Disable iCloud Photos in Settings on iPhone and iPad
To stop iCloud Photos from backing up and syncing your pictures, open Settings, tap your name at the top, then select iCloud. Scroll down and tap Photos. Toggle off iCloud Photos — the switch will turn gray. This stops new photos from uploading and removes the sync between your devices, but your existing photos stay on your phone or tablet.
When you turn off iCloud Photos, you will see a prompt asking what to do with photos already in iCloud. Choose Delete from iPhone if you want to free up space on that device and keep copies only in iCloud. Choose Keep on iPhone if you want the photos to stay locally but stop syncing to other devices. The photos in iCloud itself remain untouched either way — turning off the feature does not delete them from Apple's servers.
If you have multiple Apple devices, turning off iCloud Photos on one device does not affect the others. You can disable it on your iPhone while keeping it on your iPad, for example. Each device has its own toggle in the Photos settings.
Disable iCloud Photos on Mac
On a Mac, click the Apple menu, select System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions), then click iCloud in the sidebar. Find Photos in the list and uncheck the box next to it. A dialog will ask whether to keep or remove photos from your Mac — choose based on whether you want local copies.
On Intel Macs running older macOS versions, the path is slightly different: Apple menu > System Preferences > iCloud > Photos. The toggle works the same way. If you use the Photos app on Mac, disabling iCloud Photos stops the app from syncing with your other devices but does not delete the app itself.
Key Takeaways
- Turning off iCloud Photos stops new uploads and syncing between devices, but does not delete photos already stored in iCloud.
- On iPhone and iPad, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos and toggle off iCloud Photos.
- On Mac, go to System Settings > iCloud > Photos and uncheck the box next to Photos.
- When you disable the feature, you choose whether to keep or delete photos from that specific device — the choice does not affect your iCloud storage.
- You can disable iCloud Photos on some devices while leaving it on others; each device is controlled separately.
What Happens to Photos Already in iCloud
Disabling iCloud Photos does not automatically delete anything from iCloud itself. Photos you uploaded before turning off the feature stay in your iCloud account and count toward your storage limit. If you want to remove them, you must delete them separately through the iCloud website or the Photos app on any device that still has iCloud Photos enabled.
To delete photos from iCloud without deleting them from your device, use iCloud.com. Sign in, click Photos, select the images you want to remove, and click the trash icon. This removes them from iCloud storage but leaves local copies on your devices. Alternatively, if iCloud Photos is still on on one device, you can delete photos there and they will disappear from iCloud across all devices.
Reasons to Disable iCloud Photos
You might turn off iCloud Photos to save money on iCloud storage — photos take up the most space in most accounts, and disabling the feature stops new uploads when ready. If you use a different cloud service like Google Photos or OneDrive, you may not need iCloud Photos running at the same time. Disabling it also prevents accidental uploads of screenshots or sensitive photos you did not intend to back up.
Some people disable iCloud Photos on certain devices to keep those devices' photo libraries separate. For example, you might disable it on a work iPad so work photos do not sync to your personal iPhone, while keeping it enabled on your personal devices. This gives you control over which photos appear where without affecting your iCloud account itself.
Re-Enable iCloud Photos Later
If you change your mind, turning iCloud Photos back on is the same process in reverse. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos on iPhone or iPad, or System Settings > iCloud > Photos on Mac, and toggle it back on. When you re-enable it, the device will start uploading new photos to iCloud again and syncing with your other devices.
Photos you deleted from iCloud while the feature was off will not reappear — they are permanently gone. However, any photos that remained in your iCloud account will sync back to the device once you turn iCloud Photos on again. This can take a few minutes to several hours depending on how many photos are in your account and your internet speed.
Disable iCloud Photos Syncing Without Turning Off the Feature
If you want to keep iCloud Photos on but pause syncing temporarily, you can disable Wi-Fi or cellular data on the device — iCloud Photos only uploads when connected to the internet. This is useful if you are on a limited data plan and want to wait until you are on Wi-Fi to upload. The feature itself remains on, so it will resume syncing as soon as you reconnect.
Another option is to disable iCloud Photos Library specifically while keeping other iCloud features like contacts and calendar syncing. In the Photos settings, you can toggle off just the Photos Library without affecting your entire iCloud account. This is more precise than disabling iCloud entirely and is useful if you want to keep other iCloud services running.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off iCloud Photos delete my photos from iCloud?
No. Disabling iCloud Photos stops new uploads and syncing, but photos already in iCloud stay there. You must delete them separately if you want them removed from iCloud storage. The feature itself is just the sync mechanism — turning it off does not erase your backup.
Will my photos disappear from my phone if I disable iCloud Photos?
Only if you choose Delete from iPhone when the prompt appears. If you choose Keep on iPhone, your photos stay on the device. Either way, you control what happens to the local copies when you disable the feature.
Can I disable iCloud Photos on one device but keep it on another?
Yes. Each device has its own toggle in the Photos settings. You can disable it on your iPhone and keep it on your iPad, for example. Photos will sync between devices that have it enabled but not to devices where it is turned off.
If I disable iCloud Photos, can I still use other iCloud features?
Yes. Disabling iCloud Photos only affects photo syncing. Your contacts, calendar, notes, and other iCloud services continue to work normally. You are only turning off the Photos feature, not your entire iCloud account.
How do I delete photos from iCloud after disabling the feature?
Sign in to iCloud.com, click Photos, select the images you want to remove, and click the trash icon. Or, on any device that still has iCloud Photos enabled, delete the photos in the Photos app and they will disappear from iCloud across all devices.