iCloud Photos works with the Photos app to keep your photos and videos stored in iCloud securely, and up to date across your devices.
iCloud Photos keeps every photo and video you take in iCloud, so you can access your library from any device, anytime – just open the Photos app. Changes you make on one device change on your other devices too. Your photos and videos are organised into Years, Months, Days and All Photos.
Photos and videos are stored in iCloud in their original formats at full resolution (HEIF, JPEG, RAW, PNG, GIF, TIFF, HEVC and MP4, as well as special formats you capture with your iPhone or iPad, such as slo-mo, time-lapse, 4K videos and Live Photos. Depending on your internet speed, the time it takes to see your photos and videos on all of your devices and iCloud.com may vary.
Make sure you set up iCloud and sign in to iCloud with the same Apple Account on all of your devices.
On iPhone, iPad or Apple Vision Pro: go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud. Tap Photos, then turn on Sync this [device].
On Mac: Choose Apple menu > System Settings or Preferences > [your name]. Click iCloud > Photos, then turn on Sync this Mac.
On Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD: go to Settings > Users and Accounts > iCloud. Turn on iCloud Photos.
Learn how to set up and use iCloud Photos on your PC
When you edit or delete photos or videos, changes will be reflected on all of your devices.
When you make edits in the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad or on your Mac, the photo is automatically updated across your devices. So when you crop or enhance a photo on your iPhone, you see the changes on your Mac. Your original photos and videos are stored in iCloud, so you can revert any changes you made, any time.
When you delete photos and videos on one device, they’re deleted everywhere that you use iCloud Photos. If you delete something accidentally, you can recover it in the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days. After that, it's deleted permanently and you can't get it back.
When you turn on iCloud Photos, your photos and videos are uploaded to iCloud automatically. They're not duplicated in your iCloud backup, so keep backup copies of your library.
Photos and videos that you keep in iCloud Photos use your iCloud storage and your device storage. When you sign up for iCloud, you get 5 GB of free storage – and if you need more space, or access to premium features, you can upgrade to iCloud+. In your iCloud settings, you can also see recommendations about how to make more space.
Find out more about iCloud storage and device storage
iCloud Photos keeps your photos and videos in their original, high-resolution version. Need to save space on your device? Turn on Optimise Storage. When you do this, your original photos and videos are stored in iCloud and space-saving versions are kept on your device. Your library also optimises when you need space, starting with photos and videos you access least, and you can download originals over Wi-Fi or mobile phone.
On iPhone, iPad or Apple Vision Pro: go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud. Tap Photos > Optimise [device] Storage.
On Mac: In the Photos app, click Photos > Settings or Preferences. Choose a storage setting from the iCloud tab.
If you want to keep your original, full-size photos and videos in iCloud and on your device, turn on Download Originals.
When you turn on iCloud Photos, the time it takes photos and videos to upload to iCloud depends on the size of your collection and your internet speed. Larger content collections might take more time. You can see the status and pause the upload for one day. Depending on your library status, pause might not be available.
On iPhone, iPad or Apple Vision Pro: Open the Photos app, scroll down and tap Pause. Or, tap the profile button and tap Pause. In iOS 17 or earlier, go to Library > All Photos, then scroll down and tap Pause.
On Mac: In the Photos app, select Library, then click All Photos. Scroll down and click Pause.