How do I reverse the 'optimize storage' feature for photos? I cannot view my photos clearly now in order to choose which to keep. If it cannot be reversed have I lost original versions due to them being 'overwritten' by these optimized versions? I believe icloud only stores the last 1,000 & I have almost 20k.
iPhone 6 Plus, iOS 9.0.2
If you have iCloud Photo Library turned on iCloud keeps all of the photos, not just the last 1,000. You can use a computer and log in to https://www.icloud.com/ and see them in the Photo app there. You reverse optimize storage by going to Settings > iCloud > Photos and select "Download and Keep Originals" -- although they may not all fit on your phone -- not sure how much storage you have and whether all 20,000 originated from your phone.
If you have iCloud Photo Library turned on iCloud keeps all of the photos, not just the last 1,000. You can use a computer and log in to https://www.icloud.com/ and see them in the Photo app there. You reverse optimize storage by going to Settings > iCloud > Photos and select "Download and Keep Originals" -- although they may not all fit on your phone -- not sure how much storage you have and whether all 20,000 originated from your phone.
Tx for your reply:)
what exactly does 'download & keep originals mean'? (DL to icloud?)
i tried to dl my photos just to my pc & its not recognizing most of them & some are reduced in size to almost a thumbnail.
I do have back ups but trying to work on deleting the ones off of my phone that I dont want.
Any idea if the 'optimized' ones on my phone can be restored? or should i just pull them down to my pc from icloud?
All of my pics originated on my iphones (transferred with each upgrade).
because of the quantity, I have trouble dl'ing them all at once & typically get an error mid-way through.
iCloud already has the originals, if Optimize storage is switched on then smaller versions are downloaded to the device that has it switched on.
Download and Keep Originals means download them from iCloud to the device where you turn on the Download and Keep Originals setting.
The "optimized" ones on your phone should be restored to their original size by changing that setting -- assuming there is space on the phone for that to be possible.
It may not be possible when you are dealing with 20,000 photos -- i.e., there may not be enough space on the phone to keep the originals. You may want to install iCloud For Windows on your PC and use it to get the photos from iCloud: Download iCloud for Windows - Apple Support
Reversing the Optimized Storage Feature for Photos
