How to Turn iCloud Photos On or Off on iPhone (and What Happens)

Whether you want your photos backed up and synced everywhere or kept only on your phone, here’s how to switch iCloud Photos on or off — and what actually happens when you do.

Why: iCloud Photos keeps one synced library across your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and iCloud.com. Turning it on uploads everything; turning it off stops syncing and changes where your originals live, so it’s worth knowing the consequences before you flip the switch.

Fix 1: Turn iCloud Photos on

1. Open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud → Photos.
2. Turn on Sync this iPhone.

From then on, new photos and videos upload to iCloud automatically and stay in sync across all your devices signed in to the same Apple Account. Below the toggle you choose how originals are stored:

• Optimize iPhone Storage — full-resolution originals live in iCloud; your phone keeps space-saving copies and downloads the original when needed.
• Download and Keep Originals — full-size copies stay on both iCloud and your iPhone, using more local storage.

Fix 2: Turn iCloud Photos off on this iPhone

This stops syncing on one device while leaving your iCloud library intact:

1. Open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud.
2. Under Saved to iCloud, tap Photos.
3. Turn off Sync this iPhone.
4. Choose what to do with the copies on this phone:
   • Download Photos & Videos — keep full copies on the iPhone.
   • Remove from iPhone — clear them off this device (they remain in iCloud).

After this, new uploads, edits, and deletions no longer sync to this device.

Fix 3: Understand the 30-day deletion window

If you turn iCloud Photos off completely (turn off and delete from iCloud), the photos and videos stored in iCloud are deleted 30 days after you stop using the service. If you change your mind within that window, you can select Undo Delete to restore them.

Before fully turning it off, download a copy of your originals to a device or computer first so you don’t risk losing anything when the 30 days are up.

FAQ

Does turning off iCloud Photos delete the pictures on my phone? Not if you choose Download Photos & Videos when prompted — that keeps full copies on the device. Choosing Remove from iPhone clears them locally, but they stay in iCloud.

Will turning on iCloud Photos use up my iCloud storage? Yes. Your entire library uploads and counts against your iCloud storage, so a large library may need an iCloud+ plan. The free tier is 5 GB, which most photo libraries exceed quickly.

Sources: Apple Support — Set up and use iCloud Photos, Apple Support — How to turn off iCloud Photos