Copy photos from 1 iCloud account to another

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Level 1

26 points

Copy photos from 1 iCloud account to another

My wife has gotten her Apple IDs all in a twist and she now has three different Apple ID accounts, each with different content. Of course, Apple does not let you merge accounts.

We've decided which one to use going forward and dealt with music, app purchases, etc. already.

The one thing left is photos and messages. She has 3,864 photos in Account X, and about 9,800 more in Account Y.

Account X photos are stored in her iPhone and in Account X's iCloud account
Account Y photos are stored in her iCloud account, and are also in the Photos app on her Mac, which is set to use iCloud Photo Library and is now also set to download originals to the mac (it's processing a 32GB upload/download sync right now)

We will be using only Account Y for all iTunes and Apple store logins going forward. I just need to get all the photos from the phone where she is logged into account X, and ensure they all inside account Y.

On the phone (iPhone 8), if I go to Settings and try to logout of account X, it warns me all the photos will be deleted from the device. Was hoping I could simply log out from X on the phone, log in from Y, and hoping iOS would then upload all the photos, messages, etc. that are on the device into account Y. But if it's going to delete them from the device at logout, it seems that wouldn't work.

What is the easiest way for me to get all the photos from one iCloud account to another? I tried downloading AnyTrans, a 3rd party product, but it wouldn't install -- generic error.

Dan

Posted on Oct 19, 2018 11:19 PM

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Answer 1

Oct 20, 2018 9:28 PM in response to dantrimble

You can Select All photos in a Shared album:

1. Select the Shared Album, and tap on the Select option in the upper right-hand corner:

Once you tap the Select option you will see the option to Select All:

Best,

GB

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Answer 2

Oct 19, 2018 11:45 PM in response to dantrimble

The easiest way is to create a shared album and share them to the account Y's Apple ID email address via iCloud Photo Sharing. I would suggest that you add the shared photos in smallish batches (say 100 photos, then add another 100 once the first group is finished loading, etc.), but your limits are quite a bit higher than that, so if you have a fast connection, you can try to upload more at one time:

iCloud Photo Sharing - Apple Support

My Photo Stream and iCloud Photo Sharing limits - Apple Support

Get help using iCloud Photo Sharing and shared albums - Apple Support

Once the Shared Albums on on the device or computer with the Apple ID "Y", they can be moved into the Camera Roll (or to the All Photos album on iCloud Photo Library set ups) by opening the Shared album, tapping on "Select All" then tapping on the share icon, then on Save nnn items option.

Best,

GB

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Answer 3

Eric Root

Level 10

684,039 points

Oct 20, 2018 12:49 PM in response to dantrimble

You might consider logging into account Y on the phone.

There may be some data loss, but you can minimize it. If syncing photos with iCloud, ensure Optimization is turned off in Settings/Your Name/iCloud/Photos and/or in Photos/Preferences/iCloud. Then make sure full resolution photos are on the device/computer. When signing out of iCloud, if asked whether you want to retain data, choose yes. Messages conversations will be lost if they are addressed to the ID. See the article below for other places that the old ID should be removed. Also set up Family Sharing to keep access to your apps. Also see Winston Churchill's response in the below discussion

How to transfer all files from one iCloud account to another

Apple ID email address or password - What to do after you change

Family Sharing

Family Sharing - Use your own Apple ID for Family Sharing

Family Sharing -What types of content can I share?

Family Sharing - If you don‘t see your family‘s shared content

Family Sharing - purchases and payments

Family Sharing - Hide and unhide music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and books

Family Sharing – share iCloud Storage

Family Sharing - Share an iCloud storage plan with your family

Family Sharing and location

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Answer 4

dantrimble Author

Level 1

26 points

Oct 20, 2018 8:13 AM in response to gail from maine

From the iPhone with the "X" photos, adding photos to a shared album only allows me to select one at a time. That's a non-starter. There are thousands to get through.

Is there anyway to "select all" or a more efficient way to do this?

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Answer 5

dantrimble Author

Level 1

26 points

Oct 20, 2018 4:04 PM in response to Eric Root

Unfortunately, iOS does not give you the option to retain photos. It lets you pick a few other content types to retain when you logout of iCloud on the phone (to log into another account), but it says very clearly that it will delete all photos from the phone.

Thanks for the guidance. I'm going to try Power Photos from Fat Cat Software and see if I can get anywhere. It has some issues, but it might be the 95% solution I'm willing to settle for.

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Answer 6

Eric Root

Level 10

684,039 points

Oct 21, 2018 12:55 PM in response to dantrimble

You are welcome. You are getting the notice the photos will delete even with full resolution photos on the device?

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Copy photos from 1 iCloud account to another

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