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Photos synced from finder will be removed

Tried to sync photos from an IPhone to ICloud but getting a message "Photos synced from finder will be removed". I understand these are pictures/videos transferred from another device in the past, using finder or ITunes.

However, my wife is using the phone for years and does not remember from what device she copied or which pics would be gone.

Is there any way to identify and see these pictures/videos on the IPhone before I confirm to delete these?


Posted on Jul 20, 2023 9:48 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 20, 2023 10:38 AM

There are two ways to tell, if a photo has been synced manually from the Finder or with iTunes:

  • If you select a photo and the Trash can is not available to delete it, it is most likely a synced phot, as the photos synced with iTunes or from the Finder cannot be deleted directly, only by syncing again.
  • On my devices the synced photos have always been shown in separate albums, listed in a section "From my Mac". All photos or videos she is seeing in albums under "from my mac" will need saving to a computer, before she enables iCloud Photos.

Also, when you try to add adjustments to a synced photo, you should get a warning, that the photo needs to be imported to the photos library, or it cannot be edited.


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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 20, 2023 10:38 AM in response to TomZ3110

There are two ways to tell, if a photo has been synced manually from the Finder or with iTunes:

  • If you select a photo and the Trash can is not available to delete it, it is most likely a synced phot, as the photos synced with iTunes or from the Finder cannot be deleted directly, only by syncing again.
  • On my devices the synced photos have always been shown in separate albums, listed in a section "From my Mac". All photos or videos she is seeing in albums under "from my mac" will need saving to a computer, before she enables iCloud Photos.

Also, when you try to add adjustments to a synced photo, you should get a warning, that the photo needs to be imported to the photos library, or it cannot be edited.


Mar 18, 2024 3:30 AM in response to TomZ3110

This is precisely why I use iCloud only for synching unimportant stuff, like game progress. I never turned iCloud on for Pictures. Or maybe I did, but then disabled it again.

When relying on these kind of services, I'm always worried I could lose the data. Having those 2 local drives still feels more safe. If Mac transfer fails or iCloud goes offline, I can always restore my data. Also it can be a little expensive. Syncing 10TB to a new device can take some time, wire or local Wi-Fi is still be faster and more reliable.

Photos synced from finder will be removed

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