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.

Issues with My photo stream, iCloud photos and MacBook

I have iCloud photos and photo stream turned on on my iPhone. I ONLY have photo stream on Mac. If I take photo on my phone, it shows up on Mac under Photo Stream (great) AND my photo library (could be great). If I delete the photo from phone, it's gone from photo stream on my mac (yay), but it's still on Mac under photos library (not great). How do I get it to delete from Mac photos when I delete from my phone? It's as if Mac Photos is auto importing everything from photo stream. Also, I DO NOT have copy items to photos library check in the settings.


MacBook

Posted on Aug 4, 2019 10:43 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 5, 2019 2:32 AM

How do I get it to delete from Mac photos when I delete from my phone? It's as if Mac Photos is auto importing everything from photo stream.

Exactly. Photos on the Mac is automatically importing all photos from My Photo Stream. You can see it in the Photos Preferences > iCloud for My Photo Stream. My Photo Stream is just a buffer to transfer photos. It is not syncing the changes you are doing on your devices. Deleting from My Photo Stream is deleting from the stream, but not the photos that have been imported to your devices.


If you want a full syncing and not just streaming of new photos, you have to use iCloud Photos (Library) on all devices. With iCloud Photos Library the libraries are kept identical. But you have to keep all libraries on all devices small enough, so they will fit onto the smallest of your devices (perhaps with Optimize Storage).



Similar questions

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 5, 2019 2:32 AM in response to icodyonline

How do I get it to delete from Mac photos when I delete from my phone? It's as if Mac Photos is auto importing everything from photo stream.

Exactly. Photos on the Mac is automatically importing all photos from My Photo Stream. You can see it in the Photos Preferences > iCloud for My Photo Stream. My Photo Stream is just a buffer to transfer photos. It is not syncing the changes you are doing on your devices. Deleting from My Photo Stream is deleting from the stream, but not the photos that have been imported to your devices.


If you want a full syncing and not just streaming of new photos, you have to use iCloud Photos (Library) on all devices. With iCloud Photos Library the libraries are kept identical. But you have to keep all libraries on all devices small enough, so they will fit onto the smallest of your devices (perhaps with Optimize Storage).



Issues with My photo stream, iCloud photos and MacBook

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