Set up and use iCloud Photos
iCloud Photos works with the Photos app to keep your photos and videos securely stored in iCloud, and up to date across your devices.
How iCloud Photos works
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.
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, like slo-mo, time-lapse, 4K videos, and Live Photos. Depending on your internet speed, the time it takes to see your photos and videos across your devices and iCloud.com can vary.
Turn on iCloud Photos
Make sure that you set up iCloud and sign in to iCloud with the same Apple Account on all of your devices.
Turn on iCloud Photos on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro
Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
Tap Photos.
Turn on Sync this [device].
Turn on iCloud Photos on your Mac
Choose Apple menu > System Settings or Preferences.
Click your name, then click iCloud.
Under Saved to iCloud, click Photos. In macOS Sonoma or earlier, under Apps Using iCloud, click Photos.
Turn on Sync this Mac.
Turn on iCloud Photos on your Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD
Go to Settings > Users and Accounts.
Select iCloud.
Turn on iCloud Photos.
Turn on iCloud Photos on your Windows PC
Learn how to set up and use iCloud Photos on your PC
What happens when you edit or delete photos
When you edit or delete photos or videos, changes reflect across all of your devices.
Edits show up on all of your devices
When you make edits in the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad or on your Mac, the photo automatically updates across your devices. So when you crop or enhance a photo on your iPhone, you see the changes on your Mac. iCloud stores your original photos and videos, so you can revert any changes you made, any time.
Photos delete from all of your devices
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.
Download copies of your photos and videos
When you turn on iCloud Photos, your photos and videos automatically upload to iCloud. They're not duplicated in your iCloud backup, so keep backup copies of your library.
Check your storage
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.
Need to save space on your device? Turn on Optimize Storage. When you do this, iCloud Photos keeps your photos and videos in their original, high-resolution version and space-saving versions are kept on your device. Your library also optimizes when you need space, starting with photos and videos you access least, and you can download originals over Wi-Fi or cellular.
Turn on Optimize Storage on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro
Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
Under Saved to iCloud, tap Photos.
Choose Optimize [device] Storage.
Turn on Optimize Storage on your Mac
In the Photos app, click Photos > Settings or Preferences.
Choose a storage setting from the iCloud tab.
To keep your original, full-size photos and videos in iCloud and on your device, select Download Originals to this Mac.
Pause library uploads to iCloud
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
In iOS 26 or later, open the Photos app, then tap Collections. Tap the profile button, then tap Pause.
In iOS 18, open the Photos app, tap the profile button and tap Pause.
In iOS 17 or earlier, open the Photos app, go to Library > All Photos, then scroll down and tap Pause.
On Mac
In the Photos app, select Library.
Click All Photos.
Scroll down and click Pause.
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