How to avoid losing memories due to iCloud glitch. iCloud Photo Library and Photos: Setup and Use

iCloud Media Library is a tool for complete synchronization of images and videos between all Apple equipment (and the iCloud web service) authorized in one Apple ID account. A photo taken on an iPad will immediately become part of the gallery on iPhone, Mac and even Windows. The function works automatically and always adds new content when the “source device” receives a stable Internet connection (and the battery is also required to be charged, at least 25%). The tool also picks up all changes related to albums and the categories “Moments”, “Collection” and “Years”.

How to turn it on?

First steps

Mobile operating systems received an update with the iCloud media library back in version 8, but Apple developers strongly recommend updating to the latest version of iOS using the “General” tab in the “Settings” menu, where the “Software Update” item is available;
In addition to iOS equipment, it’s worth taking care of Apple TV (4th generation of set-top boxes are supported), MacOS and Apple Watch;
An alternative option is also the latest version.

Authorization

Synchronization

The required steps have been completed. From now on, every photo taken on any device will be officially added to the library and will become available on all devices authorized through one Apple ID account (it is important to remember that this method will not work if the accounts are different, or if authorization in iCloud has not been completed at all! It is worth paying close attention to this nuance).

Key benefits of iCloud Photo Library:

Supports various formats. Unlike Photo Stream, which only supports JPEG, TIFF and PNG, Apple's new option works with HEIW, RAW, HEVC, GIF and even MP4;
No limits. Content is uploaded exactly as long as there is free space in the cloud storage. There are no conceivable restrictions on 100, 1000 or 2000 photos;
Space saving. iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and even Mac, when transferring data to the cloud, leave only smaller copies on the internal memory. This approach allows you to save “physical” space for other content - downloaded applications, data from instant messengers or movies. The feature is activated in iCloud settings in the Photos section. You must check the box next to “Optimize storage on iPhone”;
Fast access. A particularly useful feature of “Media Library” is the ability to view the status of “Photos” and “Videos” on the iCloud website at any time. Two-second authorization and the screen already displays pictures from three years ago and experiments with Apple equipment on the first day of purchase;
Backup and search for “duplicates”. An important advantage of the Apple “ecosystem” is tracking duplicates in real time. Situations where the same content “twice” takes up free space are impossible. In addition, information will never disappear from iCloud, unless, of course, users want it./li>

Minuses:

You'll have to pay. The free gigabytes are definitely not enough for full interaction with the service. You need a subscription for at least 59 rubles per month, which provides an additional 50 GB of free space. Not a great loss, of course, but Apple’s machinations are immediately visible;
Not always convenient. Storing “exclusive” photos on your iPhone is normal. But immediately spreading all the secrets across all devices is a dangerous business. Sometimes such a synchronization scheme can lead to unexpected consequences.

In this article, we will tell you how to work with iCloud Photo Library, view and delete photos and videos located in iCloud, and also answer the most frequently asked questions about this feature.

In contact with

iCloud Photo Library gives iPhone and iPad owners the ability to store photos and videos in the iCloud cloud service and access them from mobile gadgets or computers (not to be confused with). Any changes to the library on one device are synchronized with other devices within the same account.

New photos and videos are uploaded to iCloud when your device is connected to the Internet (Wi-Fi or cellular). The speed of adding photos and videos to all connected devices depends on the speed of your Internet connection.

After connecting a media library instead of an album "Camera roll" album will appear "All photos" with the same functionality. This folder contains all photos and videos, sorted by date added.

It's worth noting that there is also iCloud Photo Library in the Music app settings, which has nothing in common with iCloud Photo Library in iCloud Photos settings.

What devices does iCloud Photo Library work on?

On iPhone, iPad, iPod touch via the Photos application;
On Mac computers through the Photos application;
On the Apple TV console;
On computers with Windows 7 and higher (application required);
On any device with an Internet browser installed via iCloud.com.

What file types does iCloud Photo Library support?

When you copy photos and videos to iCloud Photo Library, all content remains in the original resolution. The service supports the following file types: JPEG, RAW, PNG, GIF, TIFF, HEIF, HEVC, MP4, as well as special formats available when shooting in the Camera app on iPhone: , slow-motion or time-lapse video, and 4K video).

By default, all photos and videos are stored in iCloud in the form in which they were taken.

Go to menu "Settings" -> Apple ID [your name] -> iCloud -> "Photo" and set the iCloud Photo Library switch to Included.

On Mac open the application "System Settings" and go to the section iCloud. Click "Options" next to the word "Photo" and check the box iCloud Photo Library.

On Apple TV open the application "Settings" and follow the path "Accounts" -> iCloud -> iCloud Photo Library.

On a Windows computer install and run the application. Then click the button "Options" near the point "Photo", select iCloud Photo Library. Click the button "Ready" And "Apply".

What happens to My Photo Stream after I turn on iCloud Photo Library?

Images from the album will be added to this album "My photo stream". Photos that are not saved in the library will be deleted, and the folder itself will no longer be displayed. If the function is activated on your other device "My photo stream", but the media library is disabled, all new photos will be displayed in the photo stream.

Is it possible to delete photos and videos from iPhone or iPad but leave them in iCloud Photo Library?

All photos and videos stored in iCloud Photo Library take up space in iCloud storage and on the device itself. Deleting a photo or video on one device will automatically delete it from all devices and on icloud.com.

At the same time, Apple offers to increase iCloud storage for an additional fee (the user is given 5 GB of free space in the cloud). However, keep in mind that increasing your cloud storage only makes sense when your device's storage capacity exceeds your iCloud storage capacity. Otherwise, the device memory will always be full.

For example, if you use an iPhone with a 16 GB drive, a 64 GB iPad, and a purchased 50 GB plan in iCloud, 25 GB of which is occupied by photos and videos, then it is not practical to use iCloud Photo Library on your smartphone.

You can find the current prices for iCloud space for Russian users.

In order to delete photos and videos from an iPhone or iPad, but leave them in iCloud, you can use the service using an application or third-party alternative services, for example, or.

What does Optimize Storage do in iCloud Photo Library?

To save space on iOS devices and Mac computers, there is a function "Storage Optimization", which allows you to compress photos and videos stored on the device, while storing the original (full) versions of the files in iCloud Photo Library.

How to enable Storage Optimization

On iPhone, iPad or iPod touch on the way Settings -> Apple ID [Your name] -> iCloud -> Photo -> Storage optimization.

On a Mac in the application "Photo" open Settings programs, go to section iCloud and select item .

Storage Optimization feature starts working only if there is not enough space on the device. If necessary, you can download your original photos and videos over Wi-Fi or a cellular network.

If the option is selected in the iCloud Music Library settings "Download originals", the original photos and videos in full resolution will be stored in the cloud storage and on the device.

icloud.com has a Photos web app that lets you view and delete photos and videos stored in iCloud Photo Library.

A file deleted in Photos is also deleted from your media library on your devices and from the iCloud cloud. For 30 days, deleted photos and videos are stored in the folder "Recently Deleted", so they can be restored if desired.

To check whether a photo or video has been sent to the cloud, launch the application "Photo", go to the Photos tab and scroll to the very bottom of the page.

If there is not enough space in iCloud, photos and videos will not be uploaded to the cloud and synchronized between devices.

You can solve the problem in two ways: either buy more storage, or clean out your storage by deleting files that you don't need to keep on all iOS devices or iCloud.com. Remember that you will not be able to recover deleted photos or videos, since they are not saved in the album "Recently Deleted".

If you want to disable iCloud Photo Library only on one iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, open "Settings" -> Apple ID [username] -> iCloud -> "Photo" and turn off iCloud Photo Library.

On Mac login to the application "System Settings" and follow the path iCloud -> "Photo" -> "Options". Next, uncheck the option “ iCloud Photo Library».

On Apple TV: open the application "Settings" and follow the path "Accounts" -> iCloud. To turn off your media library, click "Choose" in section "Photos".

When the parameter is activated "Optimize storage" Not all original photos and videos may be saved on the device. To download original files to your iOS device, go to the section "Settings" -> Apple ID [username] -> iCloud -> "Photo" -> "Saving originals". On Mac, follow these steps: Open the app "Photo" -> "Photo" -> "Settings" -> "Download originals on this Mac".

For those who take a lot of photos and videos, the ability to efficiently store files and share them with other devices and users is critical. One solution to this problem is a media library integrated with Apple cloud storage. However, to successfully use this tool, you need to have certain skills in working with it, in particular, know how to disable the iCloud library in iTunes and perform other operations with it.

What is iCloud Photo Library

iCloud Media Library is a special service from Apple that allows owners of this company’s mobile devices to transfer media files to cloud storage and make them available from any device.

Here are its main features:

Storing any amount of photo and video data in the system. Other similar services, such as Photo Stream, limit the number of photos and do not work with video content at all.
The service settings allow you to set the storage of compressed copies of media files on iPhones, tablets and other computer equipment. Thanks to this, a lot of space is freed up on devices, which is important when actively working with photos and videos.
Synchronization of all Apple devices connected to the media library. Operations such as taking a photo on an iPhone, editing it on Aimak and posting it on the Internet from a tablet are becoming easier.
Increasing cloud capacity - if the free 5 GB of space is not enough, you can connect additional memory at a fairly low price - only 39 rubles. for 20 GB per month. If this is not enough, there are other tariffs.
A single album for photographs – “ All photos", making it easier to work with them.
Access from anywhere in the world via an online resource iCloud.com.

How to disable the media library

Although using the media file service provides a lot of benefits to the owner of an Apple device, sometimes you have to give it up. This often happens for security reasons - it is easier to ensure that files are inaccessible to attackers when they are stored on only one device. Another reason is to clear space in iCloud for more important information. Let's look at the main methods for disabling a service.

Method 1: via iPhone and iPad

To disable your media library using an iOS device:

Unlock your device and log in "Settings".
In the iCloud settings menu, find the media library icon and move the slider to the position Off.
The device is no longer synchronized with the storage, all media data will remain on it.

You cannot disable the service completely, but only its use by some services, for example Apple Music.

For this:

Let's go to "Settings", and then to the section "Music".
Scroll down the page to the "" column.
Press the green button to disable the function.

To connect the storage, you need an Apple ID account.

Method 2: Using iTunes

This method is best used when working with a computer.

Basic steps:

open iTunes;
enter settings,
select tab "Basic";
set the checkbox next to the “” option to the desired position.

How to enable iCloud Music Library

We present ways to enable the service on various types of computer equipment.

How to enable iCloud Music Library on iPhone. In settings, click on the Apple ID, click the iCloud icon, in the tab "Photo" activate the media library switch.
On an iMac or laptop. Go first to system settings, and then to the Apple cloud section. Click on the icon "Options", located next to the inscription "Photo", tick the "".
On your PC, you must first install the iCloud application for Windows. Then in settings "Photo" In this program, find the media library icon and click on it.

By following the instructions, users can easily use the media library from different devices.

Hello, poppy growers! Apple has both cool and completely stupid services. If we talk about iCloud, I really love this service and happily buy additional gigabytes there every month. But the iCloud photo library really irritates me. Every now and then I encounter misunderstanding among my friends about the essence of this cloud media library and how it differs from a photo stream. So, now I’ll tell you about the features of that same iCloud media library and how to live with it.

Ever since Steve Jobs released the first iPhone, users have been able to save photos from their iPhone to their computer and vice versa. At first we used a simple cable to save photos to the iPhoto program, then Photo Stream came to our aid, and the last one to reach us was the iCloud Photo Library. Usually, when analyzing this topic, I use A4 sheet and a pen and within a couple of minutes I put everything on the shelves. Now it will take a little longer, but I will try to explain everything in detail :)

Save photos from iPhone to Mac via cable

The first way we can save photos to our Mac is to transfer photos over the wire to iPhoto, Photos or through Image Capture. Everything is simple here: connect the iOS device to the computer and click on the import button in the appropriate program. If you periodically upload photos and videos to your Mac in this way, then each time you only get additional photos that are not yet in your library. After saving the photos, you can delete the originals from the iPhone. This method has its advantages:

photos and videos are saved as quickly as possible;
transparent operation of this method;

Constantly turning on the iPhoto/Photo program when connecting an iPhone interferes;
if automatic launch of the program is turned off, then you must remember to upload photos;
transfer photos only from iPhone to Mac, without synchronization;

By the way, there is also the ability to save photos through the Image Capture program, about which :)

Saving photos via Photo Stream

We sorted out the wire, but there is one problem - there is not always a wire at hand or it is difficult to go after it (this is about me). Since most of our Macs and iPhones have an iCloud account, we can also activate the photo stream. By the way, let me remind you that the account on the gadgets must be the same! And how you can organize your accounts on devices, I :)

Let's figure out how the photo stream works! A photo taken on an iPhone or saved in the camera roll (from WhatsApp, for example) if WiFi is available, is blocked on all devices with the same Apple ID. And if your Mac is also connected to the Internet, the photo will appear in iPhoto or Photos. The photo stream stores last thousand photos and when you take 1001, the oldest photo in their photo stream goes away. It leaves the photo stream, but remains saved on devices if you have not deleted it before. That is, you just need to take a photo and connect your iPhone or iPad to WiFi so that the photo appears in the photo stream on other devices.

With this method of transferring photos from iPhone no wasted iCloud space and you don't need to buy it. Even if you use the basic free plan of 5 GB and have already managed to fully use it, then even in this case the photos will end up on your Mac. It's like transferring contacts and calendars - the main thing is that there is Internet.

Now imagine that the user has not one iPhone and one Mac, but a pair of iPhones, an iPad, an iPod Touch for running, a Macbook at home and an iMac at work. And everyone is on the same ID and photo streaming is turned on for everyone. If you take a photo on one of the iPhones, it will automatically be broken onto all these devices! And from here comes one big minus - photo stream is a one-way photo stream, not synchronization. That is:

If the photo is good, then it settles in the memory of our gadgets and we rejoice. But if we went to a store and took off price tags so that we could later compare them with price tags in another store, then we won’t be able to delete them on all devices at once! You will need to delete unnecessary photos on each device one by one... Eh, I don’t know about you, but I have a similar situation all the time: a lot of “disposable” photos, several similar pictures or postcards with congratulations from WhatsApp for every holiday... And every time all the photos fall into all home media libraries.

Well, as we see, the photo stream has some good sides:

Easily transfer photos to Mac and other Apple devices;
no need to purchase additional space in iCloud;
if you lose your phone, photo stream can save your last thousand photos (if you only have one iPhone), even if you didn’t create a backup copy in iCloud;

So are the negative ones:

photostream is NOT omnidirectional synchronization;
You cannot centrally delete unnecessary photos or distribute them into folders or albums;

By the way, this method of distributing photos reminds me of the old POP3 mail protocol. It was the same there: letters are received from the server to all devices, but deleted from each one one by one. And the outdated POP3 has been replaced by modern IMAP, and in our case it’s...

iCloud Photo Library or iCloud Photo Library

Oh yes, this is exactly the same analogue of IMAP in the mail world. iCloud Photo Library works differently than Photo Stream, since the single central location for storing photos is the iCloud cloud on the Apple server, and not each device. That is, by pressing the shutter button on your iPhone, the photo automatically flies to the iCloud server (if there is a WiFi connection), from where it goes to all devices with the iCloud media library enabled. The captured frame not only uses the iCloud service to transfer it to other devices, but is saved in the cloud, taking up space in iCloud! It is important!

Schematically it works like this:

I will say right away that this method synchronization very convenient and promising. But let's look at the situation one by one. Let's say a user bought an iMac and an iPhone, and they helped him create and set up an Apple ID. The user takes a couple of photos on his iPhone and sees that after a couple of minutes all the photos appear on the iMac and the user rejoices! Then he deletes the photo on the iMac and sees that the photo on the iPhone is also deleted. He is happy, but begins to get a little nervous: what if I (or the child) start deleting photos on one device, will they also disappear on the other? Yes, they will be lost, but on the Mac in the Photos program, in the iPhone and in the iCloud cloud there is a trash can from which you can restore everything, so this is not a problem.

Let's assume that our user decided to upload all the photos from the old archive, which contains about 40 GB of photos, to the Photos library on his Mac. He transfers all the folders with photographs and is glad that in the media library they are distributed by date and by event. Here he looks at his iPhone and can’t believe his eyes: everything is the same there! “Fire! Cool! “Kaef!” - The guy screams, until suddenly his iPhone tells him that the space in iCloud has run out! The guy doesn’t skimp, he buys an additional 50 GB in the cloud for 59 rubles and again doesn’t make a fuss! By the way, be smart like a dude and buy some iCloud space 😉

But here again an ambush awaits our friend: he bought an iPhone with 32 GB, and the photos in his iMac’s media library are almost 40 GB. And then the iPhone squeals again and offers to compress the library, saying that not the whole photo will be saved on the iPhone, but a trimmed copy. And the photos will take up little space and will all fit on the device. “Fabulous!” — the guy thought and agreed. And only then I realized that in order to view photos on my iPhone in normal quality, I need to have an active Internet connection so that the photos in good quality can be downloaded from the cloud! On the other hand, the Internet is almost unlimited, communication is good everywhere - don’t worry and enjoy!

Cool story? Liked? I also like it when everything happens according to a similar scenario, but this is a fairy tale in which very few users live. And now the reality:

the proposal to include the iCloud photo library occurs in the Photo program with minimal decoding consequences! Just a big blue button “Turn on iCloud Music Library”...
this offer occurs after updating macOS or iOS and the user can simply not pay attention to the warning, but simply click on the big blue button, without hesitation!
Most often, we don’t know how many photos are in the Photos library on a Mac or iPhone, and turning on the photo library confronts us with the fact that the space in iCloud has run out!
Enabling iCloud Photo Library on your Mac and iPhone at the same time will result in all your photos being completely merged! And no one cares that you carefully transferred only selected pictures to your Mac!
If a user has enabled the iCloud media library on one device, but not on another, then a lot of confusion begins, from which it is difficult to get out without spending a lot of time, nerves and maybe even money (on buying additional space in iCloud)!

These are the realities I most often encounter: the user accidentally turned on something, and then problems began: the space in iCloud ran out, photos from the iPhone are not transferred to the Mac, there is not enough space in the iPhone, etc.

So what do you do with your iCloud Photo Library?

The question is good, but requires clarification. If you just bought your first Apple device, then you can turn on the iCloud media library and live as you live. On the other hand, using the Photo Library will not provide any benefits unless you have other Apple devices with which you would like to share a photo database. In any case, I recommend purchasing additional space in iCloud and creating backup copies of your data - it will definitely be more useful, and all your photos will be stored in the backup copy.

If you have been using Apple technology for some time and you have accumulated a lot of photos, both on a Mac and on an iPhone/iPad, then you need to understand whether it is necessary to have a common photo database. If yes, then go ahead and buy additional space in iCloud, optimize photos on devices and live with it. But if you don’t want to use the iCloud photo library, but you accidentally turned it on, then...

How to turn off iCloud Photo Library?

There is a problem with this. When a large volume of photos ends up on the iPhone and the space on it runs out, iOS may offer to optimize the storage, thereby leaving only photo previews in memory, but not their full versions. If you try to turn off optimization in the settings and try to download the originals, 2 problems will appear. Firstly, you need to have a normal Internet connection to upload photos, and secondly, you need to have space on your phone, but you don’t already have it... If it is possible to temporarily delete unnecessary data from your iPhone and clear space on it to upload originals - Just Do It !

If you cannot clear the space, turn off the iCloud library on your phone and agree to delete some of the photos. All the same, these photos will remain in the iCloud cloud or they can be downloaded to your Mac or viewed through the website. In any case, those photos that were not uploaded to the cloud will remain on the phone, and those that are already in iCloud will be available through the website. So you won't be able to lose your photos.

Here, as a small life hack, I can suggest temporarily removing Facebook, Instagram and Vkontakte from your phone. All of them are just shells and there is no information inside them - everything is stored on servers! When you finish all manipulations with your media library and photos, they can be downloaded again.

iCloud Photo Library is cool, but not for me...

What about me? And I decided that iCloud Photo Library is not for me, since I am not ready to combine photos on my devices. Even taking into account that there is enough space on the iPhone to fit all the photos from the library on the Mac. I decided for myself this way: on my Macbook Pro there are all the photos that I have at all. Some are in the Photo program, others are neatly arranged in folders. On the iPhone 6, all the photos from the camera are in a pile, as well as a couple of albums that were transferred from the Mac. I try to constantly back up my Macbook Pro to iCloud, and this gives me peace of mind that my data is safe.

My friends, I really hope that this article at least somehow helped you understand how the iCloud photo library works. Maybe you can choose for yourself the best way to store and transfer photos between devices! I am sure that if you have any questions, you can safely write them in the comments below, or ask them on my group’s page in

In this article, we will tell you how to work with iCloud Photo Library, view and delete photos and videos located in iCloud, and also answer the most frequently asked questions about this feature.

What is iCloud Photo Library

iCloud Photo Library gives iPhone and iPad owners the ability to store photos and videos in the iCloud cloud service and access them from mobile gadgets or computers (not to be confused with Photo Stream). Any changes to your library on one device are synced with other devices within the same Apple ID account.

After connecting the media library, instead of the “Camera Roll” album, the “All Photos” album will appear with the same functionality. This folder contains all photos and videos, sorted by date added.

It's worth noting that there is also iCloud Photo Library in the Music app settings, which has nothing in common with iCloud Photo Library in iCloud Photos settings.

What devices does iCloud Photo Library work on?

On iPhone, iPad, iPod touch via the Photos application;
On Mac computers through the Photos application;
On the Apple TV console;
On computers with Windows 7 and above (iCloud app for Windows required);
On any device with an Internet browser installed via iCloud.com.

What file types does iCloud Photo Library support?

By default, all photos and videos are stored in iCloud in the form in which they were taken.

How to enable iCloud Photo Library

Go to Settings -> Apple ID [your name] -> iCloud -> Photos and toggle iCloud Photo Library to On.

On Mac Open the System Preferences app and go to the iCloud section. Click Options next to Photos and check the box next to iCloud Photo Library.

On Apple TV Open the Settings app and go to Accounts -> iCloud -> iCloud Photo Library.

On a Windows computer Install and launch the iCloud for Windows app. Then click the Options button next to Photos and select iCloud Photo Library. Click "Done" and "Apply".

What happens to My Photo Stream after I turn on iCloud Photo Library?

Images from the My Photo Stream album will be added to this album. Photos that are not saved in the library will be deleted, and the folder itself will no longer be displayed. If the My Photo Stream feature is activated on your other device, but the photo library is disabled, all new photos will be displayed in the photo stream.

Is it possible to delete photos and videos from iPhone or iPad but leave them in iCloud Photo Library?

At the same time, Apple offers to increase iCloud storage for an additional fee (when registering an Apple ID, the user is given 5 GB of free space in the cloud). However, keep in mind that increasing your cloud storage only makes sense when your device's storage capacity exceeds your iCloud storage capacity. Otherwise, the device memory will always be full.

For example, if you use an iPhone with a 16 GB drive, a 64 GB iPad, and a purchased 50 GB plan in iCloud, 25 GB of which is occupied by photos and videos, then it is not practical to use iCloud Photo Library on your smartphone.

Current prices for iCloud space for Russian users can be found here.

In order to delete photos and videos from an iPhone or iPad, but leave them in iCloud, you can use the iCloud Drive service using the Files application or third-party alternative services, for example, Google Photos or Yandex.Disk.

What does Optimize Storage do in iCloud Photo Library?

To save space on iOS devices and Mac computers, the Optimize Storage feature allows you to compress photos and videos stored on the device, while storing the original (full) versions of the files in iCloud Photo Library.

How to enable Storage Optimization

On iPhone, iPad or iPod touch along the path Settings -> Apple ID [Your name] -> iCloud -> Photos -> Storage optimization.

On a Mac In the Photos app, open Application Settings, go to iCloud, and select Optimize Mac Storage.

The Storage Optimization feature only starts working when there is not enough space on your device. If necessary, you can download your original photos and videos over Wi-Fi or a cellular network.

If the “Download originals” option is selected in the iCloud Photo Library settings, the original photos and videos in full resolution will be stored in the cloud storage and on the device.

How to view and delete photos and videos on iPhone, iPad, and computer using iCloud Photo Library

icloud.com has a Photos web app that lets you view and delete photos and videos stored in iCloud Photo Library.

A file deleted in Photos is also deleted from your media library on your devices and from the iCloud cloud. For 30 days, deleted photos and videos are stored in the Recently Deleted folder, so you can restore them if you wish.

How do you know if files are being uploaded to iCloud Photo Library?

To check whether a photo or video has been sent to the cloud, launch the Photos application, go to the Photos tab and scroll to the very bottom of the page.

What happens if you exceed your iCloud storage capacity?

If there is not enough space in iCloud, photos and videos will not be uploaded to the cloud and synchronized between devices.

You can solve the problem in two ways: either buy more storage, or clean out your storage by deleting files that you don't need to keep on all iOS devices or iCloud.com. Remember that you won't be able to recover deleted photos or videos because they are not saved in the Recently Deleted album.

How do I turn off iCloud Photo Library on just one device?

If you want to disable iCloud Photo Library only on one iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, go to Settings -> Apple ID [username] -> iCloud -> Photos and turn off iCloud Photo Library.

On Mac Enter the System Preferences app and navigate to iCloud -> Photos -> Options. Next, uncheck the “iCloud Photo Library” option.

On Apple TV: Open the Settings app and navigate to Accounts -> iCloud. To disable the media library, click “Select” in the “Photos” section.

When the Optimize Storage option is activated, not all original photos and videos may be saved on your device. To download original files to your iOS device, go to “Settings” -> Apple ID [username] -> iCloud -> “Photos” -> “Save originals”. On a Mac, follow these steps: Open the Photos app -> Photos -> Settings -> Get Originals on This Mac.

How to delete all photos and videos from iCloud Photo Library and all from devices?

On iPhone, iPad or iPod touch: Go to Settings -> Apple ID [username] -> iCloud -> iCloud Storage -> Manage Storage -> Photos -> Disconnect and Delete.

On Mac:“System Preferences” -> iCloud -> “Manage” -> “Media Library” -> “Disable and Delete”.

Best Alternatives to iCloud Photo Library

Currently, there are many cloud services with similar functionality, but the most popular are: Google Photos (we highly recommend), Yandex.Disk and Dropbox.

Based on materials from yablyk