How to Turn Off iCloud Photos on iPhone
By Vineet KarhailLast reviewed Tested on iOS 274 min read
You turn off iCloud Photos in Settings, under your name, then iCloud, then Photos. There are two versions of the switch: one for this iPhone only, and one that stops iCloud Photos for your whole Apple Account. If you want a private place for photos that never touches iCloud, the last section covers one, and how Sigil is secured explains it in detail.
How do you turn off iCloud Photos on one iPhone?
This stops that iPhone from syncing with iCloud. Apple's page says new uploads, edits and deletions no longer sync between that device and your other devices that use iCloud Photos.
Do the first step before anything else, because step 6 asks you to choose between keeping and removing the photos on the iPhone.
Steps
- Download your original photos and videos, and make sure the iPhone has enough free storage for them.
- Open Settings and tap your name.
- Tap iCloud.
- Under Saved to iCloud, tap Photos.
- Turn off the "Sync this" option for your iPhone. Apple's page writes it as "Sync this [Device]".
- Choose what happens to your photos. Select Download Photos & Videos to keep a copy on the iPhone, or select Remove from iPhone to remove them without saving a copy.
What happens to the photos on the iPhone and in iCloud?
On the iPhone, it depends on your choice in step 6. Download Photos & Videos keeps a copy on the device. Remove from iPhone removes them from it.
Apple adds one warning: if you do not download a copy, optimized photos on the device are not at the original resolution.
Apple's one-device instructions do not say what happens to the copies already stored in iCloud, so this article does not guess. What Apple does document is the account-wide switch, covered next.
How do you turn off iCloud Photos for your whole account?
This is the stronger option, and it deletes things. On an iPhone, download your originals first and check your storage. If you own a Shared Photo Library, delete it before you continue.
Then go to Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, tap Storage, tap iCloud Photos, and tap Turn Off and Delete Photos. On iOS 17 or earlier the labels are Manage Account Storage and Turn Off & Delete from iCloud.
Apple says photos and videos stored in iCloud are deleted 30 days after you stop using the service. If you change your mind before then, you can select Undo Delete. New uploads, edits and deletions no longer sync across your devices.
Is turning it off enough to keep photos private?
It stops new photos from going to iCloud. It does not do more than that, and it has side effects.
While iCloud Photos is on, Apple says a photo you delete or hide is deleted or hidden on all your devices. Deleted photos sit in Recently Deleted for 30 days before they are removed for good. With sync off on a device, deletions no longer travel between it and your other devices.
If your goal is photos that live on one phone and nowhere else, turning sync off is the first half. The second half is where those photos go next. The Photos app still holds them, and the Photos app is not a vault.
Where can private photos go instead?
Sigil is built to be that place. It is an encrypted vault on the iPhone, opened by a pattern you draw, with no account and no server. Its files are encrypted on the device, and the key needs a secret from the iPhone's Secure Enclave that cannot leave the phone.
Sigil makes no network calls unless you turn on backup, and backup is planned for a later version, not the first release. It is optional, and the copy in your own iCloud would be ciphertext. When you import from Photos, Sigil can delete the originals, and iOS then keeps them in Recently Deleted for 30 days, so you need to empty that album. If iCloud Photos is still on at that moment, Apple says the deletion applies on your other devices too. Other Apple features for hiding photos are covered across the blog.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I lose my photos if I turn off iCloud Photos?
Not if you download them first. On one device, Download Photos & Videos keeps a copy on the iPhone, and Remove from iPhone does not. For the account-wide switch, Apple tells you to download your originals first, because iCloud deletes its copies 30 days after you stop.
Can I undo turning off iCloud Photos for my account?
For 30 days, yes. Apple says that if you change your mind before the 30 days pass, you can select Undo Delete.
Why does Apple ask me to download my photos first?
Because photos on an iPhone can be optimized versions. Apple says that if you do not download a copy, optimized photos on the device are not at the original resolution.
Does turning off iCloud Photos stop my deletions from syncing?
Yes, on that device. Apple says deletions no longer sync between a device with sync off and your other devices using iCloud Photos.
