Can I delete pictures on my iPhone but keep them on my Mac and in the Cloud?

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Can I delete pictures on my iPhone but keep them on my Mac and in the Cloud?

Hello Apple, I am in need of assistance and am not sure what to do. I have an iPhone XR and a Mac that are both linked to iCloud. My phone's storage is full and because it is mainly photos, I imported them on to my Mac. Now, I am worried that if I delete the pictures off my phone, they will delete off my Mac and iCloud as well, leaving me with nothing. Is there a way to delete all the pictures and videos off my phone and keep them on my Mac and in the Cloud? I have done some research and I have found some resources that say turning off iCloud Photos on my iPhone would do the trick, but I did not want to take the chance that they are wrong. I look forward to hearing from you.

iPhone 6s, iOS 14

Posted on Dec 31, 2023 7:46 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Richard.Taylor

Level 6

10,806 points

Dec 31, 2023 8:12 AM in response to InNeedOfAssistence2024

We are not Apple-- we are Apple users like you.

If you turn off iCloud on your phone, Settings>Photos>iCloud, then changes in Photos on your phone won't be synced with your Mac and iCloud. You could delete the pictures from your phone and no change would occur in the Photos Libraries on the Mac or on iCloud. If I were you, I would try it with a few pictures first, to make sure I had the settings right.

Are you using the option "Optimize iPhone Storage" on your phone? This causes the phone to only load small images from iCloud for viewing on the small screen. If you need the full sized images for editing or printing or zooming, then it will load those temporarily. This will save bunches of memory, and you still get to look at the pictures on the phone. This is by far the best option for someone who is already using iCloud Photos.

Do you use "Optimize Storage" on your Mac? I don't do that, because I want to keep a backup of the full sized images on an external drive. And I would want a good backup of my pictures before doing anything massive like deleting pictures! Keep in mind that iCloud is not a backup service-- it's great if a car runs over your iPad (happened to me,) but it doesn't keep copies if you delete them off your phone when the phone is connected to iCloud.

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Answer 2

Dec 31, 2023 10:01 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

Thank you so much for your quick reply. I will try those settings for iCloud and let you know if it works.

I am currently using the "Optimize iPhone Storage" on my phone but not my Mac. I did not know that would be beneficial but I am glad you said something about it. This cleared up a lot for me. I hope you have a Happy New Year!

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Answer 3

Dec 31, 2023 10:13 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

To continue, I have just attempted the settings you suggested. When I go to turn off "iCloud Photos" it gives me two options: Remove from iPhone or Download Photos and Videos. It says the original pictures will be available on other devices using iCloud. Is that the correct thing to do? The photos are all on my Mac, but I had hoped I would be able to test it out first on a couple pictures before deleting them all. Is there another way? If not, that is completely fine but just wanted to check before I pushed the button.

Also, sorry to hear about your iPad having to go out in that way!

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Answer 4

Dec 31, 2023 11:59 AM in response to InNeedOfAssistence2024

My iPad was only weeks old, and I had AppleCare which replaced it.

Having "Optimize Storage" checked on your phone means that some pictures are there only in the smaller, lower resolution form. So, in that case, if you disconnect from iCloud, it is suggesting that you might want to first download the full sized files before you disconnect. Apparently your other option is to wipe all the pictures off.

Are you sure you need more storage? I ask because the picture storage is flexible-- it keeps the full images until you need more space. So you phone may appear more full than it really is.

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Can I delete pictures on my iPhone but keep them on my Mac and in the Cloud?

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