Can I safely unsynch Photos (MacBook) from iCloud and delete locally saved pictures without deleting them from iCloud?

I want to create more space on my MacBook Air. One way I thought would be to unsync Photos from iCloud, and then delete the photos stored on the MacBook. I understand this will only delete them locally and those saved on iCloud remain untouched, which is what I want.

Is this a safe practice though?

For example, can I continue syncing my iPhone's Photos to iCloud?

If one day I decide to re-sync my Mac's Photos to iCloud, what happens?

Posted on Apr 19, 2024 8:02 AM

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Phil0124

Community+ 2026

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Posted on Apr 19, 2024 8:10 AM

j_vdc wrote:

Is this a safe practice though?

Yes.

For example, can I continue syncing my iPhone's Photos to iCloud?

Yes. The Mac's iCloud Photo status and setting will not affect the iPhone in any way.

If one day I decide to re-sync my Mac's Photos to iCloud, what happens?

The Photos on iCloud will be downloaded to the Mac, and the photos on the Mac will be uploaded to iCloud.

click here ➜ Turn off iCloud Photos on Mac - Apple Support

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Can I safely unsynch Photos (MacBook) from iCloud and delete locally saved pictures without deleting them from iCloud?

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