With iCloud launched on October12, 2011, Apple makes it unprecedentedly easy to sync, share and send data (documents, photos, music, email, contacts, calendars, bookmarks, notes, etc.) on iOS, Macintosh and Windows devices and manage Apple devices if lost or stolen. It is also a good news for those who fed up with manual iTunes backup. Then here is the question: how do I turn on/off iCloud?
How to Turn iCloud On
Feb 03, 2020 Get help with iCloud Photos - How do I remove all iCloud Photos content from iCloud and my devices? 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. The iCloud Photo Library is an effective way to back up the images on your computer. However, if you don’t have the house in your iCloud storage area and even on your computer, you may have considered disabling the feature. Turn off iCloud Photo Library without Deleting Photos iPhone Firstly, you want to head to your Settings app, and then click through 'Your Name iCloud Photos' and then tap 'iCloud Photo Library' to switch it off. You'll then receive a prompt along with a short explanation and two options – Remove from iPhone or Download Photos & Video.
To sync personal information across all iOS devices, you need to get on and set up iCloud. Steps of enabling and setting up iCloud are different for iOS devices (iPhone/iPad/iPod touch), Mac and Windows.
No. 1. Turn on iCloud on iOS - For iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
- Make sure your device is running the latest version of iOS.
- Tap Settings icon on the Home screen, select iCloud and enter your Apple ID.
- With iCloud, you can get an iCloud.com account that is up to date everywhere you can check. Turn on Mail in iCloud settings and follow the remained instructions on the screen.
- Enable automatic downloads for your music, apps and books by tapping the Settings icon on the Home screen and select iTunes & App Store.
No.2. Enable iCloud on Mac OS X
- Update to the latest OS X.
- Select 'System Preferences' from the Apple menu on your Mac. Click iCloud and enter your Apple ID. Then select the services you want to enable.
- Select Mail in iCloud preferences to get an ad-free iCloud email account.
- Open iPhoto and click the Use iCloud button to enable My Photo Stream and iCloud Photo Sharing.
- Open iTunes on your Mac and choose 'Preferences > Store', and then select Music, Apps and Books to enable automatic downloads in iTunes.
No.3. Turn on iCloud on Windows 7/8/8.1/10
- First set up iCloud account on your iOS devices or Mac, then install iCloud for Windows.
- Open iCloud for Windows and sign in with your Apple ID you used to create your iCloud account. Select services that you want to enable such as photo library, iCloud Drive and click Apply.
- Enable iCloud Drive and Photos. After enabling, iCloud for Windows will create new folders for those files, and when you save files in them, your other iOS devices will also automatically sync these files.
After iCloud setup, iCloud will back up data on your devices. The generated iCloud backup is very useful in recovering data for iPhone/iPad/iPod when you accidently deleted or lost files.
How to Turn Off iCloud
Do not want iCloud sync or back up automatically your personal information? Disabling iCloud is very simple. Below is a tutorial on how to shut off iCloud on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Windows 7/8.
No. 1. Disable iCloud on iOS
- Tap on Settings on the Home Screen of your iOS device.
- Select iCloud.
- Scroll down to the iCloud screen and tap on 'Delete Account' or 'Sign Out'.
No.2. Turn Off iCloud on Mac OS X
- Click on Apple logo on the top-left corner of Mac and select System Preferences.
- Click on 'iCloud' on iCloud system preferences window.
- Click on 'Sign Out'.
No.3. Shut Off iCloud on Windows 7
- Click on 'Start' menu and 'All Programs'.
- Find 'iCloud' folder and select iCloud application.
- iCloud Control Panel displays. Click on 'Sign Out'.
No.4. Disabling iCloud in Windows 10/8/8.1
- Go to Start screen and select 'iCloud' application on Windows 8/8.1.
- Click on 'Sign Out' to turn off your iCloud.
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.
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:
Access My Icloud Photo Library
On your Mac with OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 or later
Icloud Photos Disable And Delete
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:
- 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.
* In earlier versions of iOS, macOS, tvOS, and iCloud for Windows, iCloud Photos was called iCloud Photo Library.