# How to turn off iCloud Photos without deleting photos

**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
1. **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**.
2. **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.
3. Wait until Photos stops showing "Downloading" or "Syncing". Large libraries can take a day or more.
4. Open **Settings › [your name] › iCloud › Photos** and turn off **Sync this iPhone**.
5. When asked, tap **Download Photos & Videos**. (**Remove from iPhone** deletes the local copies and leaves the photos only in iCloud.)
6. Check a few older photos and videos open at full quality, without the download indicator.
7. Optional: back the library up to a computer ([how](/guides/transfer-photos-iphone-to-computer)).

## 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](/guides/optimize-iphone-storage).

## 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](/guides/iphone-storage-vs-icloud-storage) first.