How to use Shared Albums in Photos on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro

iCloud Shared Albums let you share photos and videos with the people you choose—and they can add their own photos, videos, and comments. Learn how to turn on Shared Albums, manage a shared album, and save photos from a shared album on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro.

Turn on Shared Albums

  1. Update your iPhone or iPad to the latest iOS or iPadOS, or your Apple Vision Pro to the latest visionOS.

  2. Sign in to iCloud with the same Apple Account on all of your devices that you want to use with Shared Albums.

  3. On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings.

  4. Tap your name, then tap iCloud.

  5. Under Saved to iCloud, tap Photos.

  6. In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or visionOS 27 or later, make sure that iCloud Photos is turned on.

  7. Scroll down and tap Shared Albums. Turn on Shared Albums.

Learn how to set up and use Shared Albums on your Mac and your other devices.

Create a new shared album

With Shared Albums, you can create albums to share photos and videos with others—and they can add their own photos, videos, and comments for everyone to see.

Starting in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, Shared Albums adds support for full-resolution sharing, new filters and sorting, emoji reactions, and new ways to invite others to collaborate on an album. Friends and family will be able to join and contribute their own photos on the web, even without an Apple Account or Apple device.

In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or visionOS 27 or later

  1. Open the Photos app and tap Collections.

  2. Scroll down to Shared Albums, then tap Shared Albums.

  3. Tap the Add button.

  4. Give the shared album a name, and choose some images to add to the shared album. Tap Sharing Options to choose whether to invite and approve participants, or share the album with a link.

    iPhone showing the screen for creating a new shared album. It shows a food photo as the cover, with a field to name the album, sharing options, and a button to make the album temporary.

  5. To create a temporary shared album, turn on Make Album Temporary.

  6. Tap the Done button.

In iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or visionOS 26

  1. Open the Photos app.

  2. Tap Collections, then scroll down to Shared Albums.

    An iPhone with the Photos app open. Collections is at the bottom of the screen, next to Library.

  3. Tap Shared Albums.

  4. Tap the Add button.

  5. Give the shared album a name, and choose some images to add to the shared album.

  6. Choose people to invite from your contacts, or type an email address or iMessage phone number. Tap the Done button.

  7. Tap Create.

Delete a shared album

  1. Open the shared album.

  2. Tap the More button.

  3. Tap Delete Shared Album.

  4. Tap Delete to confirm.

  5. iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or visionOS 27 or later, you can tap Make Album Temporary to make the shared album temporary instead, and it will be deleted in 30 days.

When you delete a shared album, the shared album is automatically removed from all of your devices and the devices of your subscribers. If you turned on Public Website, the shared album is removed from the web, too. Deleting a shared album permanently deletes all of its photos. Before continuing, save any photos that you want to keep.

Invite more people

You can invite others to view or add to your shared album.

In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or visionOS 27 or later

  1. Tap a shared album that you created.

  2. Tap the Manage Shared Album button.

  3. Under Participants, tap Invite Participants. Choose a contact or app to use to share the link to the shared album. You can also tap Copy Album Link to copy the link so that you can send or post it.

    iPhone screen showing the Manage Shared Album settings for a Beautiful Food shared album. The Invite Participants button is under the list of participants.

  4. Tap the Done button.

Accept or decline access requests

When you turn on Access Requests in an album's Sharing Options, additional people with the link to the shared album can request access to be approved by you. To accept or decline an access request:

  1. Tap the Shared Albums access request notification. You can also open the Photos app, tap Collections, tap the Profile button in the top-right corner, then tap Invitations and Access Requests.

  2. Tap Approve or Decline.

In iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or visionOS 26

  1. Tap a shared album that you created.

  2. Tap the More button.

  3. Tap the Shared Album name.

  4. Under Participants, tap Add Participants.

  5. Enter the names of people that you want to share this album with.

  6. Tap Done.

To share an album with friends or family who don't use iCloud:

  1. Open a shared album that you created, tap the More button, then tap Shared Album Details.

  2. Turn on Public Website. Your photos publish to a website that anyone can see in an up-to-date web browser.

Join a shared album

You can join a shared album that someone created in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, visionOS 27, or later by opening the link to the album on an Apple or non-Apple device. Any participants with devices that aren't on the latest software will have to update their devices or view the album on iCloud.com.

The album owner can choose in the album's Sharing Options to only allow people they invite or approve to access or allow anyone with the link to join without approval, and they can choose whether to require additional people with the link to request access.

Request access to a shared album

  1. Open the link you received to a shared album.

  2. If prompted, tap or click Send Request.

You'll be notified when the album is shared with you.

In iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or visionOS 26

Learn how to accept a shared album invite

Remove a subscriber

As the creator of a shared album, you control who can access it. You can remove subscribers at any time.

In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or visionOS 27 or later

  1. Tap a shared album that you created.

  2. Tap the Manage Shared Album button.

  3. Tap the participant that you want to remove.

  4. Tap Remove Participant at the bottom of the screen.

In iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or visionOS 26

  1. Tap a shared album that you created.

  2. Tap the More button.

  3. Tap the Shared Album name.

  4. Tap the participant that you want to remove.

  5. Tap Remove Subscriber at the bottom of the screen.

Add photos and videos to a shared album

In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or visionOS 27 or later

  1. From your Library or from within an album, tap Select and then select the photos and videos that you want to share.

  2. Tap the Share button, then tap Add to Shared Album.

    iPhone screen showing a shared album with a food photo, participant icons, and app icons for sharing.

  3. Choose the album where you want to share your photos.

  4. Tap the Done button. When you add new photos, shared album participants receive a notification.

If you have a shared album open, you can also tap the Add button to select photos and videos to add.

In iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or visionOS 26 or earlier

  1. From your Library or from within an album, tap Select and then select the photos and videos that you want to share.

  2. Tap the Share button, then tap Add to Shared Album.

  3. Choose the album where you want to share your photos.

  4. Tap the Post. When you add new photos, shared album participants receive a notification.

If you have a shared album open, you can also tap the Add button to select photos and videos to add.

If a participant can't add their photos or videos to a shared album

In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or visionOS 27 or later

  1. Tap the Manage Shared Album button, then tap a participant's name.

  2. Check that you selected Can Add Photos.

In iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or visionOS 26

  1. Tap the More button, then tap the Shared Album name.

  2. Check that you turned on Participants Can Add Photos.

Delete photos and videos from a shared album

If you're the owner of a shared album, you can delete any photos, videos, or comments from anyone. Subscribers can delete anything that they personally added. Anything you delete is automatically deleted from the album on all your devices and the devices of subscribers.

Any photos that you saved or downloaded from a shared album to your Photos library stay in your library even if the shared album is deleted or the person who created it stops sharing it.

In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or visionOS 27

  1. Open the shared album.

  2. Tap the photo or video.

  3. Tap the Delete button.

  4. Tap Delete From All Devices.

In iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or visionOS 26 or earlier

  1. Open the shared album.

  2. Tap the photo or video.

  3. Tap the Trash button.

  4. Tap Delete Photo.

Save photos and videos from a shared album

When you share photos and videos with someone, they can save shared items to their own library.

  1. Tap the photo or video. In visionOS, open the photo, then tap the More button.

  2. Tap the Share button.

  3. Tap Save Image or Save Video.

Shared Albums upload a copy of your data. Downloaded content may not contain the same information as the original.

Learn about supported file types and Shared Album limits

Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of third-party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Contact the vendor for additional information.

Published Date: