Files kept hidden in iCloud after deletion

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Level 1

8 points

Files kept hidden in iCloud after deletion

Hi,

Does anybody out there have experience with iCloud keeping files stored after total deletion, i.e. also after they have been deleted from the 30-days backup archive under "Advanced/Restore files" and thus do not appear anywhere on the computer nor on iCloud.com?

What I mean is, does anybody have experience with iCloud keeping files stored "behind" the visible interface, i.e. "hidden", maybe as some kind of extra security? In that case, for how long, and how does one gain control over this feature/area?

Some precisions:

- I run Yosemite 10.10.5 on a MacBook Pro Retina 13" (primo 2015)

- I do not have other Apple products (no iPhone, no iPad)

For details, I refer to this thread: How to delete raw files imported in photos?

A resume of my problem posted on the above thread:

- Using the Photos App, I have imported about 90 GB of photos shot as RAW+JPEG

- These photos appear stacked/paired with the possibility of switching between the two formats (that is how the program works if one imports the files at the same time, and I actually find that feature quite smart)

- In order to save space, I would nevertheless like to delete the photos again (at least most of them) and re-import only the JPEGs

- Since it is not possible to delete just one of the two formats (i.e. either the RAW or the JPEG file), because they are stacked/paired, I proceed by deleting the photos completely

- After deletion, I go to the album "Recently deleted", where photos deleted from the Photos App are kept for 30-40 days, and I make sure to empty that album (i.e. to delete the photos immediately); they should then be gone

- I go to iCloud.com to check that the pictures have also been removed there, including under the function "Advanced/Restore files"

- I even let the system "stabilize" for some time, up to two days, before I proceed any further (just to be sure any ongoing syncing is complete)

- I now re-import my JPEGs (separated from the RAW files and isolated on a separate external harddisk I use only for transfers)

- Now, there are two different scenarios:

1) If I disconnect from my iCloud Photo Library, everything is fine, i.e. I now have only my JPEGs and have saved space (each RAW file taking up app. 5 times as much disk space as the same photo as JPEG);

2) If I connect to my iCloud Photo Library, then, after maximum 1-2 minutes, the RAW files re-appear, i.e. the photos I had deleted and then re-imported as JPEGs only now appear as stacked/paired (RAW+JPEG) again, taking up exactly the same disk space as before: the (previously attached) RAW files are being re-imported to Photos from iCloud from where they should be long gone!

- My conclusion: Since the problem only appear when I am connected to iCloud (where the files are not visible), and I don't have other Apple devices where these photos could be syncing from, I have to conclude that iCloud keeps the deleted files somehow "hidden"

- Apple Support has not been able to help with this problem, that's why I am looking for a solution here

- It is important for me to know whether importing photos to my MacBook (whilst making use of the iCloud services/backup) is a reversible action or not and thus to know the eventual limits of my own control over my files - not just for the photos I have already imported but also in general and concerning my future use of this program.

Thank you in advance if anybody can spread some light on to this problem!

Ture T.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch,Early 2015), OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Jan 28, 2016 6:18 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

netsracz

Level 1

23 points

Jan 28, 2016 6:42 AM in response to Ture T.

Hello,

I hope I have a problem understanding the right place! Formetheicloudunfortunatelyalsonotworkingproperly.

Deletedimagesseemtobestillavailable.

iCloud photo library flaw is still available

Manygreetings

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Answer 2

aurgolo

Level 1

9 points

Feb 4, 2016 3:42 AM in response to netsracz

well..... as i wrote in the previous thread after spending hours with apple online chat service we found out that the only way is to open the photolibrary, go into "masters" folder and manually delete all raw files..... then if you dont ask to "edit" they dont "return" from the cloud to the library

this is what i do now.....if anybody find the way to delete from the cloud also..... just let me\us know......more than welcome!

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Answer 3

Ture T. Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 5, 2016 2:50 AM in response to aurgolo

Hi,

Aurgolo - it is of course good if this procedure works for you. But, as it has been posted here previously, it sounds like it could be dangerous to modify directly in the masters folder. Reading in "Photos for Mac and iOS: The Missing Manual" by Lesa Snider, I've found this:

The Photos Library is no ordinary file—it’s a package of folders and files that behaves like a single file. If you’re the inquisitive type, you can peek inside the Photos Library file, though doing so requires a bit of OS X voodoo.

Look but don’t touch! Your Photos app expects everything in these folders to be exactly where it put them. If you move or rename anything in the Photos Library package, Photos gets confused and will alert you the next time it needs to access the file you changed. The exception is that it’s okay to copy a file in your Photos Library package to another location. However, it’s safer to use Photos to do that rather than mucking about in the library’s innards.

I quote, since this is important, and Apple Support seems to advice people do to exactly the opposite to resolve a problem that, according to my experience, is related to a problem with iCloud not completely deleting the deleted files. I haven't found a solution, but I am considering skipping iCloud and use other backup/sharing options instead - because I don't like not to have control over my files.

Ture T.

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Answer 4

aurgolo

Level 1

9 points

Feb 5, 2016 5:21 AM in response to Ture T.

well........... at the moment all seems working properly......... lets hope it will continue this way

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Answer 5

jonjmp

Level 1

15 points

Oct 19, 2016 5:06 AM in response to aurgolo

Hi all,

Just read this old post as well as this one: How to delete raw files imported in photos?. Interesting stuff. I had a similar problem which I have solved (I think!). So if anyone is still reading these posts, here is the info:

I had a slightly different problem in deleting raw files in that I noticed my Crashplan backup was suddenly uploading GBs of files that I didn't expect. (I had just replaced a hard drive, so I expected some syncing and data-reduplicating, but not as much as was going on.) I opened the Photos Library package and found lots of raw files that I thought I had long ago deleted from Photos. They were probably originally imported to Photos with matching JPGs, but I am not sure. Neither the raw nor the JPGs showed up in Photos now.

So I merrily and bravely deleted the raw files from the Masters folder in the Photos Library package (it seems that this is safe to do after all). BTW, you have to quit Photos before you try to delete them (took me a while to work out why the delete wasn't working!). Everything looked good - I had a smaller Photos Library. But a short while later all the raw files were back!

So I did it again, but this time, immediately after deleting the raw files, I opened Photos and "Repaired the library" (hold down Option-Command as you launch Photos). That seemed to fix it - they didn't return.

BTW, the best way to find the raw files is to use Spotlight and search for files with the appropriate extension (it was RAF for my Fujifilm camera, NEF for Nikon, etc.). You can narrow that search to any specific folder, so if you know where your raw files are, it's not hard to select them all at once and move them to the trash.

Hope this helps someone!

Cheers...Jon

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