How to Delete Photos from Mac but Not iCloud

What is iCloud Photos

iCloud Photos is a cloud service that enables you to sync your photos across all your Apple devices. This means that if you delete a photo on your iPhone, it’ll also be removed from your Mac. If you’re interested, you can activate iCloud Photos through your Apple ID or the Photos app.

Why does iCloud Drive use storage on Mac? Read our article if you’d like to know more about how iCloud works.

How can you delete photos from Mac without deleting them from iCloud

The iCloud Photos sync feature can be very helpful. However, it’s possible to delete photos only from your device without affecting those stored in the cloud. You have a few options for doing this, but the most straightforward approach is to either disable the sync feature or save your photos to an external device.

If you’d like to read more on this, check our guide on how to manage iCloud storage on Mac.

A note from our experts:

 

If you’re organizing your photos on your Mac, it’s helpful to use a tool that can remove duplicate images to speed up the process. MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder can help with this. It’ll scan folders such as Downloads and your Photo Library, ensuring that your original files remain intact.

 

Here are our instructions to use MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder on your Mac:

1. Open the MacKeeper app on your device.
2. Choose Duplicates Finder from the left sidebar.
3. Hit the Start Scan button.
4. Select the Duplicates and Similar Photos folders, and choose the items to remove.
5. Click Remove Selected.
6. Click Remove again, then hit Finish to confirm.

How to remove photos from Mac but not iCloud

iCloud synchronization means that any photos you delete from your Mac will also be removed from iCloud and any synchronized devices. To prevent this from happening, you can:

1. Use the Optimize Mac Storage feature on your Mac
2. Turn off iCloud Photos syncing
3. Save your photos to a different device

1. Optimize space on your Mac

We’ll start with a method that won’t delete photos from your Mac, but we still recommend it for those looking to free up space on their computer. The Optimize Mac Storage feature saves lower-resolution copies of your photos and removes the larger versions that occupy more space.

We suggest using this method alongside one of the two processes outlined below. However, keep in mind that you’ll need a reliable Internet connection to access your files in full resolution.

Follow our tips to optimize your Mac’s storage:

1. Launch the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Go to Photos in the menu bar.
3. Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
4. Choose the iCloud tab.
5. Make sure the Optimize Mac Storage option is selected.

2. Disable photos syncing in iCloud on Mac

Next, we should discuss how to delete photos from your Mac without affecting those stored in iCloud. This method is straightforward and effective, involving a simple adjustment in your computer’s settings. By making this change, any photos you delete locally will still be available in iCloud when accessed from another device.

However, we recommend keeping in mind that this should be considered a temporary solution if you wish to keep synchronizing your Apple devices in the future.

If you’re ready to proceed, here are the steps to stop syncing photos from your Mac to iCloud:

1. Go to the Apple logo in the menu bar.
2. Click System Settings from the dropdown menu.
3. Click your name or profile picture in the left sidebar.
4. Select iCloud, then click Photos.
5. Turn off the Sync this Mac toggle and click Done.
6. Next, launch the Photos app.
7. Select the photos you want to delete.
8. Right click and choose Delete [num.] Photos.

Important:

 

Is your iCloud Storage full? The steps above might also help you with this.

3. Move photos to new storage device

If you want to continue syncing all your photos while freeing up space on your Mac, the best solution is to use an external drive with plenty of storage. By syncing your iCloud account to the external drive instead of your Mac’s disk, you’ll free up valuable storage space on your computer without needing to delete a single photo.

However, you should remember that you must always use the Photos app on your Mac with the external drive connected. If the external disk isn’t connected, your Mac may create a new photo library, sync it with iCloud, and you could end up losing your photos in the cloud.

To save your Photo Library to an external drive, follow our instructions carefully:

1. Plug an external drive into your Mac.
2. Go to Photos and select all the pictures you want to move to the new disk.
3. When the process is complete, drag the saved pictures on your Mac to the Trash.
4. Empty the Trash.
5. Select the Photo Library on the external drive.
6. Choose Photos from the menu bar, then select Settings.
7. In the General tab, select Use as System Photo Library.

To complete this process successfully, you may find our guide on how to download photos from iCloud to your Mac useful.

Can you recover deleted photos from Mac or iCloud

Photos deleted from your Mac or iCloud can be recovered, but there are some important points to consider. First, to recover deleted photos on a Mac (including those in the Trash), you’ll need to use a third-party recovery tool.

In contrast, Apple provides a built-in tool to recover deleted photos from iCloud and all your synced devices. However, you should note that you only have 30 days to restore them after they’ve been deleted. Below are the steps to recover deleted photos from iCloud:

1. Visit icloud.com/photos.
2. Sign in to your iCloud account.
3. Go to the Recently Deleted folder in the sidebar.
4. Select the photos you wish to recover.
5. Click Recover.

The ultimate guide to delete photos from Mac without using iCloud

Learning how to back up MacBook to iCloud is a smart way to manage your photos and files without taking up space on your device. However, if you want to delete photos from your Mac without affecting your iCloud account, you have a few options. You can disable synchronization, save the photos to an external drive, or explore other practical solutions.

If your primary concern is running out of storage space on your Mac, we recommend using tools like MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder. This tool identifies photos that you may have saved multiple times, allowing you to delete duplicates while ensuring that the original files remain intact.