How to Delete Photos From iCloud (While Keeping Them on Your iPhone)
iCloud is a great service that Apple provides for its users, allowing for seamless storage and syncing across all of your Apple devices. However, users may find that they have accumulated a large number of photos on their iCloud that they no longer need or want to keep. If you want to delete photos from your iCloud while keeping them on your iPhone, here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Turn off iCloud Photo Library
Firstly, you need to turn off the iCloud Photo Library feature. This can be done easily, by going to Settings > Photos > iCloud Photos and toggling off the “iCloud Photos” switch. By doing this, new photos that you take will no longer upload to your iCloud automatically.
Step 2: Download photos to your iPhone
The second step is to download the photos that you want to keep from your iCloud to your iPhone. You can do this by selecting the photos that you want to keep on your iPhone and downloading them one by one. Alternatively, you can select a batch of photos by holding down the “Command” key on your Mac or the “Ctrl” key on your PC and clicking on the photos you want to keep. Once you have selected the photos you want to download, click on the “Download” button located in the top-right corner of the screen.
Step 3: Delete photos from iCloud
Now that the photos you want to keep are safely stored on your iPhone, you can proceed with deleting them from your iCloud. You can do this by going to iCloud.com and logging in using your Apple ID and password. Click on the “Photos” icon and select the photos that you want to delete. You can select multiple photos at once by using the same “Command” or “Ctrl” key and clicking on the photos. Once you’ve selected the photos, click on the trash can icon located in the top-right corner of the screen.
Step 4: Verify that photos are deleted from iCloud
After you’ve deleted the photos from your iCloud, verify that they are indeed gone by checking your recently deleted folder. Go to Photos > Albums > Recently Deleted and check that the photos you just deleted are not in there. If they are, they will be automatically deleted permanently after 30 days. If they’re not there, then congratulations – you’ve successfully deleted photos from your iCloud while still keeping them on your iPhone.
In conclusion, deleting photos from iCloud can be a tricky process, but by following these simple steps, you can ensure that your precious memories are safely stored on your Apple device while clearing space on your iCloud. Remember to turn off the iCloud Photo Library feature before you start, download the photos you want to keep, and verify that the photos are indeed deleted from iCloud.