Photos in your System Photo Library are available in apps like iMovie, Pages, and Keynote. You can also sync them to iOS devices and view them on Apple TV. And if you want to use your own images as your desktop picture or screen saver, the images need to be in your System Photo Library before you can select them in System Preferences.
- Access Icloud Photos From Mac
- Icloud Photo Library Not Uploading Mac Sierra Update
- Icloud Photo Library Not Uploading Mac Sierra
If you have only one photo library, then it's the System Photo Library. Otherwise, the first photo library that you create or open in Photos will become the System Photo Library. If you have more than one library, you might need to designate a System Photo Library, so other apps can access the photos and videos you want them to use.
Follow these steps to designate a System Photo Library:
- Quit Photos.
- Hold down the Option key and open Photos. One of the photo libraries is already designated as YourLibraryName (System Photo Library).
- Choose the library you want to designate as the System Photo Library.
- After Photos opens the library, choose Photos > Preferences from the menu bar.
- Click the General tab.
- Click the Use as System Photo Library button.
If you open a second or different library in the Photos app, and you haven't designated it as the System Photo Library, other applications will use photos from the original System Photo Library. Hold down the Option key when you open Photos to see which library is set as the System Photo Library.
iCloud and the System Photo Library
You can use iCloud Photos, Shared Albums, and My Photo Stream only with the System Photo Library. If you choose a different library in Photos without designating it as the System Photo Library, the iCloud tab in Photos preferences is disabled:
Restart Your iPhone or iPad. This is one of the most basic yet helpful steps to take, regardless of. Solution 3: Switch Your iCloud Photo Library Option on/off If your iCloud Photo Library sync is turned on, please switch it off, wait for a few minutes, and then turn it on again. This should solve the uploading stuck photo problem in the photo library of your iPhone. Go to “Settings Photos”. Don’t worry – you are not the only one. A lot of users complain about photos not uploading to iCloud every once in a while. Though the iCloud Photos Library works seamlessly, it can sometimes cause some syncing issues. The iCloud photo library not syncing problem can be fixed by altering a few settings or system preferences. If there are iPhone videos to be uploaded to iCloud, it's going to take even longer. It will be quite normal to take hours for a large photo library. This is not an iCloud photos not uploading problem and you may just wait. If you find the iCloud Photo Library stuck uploading from Mac on iPhone XS/SR/X/8/7/6S or iPad, try the fixes below.
If you designate a new library as the System Photo Library and then turn on iCloud Photos, the photos and videos in the new library will merge with those already in your iCloud Photos. If you want to keep the contents of your photo libraries separate, don’t turn on iCloud Photos for more than one library in Photos.
What happened to the Camera Roll album on my iOS device?
After you turn on iCloud Photos, the Camera Roll album is replaced with an All Photos album. The All Photos album gives you the same compact scroll view, now with all your photos and videos organized by the date you add them.
Access Icloud Photos From Mac
What happened to the My Photo Stream album?
When you turn on iCloud Photos, the photos from your Camera Roll are added to the All Photos album. And photos from My Photo Stream that are in your My Photo Stream album but not saved to your library are removed. After you turn on iCloud Photos, you won't see a separate My Photo Stream album.
If you have an additional device with My Photo Stream turned on and iCloud Photos turned off, you'll still see a My Photo Stream album on that device. Any new photos that you take or add to your library show in that album on that device.
What if some of my photos and videos are missing after I turn on iCloud Photos?
Look for your missing photos and videos in the Recently Deleted album of your Photos app, and make sure that you sign in to iCloud with the correct Apple ID.
Any photos or videos you copy to your device through iTunes are not copied in iCloud Photos. To add your original, full resolution versions, follow these steps:
On your Mac with OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 or later
To upload original versions of your Mac library, click Photos > Preferences and turn on iCloud Photos.*
You can also use AirDrop to copy the photos from your computer to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:
- Make sure that you're signed in with the same Apple ID on your computer and iOS device.
- Unlock your iOS device and turn on AirDrop.
- Open a new Finder window on your Mac and choose AirDrop in the sidebar.
- Drag the photos to the icon for the iOS device in the Finder window.
On your PC with Windows 8 or later
If you're using a PC, follow these steps to upload photos and videos to iCloud Photos:*
- Go to the Start screen.
- Click All Programs.
- Go to iCloud > iCloud Photos.
- Select Upload photos and videos.
- Select the photos that you want to upload.
Get help with iCloud Photos for your Windows PC.
How do I delete photos and videos from a device using iCloud Photos?
If you want to remove photos and videos from all your iOS devices, your Mac, and iCloud.com, you can delete them in the Photos app.
When you delete a photo or video from your Photos app, it also deletes from your iCloud Photos and iCloud storage. You can recover your photos and videos from the Recently Deleted album for 30 days.
Can I see all the photos and videos from my Mac on iCloud.com?
iCloud Photos uploads photos and videos from your Mac System Library. Photos and videos that you keep outside of your System Library won't upload or update across your devices.
How do I see the progress of my upload to iCloud Photos?
You can see if a photo or video has uploaded to iCloud when you open the Photos app and view your library in Moments. Your upload status is at the bottom of the menu. You can also find photos and videos from your Photos Library that haven't been uploaded to iCloud in a smart album on your Mac.
What happens when I go over my iCloud storage limit?
If you exceed your iCloud storage limit, photos and videos won't upload to iCloud and your library won’t stay up to date across your devices. To continue using iCloud Photos, upgrade your storage plan or reduce the amount of storage that you're using.
Reduce the storage for iCloud Photos by deleting photos and videos that you don't want to keep from your iOS devices or on iCloud.com. Your device will immediately remove any photos and videos that you delete and they won't be available for recovery in your Recently Deleted album.
If you're out of storage, your devices won't back up to iCloud, and new photos, videos, documents, and your information won't stay up to date.
How do I turn off iCloud Photos on only one device?
You can turn off iCloud Photos on a single device when you follow these steps:
Icloud Photo Library Not Uploading Mac Sierra Update
- On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, then turn off iCloud Photos.*
- On your Mac, go to System Preferences > iCloud. Next to Photos, click Options, then deselect iCloud Photos.*
- On your Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD, go to Settings > Accounts > iCloud. Under Photos, press Select to turn off iCloud Photos.*
If you have Optimize Storage turned on, you might not have all of your original photos and videos on your device. To download the original photos and videos on your iOS device, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos and select Download and Keep Originals. On your Mac, open Photos, choose Photos > Preferences, then select Download Originals to this Mac. Then you can turn off iCloud Photos. You can also select the photos and videos that you want to download from iCloud.com.
Before you turn off iCloud Photos, you might want to make a copy of your photos and videos.
How do I remove all iCloud Photos content from iCloud and my devices?
To turn off your iCloud Photos everywhere, follow these steps:
- On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Photos, then tap Disable and Delete.
- On your Mac, go to Apple menu > System Preferences > iCloud. In the lower-right corner, click Manage, select iCloud Photos,* then select Disable and delete.
Photos and videos are stored in your account for 30 days. To download your photos and videos on your iOS device, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos and select Download and Keep Originals. On your Mac, open Photos, choose Photos > Preferences, then select Download Originals to this Mac. You can also select the photos and videos that you want to download from iCloud.com.
Learn more
- Get answers to frequently asked questions about iCloud Photos.
- If you need help managing and using iCloud Photos with your Windows PC, you can learn more.
Icloud Photo Library Not Uploading Mac Sierra
* In earlier versions of iOS, macOS, tvOS, and iCloud for Windows, iCloud Photos was called iCloud Photo Library.