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How do I force a sync of PhotoStream in Photos 2.0?

I cannot get My PhotoStream to fully sync to Photos 2.0. I have tried every suggestion on the web (activity monitor, restarts, updates, souname it) but all I get is a few random photos to sync. Is there a way to FORCE it to sync. or another way to get all of the photos that I can see online in iCloud and on my iPhone to get on my Mac to back them up?

iPhone 6 Plus, IOS 10

Posted on Jun 7, 2017 10:54 AM

Reply
5 replies

Jun 7, 2017 10:58 AM in response to pinchvalve

OK, so you have described two different setups for Photos.


If you can see your Photos in iCloud (iCloud.com), then you have iCloud Photo Library turned on on your Mac or on your iOS device.


If you have a Photo Stream Album on your iOS device, then you don't have iCloud Photo Library turned on there.


Can you clarify what your settings are for both the Mac and the iOS device as follows:


Mac - Photos>Preferences:


General - Importing

iCloud - All three settings


iPhone - Settings>Photos & Camera:


iCloud Photo Library

My Photo Stream



Cheers,


GB

Jun 7, 2017 8:44 PM in response to pinchvalve

Sorry, do you mean you have iCloud Photo Library turned on on the phone? Or do you mean iCloud Photo Sharing? iCloud Photos doesn't tell me what you have set up - there is no "iCloud Photos", so terminology is critical here.


If you have iCloud Photo Library turned on on the iPhone, then you wouldn't have a Photo Stream on the iPhone, since your Photo Stream photos are incorporated into the All Photos album.


So, again, not clear on what you have set up, what you are seeing, and what you are comparing the Photo Stream to on the Mac.


Cheers,


GB

Jun 9, 2017 7:13 AM in response to gail from maine

What I used to have was only My Photo Stream. It was turned on within my phone and on my Mac/Photos. I used to backup my photos every month, for years. Then suddenly, the "My Photos" folder refused to appear within Photos. I tried many different things, and finally was able to get it to appear, but it only displayed a few selected photos. I tried everything to get it to sync, to no avail.


So I went ahead and turned on iCloud Photo Library, and My Photo Stream. I selected the option to upload all photos to iCloud and store all originals on the Mac. My hope is that this will put everything in both places and I can then backup my library on my Mac. My library is 142GB, so I am still waiting for the sync to complete.


However, I can take new photos on the iPhone and they will appear in iCloud Online, but not in Photos on the Mac, so I still don't think a proper sync is taking place.

Jun 9, 2017 7:54 AM in response to pinchvalve

If you are still waiting for the upload to finish, the new photos may not have downloaded yet. Let the download complete and then compare. It is a very slow upload, so be patient.


If after the upload is complete, you find missing photos, try going to iCloud.com to see if the items are there and whether they are from the device or the computer. That should show whether the device or the computer isn't syncing. If the computer, try going to System Preferences/iCloud and stop syncing. Wait a couple of minutes, then recheck syncing. If the device, go to Settings/iCloud and do the above. You can also try signing out of iCloud and then sign in again.

How do I force a sync of PhotoStream in Photos 2.0?

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