You can't delete photos from your Mac but not iCloud while iCloud Photos is syncing that Mac. With sync on, your Mac's library and iCloud are the same library: delete a photo in Photos on your Mac, and it's deleted from iCloud and from every other device that uses iCloud Photos.
What most people want is the space back while keeping every photo in iCloud, and for that Apple's answer is Optimize Mac Storage. Photos then keeps smaller versions on your Mac when space runs short, and the originals stay in iCloud. Nothing is deleted anywhere.
If you want photos gone from this Mac altogether, turn off iCloud Photos on this Mac first. After that, the library on your Mac is a separate copy, and what you delete in it stays in iCloud. The cost is that new photos stop arriving on this Mac.
Before any of it, check that everything has finished uploading, and keep a backup that isn't iCloud. Apple recommends a local backup even if you use iCloud Photos, because a delete in iCloud Photos reaches every copy it keeps.
Why deleting on your Mac deletes from iCloud
iCloud Photos doesn't copy your Mac's photos to iCloud as a backup. It keeps one library in iCloud and shows it on every device you sign in to, so a change made anywhere is made everywhere. That's what makes your iPhone's new photos appear on your Mac, and it's also why a delete travels.
What does Apple say happens when you delete?
Apple's iCloud Photos article says it plainly: when you delete photos and videos on one device, they're deleted everywhere you use iCloud Photos. They go to Recently Deleted, where you can recover them for 30 days. After that, Apple says, they're deleted permanently and you can't get them back.
So there's no setting that makes a delete stay on one Mac while sync is on. Anything that promises that is either turning sync off or not deleting at all.
Which actions count as deleting?
Some actions in Photos look like deleting but aren't, and some look harmless but are. Apple's Photos guide for macOS 27 Golden Gate draws the lines.
| What you do in Photos | Does it delete from iCloud? | Does it free space on the Mac? |
|---|---|---|
| Delete from the library, or from All Photos | Yes, everywhere, after 30 days in Recently Deleted | Only once Recently Deleted is emptied |
| Delete from an ordinary album | No: the item stays in your library | No |
| Delete from a smart album, such as Favorites or Videos | Yes: it's deleted from your library, everywhere | Only once Recently Deleted is emptied |
| Hide a photo | No: hidden items stay in the library | No |
| Remove an item from a Shared Album | No: the original stays in your library | No |
| Delete from the Shared Library | Yes, for every participant | Only once it's permanently deleted |
Merging duplicates counts as deleting too: with sync on, a merge in the Duplicates collection reaches every device, and the extra copies go to Recently Deleted.
Does deleting at iCloud.com work differently?
No. iCloud.com shows the same library, so deleting there deletes it on your Mac and your other devices too. It's useful for checking what's in iCloud, not for deleting from one place only.
Does Recently Deleted count as space?
On your Mac, yes. Items in Recently Deleted keep their space for up to 30 days, which is why deleting in Photos often frees nothing at first. Click Recently Deleted below Utilities in the sidebar, unlock it if asked, and choose Delete All or select items to delete them for good.
What you probably want: Optimize Mac Storage
For most people, "delete from my Mac but keep in iCloud" means "my Mac is full of photos and I don't want to lose any". Optimize Mac Storage does exactly that, without turning anything off and without deleting anything.
How do you turn on Optimize Mac Storage?
- Open Photos.
- Choose Photos › Settings, then click iCloud.
- Make sure iCloud Photos is selected.
- Select Optimize Mac Storage.
Apple describes it as storing smaller versions of your photos on your Mac when storage space is limited, with the full-size originals kept in iCloud. When you open or edit an older photo, Photos downloads the original, which needs an internet connection.
What stays on your Mac?
Every photo and video still appears in Photos, with its albums, edits and keywords. Apple says iCloud Photos optimizes the library starting with the photos and videos you access least, so recent ones and the ones you open often stay in full.
Apple doesn't describe a way to choose which photos stay full size. It's one setting for the whole library on this Mac, and macOS decides when to use it.
Why didn't the library shrink after I turned it on?
Because Optimize Mac Storage acts when space is limited, not the moment you select it. A Mac with plenty of free space keeps the originals it already has. The post on Photos taking up space on a Mac goes through why, with a worked example and what else in the library takes room.
How much space will it free?
Apple doesn't publish a figure, and it can't: it depends on how large your library is, how full your disk is and which photos you open. The originals of photos you rarely view are the ones that go first.
Does it affect your other devices?
No. Each device has its own storage setting. Choosing Optimize Mac Storage on one Mac changes what that Mac keeps, and nothing else. Your iPhone keeps its own setting, and a second Mac can still keep every original.
Every way to free photo space on a Mac, compared
There are five real options, and only two of them delete anything from your Mac while leaving iCloud alone. Read across the row that matches what you want.
| What you do | Photos stay in iCloud? | What stays on this Mac | New photos still arrive? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose Optimize Mac Storage | Yes | Every item, some as smaller versions | Yes |
| Turn off iCloud Photos, then delete in Photos | Yes | What you choose to keep | No |
| Make a new, empty library your System Photo Library | Yes | A fresh library from iCloud, optimized if you choose | Yes, to the new library |
| Move the library to an external drive | Yes | Nothing: it's on the drive | Yes, while the drive is connected |
| Delete photos in Photos with sync on | No: deleted everywhere | Less of everything | Yes |
Which one should you choose?
- You want every photo on every device: Optimize Mac Storage. It frees space without changing anything you see, on this Mac or anywhere else.
- You don't want photos on this Mac at all: turn off iCloud Photos on this Mac, as below.
- The library is huge and Optimize hasn't helped: consider a new library that starts optimized, after checking the old one carefully.
- You need every original on the Mac, just not on the internal disk: move the library to an external drive. The post on moving the library has Apple's steps and the drives to avoid.
Does moving the library to a drive change what a delete does?
No. A library you've moved to an external drive and set as your System Photo Library still syncs with iCloud Photos, as Apple's steps for moving a library describe. Deleting a photo in it deletes it everywhere, exactly as before. Moving the library changes where the files are, not how sync behaves.
A worked example
Say your MacBook has a 512 GB disk, and Photos takes 200 GB because Download Originals to this Mac is selected. Every original is on the Mac and in iCloud.
- Choosing Optimize Mac Storage keeps all 200 GB until macOS needs space, then lets the least-used originals go.
- Turning off iCloud Photos and choosing Remove from Mac removes only items that aren't fully downloaded. Here everything is, so the library stays about 200 GB, now separate from iCloud.
- A new System Photo Library with Optimize Mac Storage starts small and fills with smaller versions as it syncs, and the old 200 GB library can go once you're sure it holds nothing unique.
The second result surprises people. Turning sync off doesn't by itself free the space; it makes the library yours to delete from.
Turn off iCloud Photos on this Mac, then delete
Turning off iCloud Photos on one Mac disconnects that Mac's library from iCloud. Your library stays in iCloud and on your other devices, Apple says. From then on, what you delete on this Mac stays on this Mac.
How do you turn off iCloud Photos on a Mac?
In macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe, you can do it in System Settings:
- Choose Apple menu › System Settings, then click your name at the top of the sidebar.
- Click iCloud, then click Photos under Saved to iCloud.
- Turn off Sync this Mac.
- Choose what happens to the photos on this Mac, as below.
You can also do it in Photos: choose Photos › Settings, click iCloud, and deselect iCloud Photos. Both lead to the same choice.
Download or Remove from Mac: what does each do?
When you turn sync off, Photos asks how to handle the photos on this Mac.
- Download downloads your photos and videos from iCloud to this Mac. Apple advises downloading your originals first and making sure you have enough storage.
- Remove from Mac removes the photos and videos that haven't been fully downloaded, without saving a copy on this Mac. They stay in iCloud and on your other devices.
Remove from Mac is the choice for freeing space. The items it doesn't remove are the ones already on your Mac in full; to free their space too, delete them in Photos afterwards.
Can you now delete photos without touching iCloud?
Yes. With iCloud Photos off on this Mac, the library here is no longer synced, so deleting an item in Photos deletes it from this library only. It still goes to this library's Recently Deleted for 30 days, so empty that album to get the space back.
Before you delete much, check that sync really is off: Photos › Settings › iCloud should show iCloud Photos unselected. If it's still selected, a delete reaches iCloud.
What stops working when sync is off?
- Photos you take on your iPhone no longer appear on this Mac.
- Edits, albums and deletions on this Mac no longer reach iCloud, and changes elsewhere no longer reach this Mac.
- Photos on this Mac that weren't in iCloud stay only on this Mac, so back them up yourself.
- An iCloud Shared Photo Library needs iCloud Photos turned on, Apple says, so it's no longer available on this Mac.
How do you know the space came back?
Look at the Photos category in System Settings › General › Storage, or select the library in your Pictures folder and choose File › Get Info. Storage settings works its numbers out in the background, so give it a few minutes.
If the library is still large, the space is in originals that were already on your Mac in full, or in this library's Recently Deleted. Delete what you don't want in Photos, then empty Recently Deleted.
What happens if you turn iCloud Photos back on?
Apple describes what happens when iCloud Photos is turned on for a library: its photos and videos merge with those already in iCloud, and everything from iCloud downloads to the device again. Photos you deleted on this Mac while sync was off are still in iCloud, so expect them to come back.
That makes turning sync off a lasting choice for this Mac rather than a quick trick. If you want iCloud's new photos here again, Optimize Mac Storage is the way to keep the library small.
Can you turn sync off, delete, then turn it back on?
Some guides suggest it as a trick: pause sync, delete what you don't want on the Mac, then sync again. Going by Apple's description of a merge, it doesn't hold. The photos you deleted are still in iCloud, and they download to the Mac again when sync resumes.
The reverse risk is worse. If you deleted photos on the Mac that had never reached iCloud, they're gone, because there was no other copy to merge back. Either way, the trick costs you more than Optimize Mac Storage would.
Start fresh with a new, optimized library
When a library has grown to hundreds of gigabytes of originals and you'd rather start small, you can make a new, empty library your System Photo Library and turn on iCloud Photos for it with Optimize Mac Storage. The old library stops syncing, and you decide what to do with it later.
Why does this work?
iCloud Photos syncs only your System Photo Library; Apple's Photos guide says only its photos and videos are uploaded to iCloud. When you make a different library the System Photo Library, iCloud Photos stops for the old one. The old library is then a separate copy, like a library on any drive.
How do you set it up?
- Check the old library has finished uploading, as described further down.
- Quit Photos, then hold the Option key and open Photos.
- In the Choose Library dialog, click Create New, name the library and choose where to keep it.
- Choose Photos › Settings, click General, then click Use as System Photo Library.
- Click iCloud, select iCloud Photos, then select Optimize Mac Storage.
- Leave Photos open while it syncs. Apple says photos from iCloud download to the new library.
Choosing a new System Photo Library turns off iCloud Photos and Shared Albums until you turn them on again, which is why step 5 is needed. Apple also warns that merged libraries can't be unmerged, so don't choose an old library you're unsure of as the new System Photo Library.
How do you know the old library holds nothing unique?
This is the step that matters. Items can be in the old library and not in iCloud for several reasons: they were imported while iCloud Photos was off, they're referenced files kept outside the library, or uploads never finished.
Quit Photos, hold Option as you open it, choose the old library, and compare its count with the new library's once the new one has finished syncing. Look especially at photos from before you turned on iCloud Photos. If something is missing, import it into the new library with File › Import.
What do you do with the old library?
Keep it until the new library has synced completely and you've looked through it. The safest home for the old library is an external drive, as an archive, rather than the Trash. If you do remove it, drag the whole library to the Trash in Finder and empty the Trash only when you're sure; never delete files inside it.
Shared Library, Shared Albums and other special cases
The rules above cover your own library. Shared photos follow their own rules, and so do libraries that were never synced.
What about iCloud Shared Photo Library?
A Shared Library is shared by you and up to five other people, and a delete there reaches all of them. Apple's guide says deleted items go to Recently Deleted for 30 days, and only the person who added an item can delete it permanently. A deleted item may still be in someone's personal library.
To keep an item you added but take it out of the Shared Library, move it to your personal library instead: select it in the Shared Library and use the option in the Image menu to move it. Apple notes you can't move items others contributed.
If you leave a Shared Library, Photos asks what to add to your personal library: Keep everything, or Keep only what I contributed. The second keeps your library smaller, and the items others added stay in the Shared Library for them.
Are Shared Albums part of your library?
No. A Shared Album holds copies that you share with other people. Removing an item from a Shared Album removes it from the album but leaves the original in your library, Apple says. So trimming Shared Albums doesn't free space in your library, and doesn't delete anything from iCloud Photos.
Does hiding a photo help?
No. Hidden photos stay in your library, in the Hidden album below Utilities, and take the same space. Hiding keeps a photo out of view, nothing more.
What about a library that isn't the System Photo Library?
Any library that isn't your System Photo Library, such as an old iPhoto import or an archive on a drive, isn't synced with iCloud Photos. Deleting from it never touches iCloud. The flip side is that it has no copy in iCloud either, so its photos may exist only there.
What about photos saved as files in Finder?
Pictures in Downloads, on the Desktop or in a folder of your own aren't part of iCloud Photos, so deleting them never touches your Photos library in iCloud. But if Desktop & Documents Folders is on in iCloud Drive, those two folders are in iCloud Drive, and deleting a file there deletes it from iCloud Drive on every device.
To keep such a file in iCloud Drive but free its space on this Mac, Control-click it in Finder and choose Remove Download. The post on iCloud Drive taking up space explains how that works.
What if you have two Macs?
Each Mac with iCloud Photos on shows the same library, and a delete on either reaches both. You can turn off iCloud Photos on one Mac only, or choose Optimize Mac Storage on the smaller Mac and Download Originals on the other. Keeping every original on one Mac also gives you a full local copy to back up.
| Kind of photo | Where it lives | Delete it here and... |
|---|---|---|
| Your library, iCloud Photos on | iCloud and every synced device | It's deleted everywhere |
| Your library, iCloud Photos off on this Mac | This Mac only, plus iCloud's own copy | It's deleted on this Mac only |
| Shared Library | iCloud, for every participant | It's deleted for everyone |
| Shared Album | iCloud, shared copies | It leaves the album; your original stays |
| Another library, not synced | This Mac or its drive only | It's gone from the only place it was |
Check your photos are safe in iCloud first
Every option that removes photos from your Mac assumes iCloud really has them. A few minutes of checking avoids the one mistake that can't be fixed.
How do you check the upload has finished?
In Photos, select Library in the sidebar, click All Photos in the toolbar, and scroll to the bottom of the window. Apple's article on library status lists what's there: the number of items, when iCloud Photos last updated, and a Pause or Resume button while updates are in progress.
Two lines matter most. One counts items that couldn't sync to iCloud, with a View button for details. The other counts items that are on this Mac only and not available to your other devices. Both should be zero, or explained, before you remove anything.
Why might uploading pause?
Apple's troubleshooting article lists the usual reasons: Low Power Mode, a battery below 20 percent, and an iCloud account that's over its storage limit. Plugging in, or making room in iCloud, lets it continue. For a large library, Apple suggests letting the device sync overnight on power and Wi-Fi.
The same article warns against turning off iCloud or iCloud Photos to fix a stalled sync, because that restarts the syncing process. So finish uploading before you turn sync off on purpose.
How do you see what's in iCloud?
Open iCloud.com in a web browser, sign in, and open Photos. What you see there is what iCloud has. Compare the count of photos and videos with your Mac's, and spot-check older years and long videos.
What if your iCloud storage is full?
Then photos can't finish uploading, and some of your library may exist only on your Mac. Check in System Settings: click your name, then iCloud, to see how much space you're using. Make room or upgrade the plan before you remove anything from the Mac, otherwise the photos waiting to upload are the ones at risk.
Is iCloud Photos a backup?
Not by itself. Apple's iCloud Photos article says photos in iCloud Photos aren't duplicated in your iCloud backup, and advises keeping backup copies of your library. Because a delete reaches every device, a mistake in iCloud Photos has no second copy unless you made one.
Apple's Photos guide puts it the same way: even if you use iCloud Photos, always back up your library locally. Time Machine does that for a library on your Mac. A Mac with Optimize Mac Storage has smaller versions of some photos, so its backup isn't a full copy either.
What should you do before removing a large amount?
- Confirm the upload has finished and iCloud.com shows your library.
- Make a backup: Time Machine, or a copy of the library on an external drive.
- Check for other libraries and referenced files that never synced.
- Then make the change, and keep the backup for a while afterwards.
Mistakes that delete photos from iCloud by accident
Most lost photos come from one of a handful of moves, each of which looks like it only affects the Mac.
| Mistake | What really happens | Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Deleting in Photos to free Mac space, with sync on | Photos are deleted on every device | Choose Optimize Mac Storage |
| Choosing Turn Off and Delete in iCloud's storage settings | iCloud deletes your photos 30 days later | Turn off Sync this Mac instead |
| Deleting from a smart album like Videos | Items leave the library, everywhere | Remove from an ordinary album, or decide to delete |
| Deleting files inside the library in Finder | Photos can lose items or the whole library | Change the library only in Photos |
| Trashing the library before uploads finish | Photos not yet in iCloud are lost | Check the upload status first |
| Turning sync back on to "restore" | The library merges, and can't be unmerged | Decide before turning it on |
What does Turn Off and Delete do?
It's the setting for leaving iCloud Photos on every device, not for freeing space on one. In System Settings, click your name, click iCloud, then Manage, and select iCloud Photos to find it. In macOS 27 the button is Turn Off and Delete Photos; in macOS 26 Tahoe, Turn Off and Delete from iCloud.
Apple says your photos and videos are deleted from iCloud 30 days after you choose it, and you can undo it within that time. If you own a Shared Library, Apple asks you to delete it first. Don't choose this unless you mean to stop using iCloud Photos everywhere.
Can you get deleted photos back?
Within 30 days, from Recently Deleted in Photos on any device. After that, only a backup has them: Apple's Photos guide says you may be able to recover items deleted permanently from your Mac or iCloud from a Time Machine backup.
The same steps in older versions of macOS
The ideas are the same in every version since iCloud Photos began; the names of the windows changed. If you help someone with an older Mac, these are the places to look.
| What you want | macOS 27 Golden Gate | macOS 26 Tahoe | macOS Monterey and earlier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos' iCloud settings | Photos › Settings › iCloud | Photos › Settings › iCloud | Photos › Preferences › iCloud |
| Turn off sync for this Mac | Sync this Mac, in iCloud's Photos settings | Sync this Mac | Deselect iCloud Photos in Photos' preferences |
| Choose the System Photo Library | Photos › Settings › General | Photos › Settings › General | Photos › Preferences › General |
macOS Ventura replaced System Preferences with System Settings, and Photos' Preferences became Settings at the same time. The Download and Remove from Mac choice is the same in Monterey as in macOS 27.
Does the iPhone work the same way?
Yes, with the iPhone's own names. Apple's article on turning off iCloud Photos says an iPhone offers Download Photos & Videos or Remove from iPhone when you turn off Sync this iPhone, and that optimized photos you keep aren't at their original resolution. Optimize iPhone Storage is the iPhone's equivalent of Optimize Mac Storage.
How the app does it
Wombit is a native Mac app that shows what's using your storage and explains every item in plain language. It scans the whole disk or any folder, reading only names, sizes and dates, and file names and paths never leave your Mac.
Every Photos library in your home folder shows up on the map with its real size, explained from the catalog's entry for it. The entry says what's inside, why you should change a library only in Photos, and what Optimize Mac Storage and an external drive do.
~/
**/ *.photoslibrary A Photos library: your photos and videos, your edits and albums, and the previews Photos makes from them.
Managed by macOS · Explained only: the app shows you how
A Photos library is Managed by macOS. The app never moves it, never deletes anything inside it, and never deletes photos from iCloud. It explains Photos' own settings instead, because only Photos knows which items are safely in iCloud. Forgotten libraries are easy to spot on the map, and what you do with them is your choice, in Photos and Finder.
The scan, the map, the explanations and System Data explained are free. Cleanup, the uninstaller and the other Pro tools are PRO: one payment of $4.99 with lifetime access. Every Pro tool's review is free to open, so you see what would go and why before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
If I delete photos on my Mac, will they be deleted from my iPhone?
Yes, if both use iCloud Photos. Apple says photos and videos you delete on one device are deleted everywhere you use iCloud Photos, after 30 days in Recently Deleted. To free space on the Mac without that, use Optimize Mac Storage.
Will turning off iCloud Photos on my Mac delete my photos?
Not from iCloud. Your library stays in iCloud and on your other devices. On the Mac, you choose Download to get a full copy, or Remove from Mac to remove the items that haven't been fully downloaded.
How do I keep photos only in iCloud and not on my Mac?
Turn on Optimize Mac Storage in Photos › Settings › iCloud, which keeps smaller versions on the Mac when space is limited. To have no photos on the Mac at all, turn off Sync this Mac and choose Remove from Mac, then delete what's left in Photos.
Can I delete the Photos Library on my Mac if everything is in iCloud?
Only once it's no longer synced: iCloud Photos off on this Mac, or another library chosen as the System Photo Library. First check the library status for items on this Mac only, and keep a backup. Never delete files inside the library.
Does deleting photos on iCloud.com delete them from my Mac?
Yes. iCloud.com shows the same iCloud Photos library, so a delete there reaches every device that syncs it. Deleted items stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days.
How do I delete photos from my iPhone but not iCloud?
Use Optimize iPhone Storage, or turn off Sync this iPhone and choose Remove from iPhone. Apple notes that optimized photos you keep on the iPhone aren't at their original resolution. With sync on, deleting on the iPhone deletes everywhere.
What happens if I turn iCloud Photos back on after deleting photos on my Mac?
Apple describes it as a merge: the Mac's library merges with iCloud, and everything in iCloud downloads to the Mac again. Photos you deleted only on the Mac are still in iCloud, so they come back.