When i try to delete a photo from my iPad I get this message: "This photo will be deleted from iCloud Photo Library on all your devices." I only want to delete it from my iPad. I want to keep it on my desktop computer".
iPad (4th gen) Wi-Fi
iCloud Photo Library is meant to keep the photo libraries identical on all your devices. If you add a photo to the library or remove it from the library the change will sync to all devices.
If you do not want that - but want to have more photos on your desktop computer than on your iPad, do not use iCloud Photo Library on the iPad. Sync selected albums to your iPad with cloud Photo Sync. see this link: Keep your photos safely stored and up to date on all your devices - Apple Support (scroll down to "Sync your photos manually with iTunes").
Alternately you could use the "Optimize Storage" option for iCloud Photo Library on your iPad. Then you will still be seeing all photos on the iPad, but it will only store smaller thumbnails for browsing and download the photos from iCloud if you want to see them enlarged.
AS I understand it, if you use another cloud storage service - I use Dropbox - your photos will remain stored/backed up there even if you delete them from your device and thus iCloud. Can anyone else confirm this?
A related question: if I download photos from my device to the Photos app in Windows 10, are they physically stored there whether I have them in iCloud Photo Library or not? I'm starting to get a sneaking suspicion that inadvertently linked all my photo storage to iCloud and if I delete a photo somewhere, it vanishes everywhere. How can I find if this is so in Windows 10? What's the best way to be sure the photos I want to keep are safely backed up somewhere? Is an external hard drive the best solution.
Apple should be much more clear that iCloud Photos is a SYNC service, not a storage/backup service. Until I read other posts on this discussion board, I didn't know the distinction. When most people see "cloud". They think "backup". Thanks for all the helpful posts!
To help we need details
What version of the OS and of Photos do you have on your Mac and what are your iCloud settings on your Mac and on each IOS device?
It sounds like you are using iCloud Photo Library - if you are then it is a syncing service and every change made on any device (addition, deletion or edit) is made on all devices - for devices with limited storage you set optimized photos on those devices
As to drop box this is a photo for Mac support forum - you need to ask DropBox questions in their support forums - but be aware y9ou can not have your Photos library backed up on Drop box - it will not work
Same for Windows 10 - this is not the place to ask Windows questions and Windows can not use or store the a Photos for Mac library
LN
I thought iCloud was a storage service, since "managing your storage" is part of it. I don't quite understand where the originals are physically stored if this is just a sync service. My iPhone is chock full of pictures which I evidently can't delete having tried once with disastrous results. So, my question is: if I optimize, then the originals are kept in iCloud. So how is that NOT storage?
The originals are stored on the iCloud server in order to sync them to all devices that are signed in to the same Apple ID and have the iCloud Photo Library enabled. It's only a syncing service, not an online storage service. If you delete from the iPad you delete from all devices.
How does Photo Stream work with Photos? It seems a little confusing (to me). I'm getting duplicate photos and one of them says it's from Photo Stream. Should I turn it off? It does seem a bit redundant .
Where are you seeing the duplicates. With My Photo Stream you'll see the photo in the My Photo Stream section of the library as well as in the Moments and All Photos section. Those are not duplicates, just different views of the library's photos.
If you have My Photo Stream enabled on both your mobile device and your Mac (and do not have iCloud Photo Library enabled) any picture taken on your mobile device will be automatically imported into your Photos library on your Mac when the mobile device is connected via WiFi.
If you're also connecting your mobile device to your Mac and imported manually with Photos you will get duplicates.
Delete photos from iPad only to free up space.
