If I turn off ICloud photo library do photos remain on my mac in photos and Iphot

If the photos are on your Mac (i.e. they aren't optimised) and you turn off iCloud Photo Library, the photos will remain on your Mac and in the cloud, but new photos, edits and deletions will no longer sync between them.

It sounds to me as though you might be disabling and deleting the library in the cloud as opposed to the one on your device.

If you go:

Settings ➔ Apple ID(Top) ➔ iCloud ➔ Storage ➔ iCloud ➔ Manage Storage ➔ iCloud Photo Library ➔ Disable and Delete on a mobile device or System Preferences ➔ iCloud ➔ Manage ➔ Photo Library on a Mac, you will disable and delete the photo library in the cloud.

But if you go

Settings ➔ Photos & Camera ➔ iCloud Photo Library ➔ Off on a mobile device or Photos ➔ Preferences ➔ iCloud ➔ iCloud Photo Library ➔ Off on a Mac, you will disable the syncing on that device but not delete the photos (assuming they aren't optimised.

Re-written (hopefully for more clarity)...

There is a difference between disabling and deleting the library in the cloud as opposed to disabling the one on your device.

If you go:

Settings ➔ Apple ID(Top) ➔ iCloud ➔ Storage ➔ iCloud ➔ Manage Storage ➔ iCloud Photo Library ➔ Disable and Deleteon a mobile device or

System Preferences ➔ iCloud ➔ Manage ➔ Photo Library ➔ Disable and Delete on a Mac,

you will disable and delete (after 30 days) the photo library in the cloud.

But if you go

Settings ➔ Photos & Camera ➔ iCloud Photo Library ➔ Offor

Settings ➔ Apple ID(Top) ➔ iCloud ➔ Apps Using iCloud ➔ Photos ➔ iCloud Photos library ➔ Off on a mobile device or

Photos ➔ Preferences ➔ iCloud ➔ iCloud Photo Library ➔ Offor

System Preferences ➔ iCloud ➔ Photos (Options) ➔ iCloud Photo Library (uncheck) on a Mac,

you will disable the syncing of the library on that device with the library in the cloud, but not delete the photos in either place (assuming they aren't optimised on the device). If they are optimised you will need to download the originals (assuming enough room) if you want to keep them on the device.

If you go to iCloud.com/Photos and delete photos, that will free up iCloud space. If any computer/device is syncing with iCloud Photo Library, the photos will be deleted there also.

Hold down the command key while selecting the photos. Then click Download. Another option is to select a Moment, then click the Share button, and then cancelling the Share. The photos should remain selected.

I want to be able to delete photos from my iPhone 8 phone but NOT have them delete on my MacBook Pro. Now when I delete a photo from my phone, that photo is also deleted from my Mac, which I don't want to happen. What advice would you offer? Thank you.

iPhoto has no capability to do anything with iCloud Photo Library so nothing you do with ICPL will have any effect on iPhoto

For Photos if you Photos preferences are set to download originals to this Mac and if the status is updated just now then everything is on your Mac and turning ICPL off will not affect them

You can not "delete" iCloud Photo Library but if you turn it off the photos will be deleted from iCloud is 30 days

LN

ICPL is a syncing service and as documented and by design all changes (additions, deletions or edits) made to any connected library are made to all connected libraries - if that is not what you want then do not use ICPL

LN

Hi Ash,

One option to keep them on your Mac is to save them on the Mac in the Photos app:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201302

What exactly are you trying to achieve?

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