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How can I delete photos off my iPhone but have them stay in iCloud?

I don’t understand how iCloud works. Can I delete my photos on my iPhone but keep them in iCloud??

iPhone 11, iOS 16

Posted on Feb 6, 2023 3:51 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 6, 2023 4:22 PM

Sally360 wrote:

I don’t understand how iCloud works. Can I delete my photos on my iPhone but keep them in iCloud??

No. if you sync to icloud what you do on one device reflects on the other read here Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support


if you back up to icloud it only backs up the data on your device What does iCloud back up? - Apple Support


You would need to download google photos or something similar. Then you can safely delete photos off your phone.

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 6, 2023 4:22 PM in response to Sally360

Sally360 wrote:

I don’t understand how iCloud works. Can I delete my photos on my iPhone but keep them in iCloud??

No. if you sync to icloud what you do on one device reflects on the other read here Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support


if you back up to icloud it only backs up the data on your device What does iCloud back up? - Apple Support


You would need to download google photos or something similar. Then you can safely delete photos off your phone.

How can I delete photos off my iPhone but have them stay in iCloud?

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