If your iCloud Photos aren’t syncing or syncing with iCloud is paused

If your photos aren’t syncing on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, check your device settings. Then check the status bar in the Photos app and find out what your library status message means.

Check your device settings and library status

  1. Connect your device to a power source and to Wi-Fi, then let the device sync uninterrupted overnight.

  2. Check that you’ve signed in to iCloud with the same Apple Account you use on your other devices.

  3. If you’ve set up iCloud Shared Photo Library, check your Library view. When you move photos to your Shared Library, you’ll no longer see them in your Personal Library.

  4. Check the status of your library in Photos on your iPhone or iPad, or on your Mac:

    • On your iPhone or iPad: Open the Photos app, go to Collections, then tap the profile button in the top corner. Check your library status below your name and photo count. In iOS 17 or earlier, go to the Library tab, tap All Photos and scroll to the bottom to see your library status.

      An iPhone screen showing a “Syncing with iCloud Paused” status message. Next to your photo library status is a green, yellow or red indicator that corresponds with the status message.

    • On your Mac: open the Photos app, then select Library in the Photos sidebar. Click All Photos in the toolbar at the top of the window, then scroll to the bottom to see your library status.

  5. Follow the onscreen directions of your library status message or find out what your status message means.

  6. Depending on the size of your library and your Wi-Fi speed, you may need to wait overnight for your device to finish syncing. Some larger-sized files may take longer to upload or sync.

Find out what your status message means

If your photos aren’t syncing, don’t turn iCloud Photos off. Syncing with iCloud pauses for a variety of reasons.

If you see Low Data Mode or Low Power Mode

If you see a message that says Low Data Mode or Low Power Mode, syncing paused to reduce network data usage or save battery. You can turn these behaviours on or off in Settings.

If you see Optimising Battery Power, Optimising System Performance or Poor Network Connection

If you see a message that says Optimising Battery Power, Optimising System Performance or Poor Network Connection, syncing has paused to improve power, performance and network connection. To force syncing, tap Sync Now, or wait a few minutes for syncing to resume automatically.

If you see Low Battery

If you see a message that says Low Battery, syncing has paused because your battery charge is below 20 per cent. To resume syncing, charge your device.

If you see [Device] Needs to Cool Down

If you see a message that says [Device] Needs to Cool Down, syncing has paused to protect your device from overheating. You may see an option to Sync Now. If not, wait a few minutes to let your device cool down.

If you see iCloud storage is full

If you see a message that your iCloud storage is full, syncing has paused because you’ve exceeded your iCloud storage limit. You can reduce the amount of storage that you’re using or upgrade your storage plan.

If you see Move Photos to Personal Library to Continue Syncing

If you see a message that says Move Photos to Personal Library to Continue Syncing, syncing has paused because a Shared Library owner has hit their storage limit. If you see this message after trying to move items to the Shared Library, move those items back to your Personal Library. After the Shared Library Owner has upgraded their storage plan or reduced the amount of storage they use, your Personal Library will sync again.

If your iCloud Photos still won’t sync

  1. Don’t turn off iCloud or iCloud Photos. This restarts the syncing process.

  2. Make sure you’ve updated your device to the latest version of iOS, iPadOS or macOS.

  3. Check if other iCloud services that you use are working, such as Mail, Contacts or Messages. If other services also aren’t working, check your Wi-Fi connection and the System Status for outages.

  4. Make sure you’re using supported file types. Supported file types include HEIF, JPEG, RAW, PNG, GIF, TIFF, HEVC, MP4, and special iPhone and iPad formats such as slo-mo, time-lapse, 4K videos and Live Photos.

  5. Check if you have an album named Unable to Upload. Edit each photo or video, then check to see if the photo or video uploads to iCloud. Or upload items in the Unable to Upload folder to iCloud again from your iPhone or iPad, or re-import items in the Unable to Upload folder to iCloud from your Mac.