How to Delete Photos from Mac Without Deleting Them from iCloud [Latest Methods]

Many people have encountered the message that their storage is full and they need to free up space to accommodate a file or an update.

In such cases, our first instinct is usually to delete photos from the device, knowing they are backed up in the cloud. If you are a Mac user and consider removing photos from your device, assuming they are safely stored in iCloud, you might be in for a surprise.

This guide will discuss the scenarios and steps to delete photos from your Mac without removing them from iCloud.

How to Delete Photos from Your Mac Without Deleting Them from iCloud

When you sync your Mac with iCloud, edits you make to your photo library usually appear on all your devices. However, there are ways to delete photos from your Mac while keeping them in iCloud.

• Solution 1: Disable iCloud Photo Sync
• Solution 2: Deactivate iCloud Account
• Solution 3: Move Photos to a New Storage Device

Make sure you have your photos backed up, or that they're safely stored in iCloud. This ensures your memories are safe while you go through the steps.

Fix 1: Turn off Photo Sync in iCloud

Step 1: Open System Preferences on your Mac.

Step 2: Tap the “iCloud” icon to open it.

< b > Step 3:< / b > You'll see every app on this Mac that uses iCloud. Deselect “Photos.”

Step 4: In the Finder, open the Applications folder, then launch Photos.

5. Click on "Photos Library" and select all of the photos you want to delete with your mouse. Drag them to the Trash.

Step 6. Access the Trash folder. Permanently erase the images that you moved here to free up system storage on your Mac.

Solution 2: Disable the iCloud account

Step 1: Click the Apple menu and choose “System Preferences.”

Step 2. Tap on “Apple ID.” Then, select “Sign Out” to disconnect your iCloud account from the Mac.

The final step is to delete the images from the Mac's Photos app.

Fix 3: Move the photo to a new storage device

If you're looking to free up space on your MacBook without deleting photos from iCloud, they must be important to you. Have you considered moving them to an external hard drive?

This is a simple guide.

Step 1: Insert the hard drive into your Mac.

Step 2: Open Photos from the Dock or Finder.

Step 3: Select all the photos in the “Photos” library and transfer them to your hard drive.

Can I Recover Deleted Photos from Mac?

When you delete photos permanently on your Mac, you might think they're gone for good. However, the data still remains on your disk. If you want to recover deleted photos, you can use a data recovery software.

tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can help you with this task. You can also use it to recover deleted videos, audio files, documents, and emails. This software allows file recovery from Mac disks, USB drives, memory sticks, and digital cameras, among other devices.

Note: You can click "Disk Backup" on the left to create a backup first. If your hard drive fails or photos get accidentally deleted from it, you can restore them from the backup image.

Step 1. Scan the Lost Photos

Select the location where you lost your precious photos and then click on the “Start Scan” button to search for the lost files.

Step 2. Choose the photo you want

"tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac" will start scanning your selected disk volume immediately. The scan results will be displayed in the left pane. You can quickly filter out your lost photos by "Path" and "Type".

Step 3: Recover Lost Photos

Select the photos you want to restore, then click the “Recover” button to get them all back at once.

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Can I recover deleted photos from iCloud?

EasUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can help you quickly and securely recover deleted files from your iCloud account. It supports data recovery from an iCloud account.

You can recover deleted files from iCloud Drive on your Mac for up to 30 days after deletion. This method allows you to restore items like photos, videos, documents, and emails without having to visit the iCloud website to find the 'Recently Deleted' folder.

Step 1: Choose iCloud Restore

Select “iCloud” from the left pane, and then choose “Restore from iCloud account” to retrieve your photos. Tap “Next” and sign into your iCloud account.

Select "Recover from iCloud"

Step 2: Choose the "Photos" category

The utility will quickly scan all recoverable data in your iCloud account. Check the “Photos” category, then click the “Next” button.

Step 3: Recover Photos from iCloud

Select the photos you want to recover, click on the eye icon to preview the details, and then hit the “Recover” button to get them back.

Step 4. Save the recovered photos

Choose a secure location on your Mac's hard drive to save the recovered photos. You can also save the recovered photos to a cloud drive like Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, and so on.

In short

Hopefully, the methods introduced above can help you out. If you're looking for how to recover deleted photos on Mac, it's recommended to download the tool Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. By the way, it can also assist you in repairing corrupted photos on your Mac.

FAQ: How to Remove Photos from Mac Without Deleting Them from iCloud

Here are some common questions and answers about how to delete photos from your Mac without deleting them from iCloud:

1. How can I delete photos from my MacBook without removing them from iCloud? To delete photos from your MacBook without affecting the copies in iCloud, follow these steps: 1. Open the "Photos" app. 2. In the sidebar, select the "Photos" or "Moments" view, which will display all your photos and videos. 3. Locate the photo or video you want to delete, then right-click it (or press Control and click). 4. From the context menu, choose "Exclude from iCloud Photo Library" or "Move to Trash." This will remove the photo from your MacBook without impacting the version in iCloud. Note that if you have "Optimize Mac Storage" enabled, deleting local photos might not immediately free up disk space. iCloud will automatically download photos you need to view, but with limited disk space, you may still need to manage your iCloud storage.

Turn off iCloud Photos in your system settings. This will prevent any changes made to your MacBook from syncing with iCloud. Once you've done this, you can delete the photos from your MacBook while keeping them in your iCloud.

How can I delete a file on my Mac but keep it in iCloud?

You need to disable iCloud Drive. Once disabled, you can delete the files from your Mac. After that, reactivate iCloud Drive to resync your remaining data.

3. Can I delete photos from my computer but keep them in iCloud?

Yes, first turn off iCloud Photo Library on your computer. This protects your iCloud content from any changes made on the computer.

Once you turn off syncing, you can safely delete photos from your computer's storage, knowing you can still access them in iCloud. Just remember that if you want to re-enable syncing later, you'll need to switch back to iCloud Photos.

How can I delete photos from an Apple device without deleting them from iCloud? To remove photos from your Apple device without deleting them from iCloud, follow these steps: 1. Open the "Photos" app on your iPhone or iPad. 2. Locate the photo or video you wish to delete. 3. Swipe left on the photo until a red "Delete" button appears. 4. Tap the "Delete" button. This will remove the photo from your device only, leaving it intact in your iCloud Photo Library. 5. If you have "Optimize iPhone Storage" enabled, make sure to turn it off in settings. This will prevent the deleted image from being automatically downloaded back to your device (unless you manually sync or re-enable the option). Please note that if you use iCloud Photo Library, photos are synced across all devices with iCloud enabled. To avoid deleting the photos on other devices as well, you'll need to perform the same steps on those devices or ensure "iCloud Photo Library" is not selected in their "Photos" settings. If you want to view certain photos on a specific device only, consider using the "My Photo Stream" feature, which allows you to delete photos from one device without affecting others.

First, turn off iCloud Photos in your device's settings, which will stop syncing between your device and iCloud. Next, delete the photos from your device's storage. If you like, you can re-enable iCloud Photos, which will keep the photos in iCloud but not show them on your device. Be sure to back up your photos before deleting them.