Questions about iCloud Photo Library

I would like to activate iCloud Photo Library both on my Mac and my iPhone. Now my photo library (on the Mac) is 60 Gb. I wonder: what's happening when I activate iCloud Photo Library with only 5 Gb storage capability on my account? I don't matter if I have or not all my photos in the cloud, but it is important for me that all the photos I shot with iPhone finally will be saved on the Mac. Will it happen?

iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Jun 16, 2015 6:33 AM

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12 replies

Jun 16, 2015 9:08 AM in response to Fisico2000

The iCloud Photo Library will not enable unless there's enough storage space to accommodate all of the photos.


You do not need to use the iCloud Photo Library to sync photos taken on the iPhone down to your your Photos library. Just configure your Photos library and your iPhone as follows. Then all photos taken by the iPhone will automatically be downloaded and imported into your Photos library:


In your Photos/iCloud preference pane:

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On your iPhone:

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Jun 16, 2015 9:44 AM in response to LarryHN

Somebody probably believes I am a stupid. It isn't so. Before opening this thread I have read all the FAQs.

I know MyPhotoStream very well. I am using it! The question is that with iPhoto the photos downloaded from iPhone through MyPhotoStream were saved into a specific album on the Mac monthly. So, every month MyPhotoStream was (not always) resettled, but photos from iPhone were safe on the Mac. Now, with Photos, I notice this operation doesn't work and MyPhotoStream photos from iPhone are not back upped! So, if you cancel a photo from MyPhotoStream you loose it.

Jun 16, 2015 10:19 AM in response to Fisico2000

Fisico2000 wrote:

So, every month MyPhotoStream was (not always) resettled, but photos from iPhone were safe on the Mac. Now, with Photos, I notice this operation doesn't work and MyPhotoStream photos from iPhone are not back upped! So, if you cancel a photo from MyPhotoStream you loose it.

My Photo Stream has never been a backup solution. For example, from the previously mentioned My Photo Stream FAQ :

Does using My Photo Stream substitute for using iCloud Backup or iTunes to back up my photos?


No. Photos in My Photo Stream are saved on the iCloud server for 30 days. To save or back up these photos, you must save them from My Photo Stream to your iOS device. Select the photos and choose Share > Save Image. You can then back up your photos using iCloud or iTunes.

Also note from the same document that photos are uploaded to or downloaded from the stream only when devices are connected to the Internet via WiFi or Ethernet -- they are not pushed over cellular connections.

Jun 16, 2015 12:18 PM in response to R C-R

THe FAQ you have mentioned is from iOS point of view. Indeed, with iPhoto photos shot with iPhone were uploaded to MyPhotoStream and from here they were stored in a specific event on the Mac. All happened automatically. In three years I have never downloaded my iPhone photos and I have all of them stored on the Mac. No one missing! Now, with Photos the trick is broken 😟

Jun 16, 2015 1:13 PM in response to Fisico2000

Fisico2000 wrote:

Indeed, with iPhoto photos shot with iPhone were uploaded to MyPhotoStream and from here they were stored in a specific event on the Mac. All happened automatically. In three years I have never downloaded my iPhone photos and I have all of them stored on the Mac. No one missing! Now, with Photos the trick is broken 😟

Technically, it only happens in iPhoto because its iCloud preferences for My Photo Stream include options for automatic import & automatic upload. If you do not enable them, that doesn't happen.


Photos lacks the first option; however, the second one is automatic if My Photo Stream is enabled.

Jun 17, 2015 9:52 AM in response to Fisico2000

Now, with Photos, I notice this operation doesn't work and MyPhotoStream photos from iPhone are not back upped! So, if you cancel a photo from MyPhotoStream you loose it.

That is a bug in Photos. However, if you immediately type Command+Z (undo) after deleting a photo(s) from the My Photo Stream while in the Photos library the photos will be restored in the library but not to the My Photo Stream.


If you delete the photo from the My Photo Stream from your mobile device it will be removed from the photo stream on all devices but will remain in the Photos library.

Jun 17, 2015 10:58 AM in response to Old Toad

Old Toad wrote:

Now, with Photos, I notice this operation doesn't work and MyPhotoStream photos from iPhone are not back upped! So, if you cancel a photo from MyPhotoStream you loose it.

That is a bug in Photos.

Are you sure about that? From the How do I delete photos from My Photo Stream? section of My Photo Stream FAQ:

When you delete a photo from My Photo Stream on one device, it will be removed from the Photos tab and your albums and iCloud. Photos imported from My Photo Stream to other devices won’t be deleted.

As I read it (which I admit could be wrong), in Photos for Mac you have to import the photo from the stream album to prevent it from being deleted.

Jun 17, 2015 11:25 AM in response to R C-R

You're right. It's not a bug but certainly not straight forward:


I'm learning that there are different ways to delete photos in the MPS:


1 - if the photo is deleted by using the Delete key only

User uploaded file

it only removes the photo from the photo stream and leaves it in the library and any albums it might be in.


2 - if you Control (right) - click on the photo in the stream and select Delete 1 Photo it will be deleted completely from the library, i.e. Moments, albums, projects, etc.

User uploaded file

That's where I went astray in deleting some from the photo stream. I used the right click methodl

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Questions about iCloud Photo Library

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