up space on my iCloud, not my device. So I would like all my photos/videos on my phone, but not on my iCloud. To be clear, I want to delete them from iCloud, not my phone. When I try to do this it says that all my iCloud photos are not downloaded to my phone, despite having that setting enabled.


Similar questions

6 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 10, 2023 2:28 AM in response to ASTRO24

Hi,


You have misunderstood, I am trying to free up space on my iCloud, not my device. So I would like all my photos/videos on my phone, but not on my iCloud. To be clear, I want to delete them from iCloud, not my phone. When I try to do this it says that all my iCloud photos are not downloaded to my phone, despite having that setting enabled.


Feb 9, 2023 2:50 PM in response to JoeyDisco

Hi JoeyDisco,


Thanks for posting in Apple Support Communities.


We understand you're having trouble deleting some photos from your iPhone because some aren't stored in iCloud and you're concerned about data loss. Just to be clear, when you delete the photos from iPhone, they will be removed from iCloud and any other devices that are signed in to iCloud Photos with the same Apple ID.


Are you removing the photos from iPhone in order to make available storage? If so, you can download the photos from iCloud.com to a storage device and then delete them from iPhone.


"How to download photos and videos from iCloud.com

If you want to save copies of your photos and videos from iCloud.com to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or your Mac or PC, follow these steps.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

  1. On iCloud.com, tap Photos. 
  2. Tap Select, then tap a photo or video. To select multiple photos or videos, tap more than one. To select your entire library, tap Select All.
  3. Tap the more button  .
  4. Choose Download, then tap Download to confirm. 

If your photos download as a ZIP archive, learn how to uncompress the folder on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. "


Download iCloud photos and videos - Apple Support

Manage your photo and video storage - Apple Support


Regards.




Feb 10, 2023 8:28 AM in response to JoeyDisco

Hi JoeyDisco,


Does it show the photos as still being downloaded to the device? We want to make sure the process has completed successfully before turning off the option.


Also, does your iPhone storage still show space available? You can check by completing the steps listed here: How to check the storage on your iPhone and iPad - Apple Support that are also below.


" Use your device to check its storage

  1. Go to Settings > General > [Device] Storage. You might see a list of recommendations for optimizing your device's storage, followed by a list of installed apps and the amount of storage each one uses.
  2. Tap an app's name for more information about its storage. Cached data and temporary data might not be counted as usage.

In the detailed view you can:

  • Offload the app, which frees up storage used by the app, but keeps its documents and data.
  • Delete the app, which removes the app and its related data.
  • Depending on the app, you might be able to delete some of its documents and data.

If your device is almost full and can't free up space, you might get a Storage Almost Full alert. If you see this alert, you should check the storage recommendations or you need to offload some less-used content like videos and apps. "


Best regards.


Feb 13, 2023 7:38 AM in response to JoeyDisco

Hi JoeyDisco,


There are a few things that may be hindering the download process.


  1. Make sure Low Power Mode is turned off. This can stop the download process.
  2. During the download process please ensure you are connected to power and connected to a known good Wi-Fi network.
  3. Double check your available iPhone storage by following: How to check the storage on your iPhone and iPad - Apple Support



If issues persist, we suggest reaching out to Apple Support.


Apple Support


We hope this helps.


Cheers!



Removing photos from iCloud issue

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.