Unable to sync Live Photos from iPhone to Mac

Save space on your device

iCloud Photo Library keeps all of your photos and videos in their original, high-resolution version. You can save space on your device when you turn on Optimize Storage.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:

1. Tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud. If you’re using iOS 10.2 or earlier, tap Settings > iCloud.
2. Tap Photos.
3. Choose Optimize [device] Storage.

On your Mac:

1. Open the Photos app and click Photos in the menu bar.
2. Click Preferences.
3. Go to the iCloud tab and choose a storage setting.

Try going to iCloud.com using a computer 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/Your Name/iCloud and do the above. As a last resort, you can also try signing out of iCloud and then sign in again.

How is it possible that I can't sync just because my iCloud account is full?

If there is no available space on iCloud, the syncing will stop. Simple physics.

If you add iCloud storage, your syncing will resume.

However, iCloud Photo Library will always sync your photos between devices, meaning deletions will be synced across devices. This is the design of the iCloud Photo Library.

If you want off device storage, you should look for other options. Dropbox or Google Photos are possible options.