Short answer: first make sure the full-size originals are on your iPhone. If Optimize iPhone Storage is on, switch to Download and Keep Originals and wait for the download. Then go to Settings › [your name] › iCloud › Photos, turn off Sync this iPhone and choose Download Photos & Videos, not Remove from iPhone. Your photos stay on the iPhone and remain in iCloud until you delete them there.
Steps
- Check free space: your iPhone needs room for the whole library in full size. Compare Settings › General › iPhone Storage with the Photos size in Settings › [your name] › iCloud.
- Download originals: Settings › Apps › Photos, select Download and Keep Originals. Keep the iPhone on Wi-Fi and charging. At the bottom of Photos › Library you'll see the download progress.
- Wait until Photos stops showing "Downloading" or "Syncing". Large libraries can take a day or more.
- Open Settings › [your name] › iCloud › Photos and turn off Sync this iPhone.
- When asked, tap Download Photos & Videos. (Remove from iPhone deletes the local copies and leaves the photos only in iCloud.)
- Check a few older photos and videos open at full quality, without the download indicator.
- Optional: back the library up to a computer (how).
What each choice does
| Choice | On this iPhone | In iCloud | On your other devices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download Photos & Videos | Full copies stay | Library stays | Unchanged |
| Remove from iPhone | Removed (optimized copies too) | Library stays | Unchanged |
| Turn Off and Delete from iCloud (in Manage Account Storage) | Unchanged | Deleted after 30 days | Stop syncing |
After you turn it off
- Deletions stop syncing. Deleting a photo on this iPhone no longer deletes it from iCloud or your other devices, and new photos aren't uploaded.
- iCloud still holds the library. Turning off sync on one device doesn't free iCloud storage. To remove the library from iCloud entirely, use Settings › [your name] › iCloud › Manage Account Storage › Photos › Turn Off and Delete from iCloud. Apple keeps it for 30 days so you can download it, then deletes it.
- Back up some other way. Without iCloud Photos, your photos are only on the iPhone unless iCloud Backup or a computer backup covers them.
Not enough space to download everything?
If the library is bigger than the free space on your iPhone, don't force it. Options:
- Download the originals to a Mac (Photos with Download Originals) or from iCloud.com, then turn off sync with Remove from iPhone.
- Free space first: clean out duplicates, retakes, screenshots and big videos. With iCloud Photos still on, those deletions also shrink the iCloud library.
Spaceclear helps with the second option: one scan finds exact copies, similar shots (best kept), bursts, screenshots and the biggest videos. Its iCloud Space view marks the items that are only in iCloud, which are exactly the ones that would need to download. See also Optimize iPhone Storage explained.
FAQ
If I turn off iCloud Photos, will my photos be deleted?
Not if you choose Download Photos & Videos: they stay on the iPhone and in iCloud. Choosing Remove from iPhone removes them from that iPhone only; they stay in iCloud and on other synced devices.
Will my photos stay in iCloud after I turn it off?
Yes. Turning off sync on one device leaves the iCloud library alone. It's deleted only if you choose Turn Off and Delete from iCloud, and even then Apple waits 30 days.
How do I delete photos from my iPhone but keep them in iCloud?
With iCloud Photos on, you can't: deletions sync. Either turn on Optimize iPhone Storage, which keeps small versions on the phone and full-size ones in iCloud, or turn off sync with Remove from iPhone, which leaves the photos only in iCloud. Read iPhone vs iCloud storage first.
Updated 2026-11-13