You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

How do I delete photos/videos from my device, but KEEP them in iCloud?

How do I delete photos/videos from my device, but KEEP them in iCloud?

Posted on Jan 24, 2022 6:44 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 24, 2022 7:53 PM

If you use iCloud for Photos, then you should not delete any photos/videos on your iPhone because they will also be deleted from iCloud. This is because iCloud is a synching service and not a data archiving service.


To save storage space on your iPhone, you can choose to Optimize Storage for all the Photos. What this action will do is store your original quality photos on iCloud and a small size photo on your iPhone. This takes up less space on your iPhone while maintaining the actual size on iCloud. This will free up space on your iPhone while making good use of iCloud. If you would like to try this then open Settings  Photos  Optimize iPhone Storage : Ensure that this option is chosen and has a checkmark on it.


Axel F.

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 24, 2022 7:53 PM in response to ApplePune

If you use iCloud for Photos, then you should not delete any photos/videos on your iPhone because they will also be deleted from iCloud. This is because iCloud is a synching service and not a data archiving service.


To save storage space on your iPhone, you can choose to Optimize Storage for all the Photos. What this action will do is store your original quality photos on iCloud and a small size photo on your iPhone. This takes up less space on your iPhone while maintaining the actual size on iCloud. This will free up space on your iPhone while making good use of iCloud. If you would like to try this then open Settings  Photos  Optimize iPhone Storage : Ensure that this option is chosen and has a checkmark on it.


Axel F.

How do I delete photos/videos from my device, but KEEP them in iCloud?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.