Sign in to iCloud to access your photos, videos, documents, notes, contacts, and more. Use your Apple ID or create a new account to start using Apple services. ICloud Photo Library and a local Photos library. With iCloud Photo Library enabled on any supported device, you can opt to store full-resolution images and videos, or “optimized” versions.
If you want your Mac's photos to wirelessly sync to all your other iOS devices and computers, you want to set up iCloud Photo Library: Apple's photo sync service lets you back up your images on all your devices, as well as access them — online or offline — on said devices. If you're willing to pay for the extra iCloud storage space, you can store an incredible amount of photos and videos, all accessible at the touch of a button or multi-touch screen.
Here's how to set it up on your Mac and get everything configured to your liking!
How to set up iCloud Photo Library on your Mac
- Launch the Photos app on your Mac.
- Select the Photos menu in the upper left corner of your screen.
- Go to Preferences.
- Click on the iCloud tab.Source: iMore
- Check 'iCloud Photos.' This will begin uploading any and all images you have stored in the Photos app to iCloud.Source: iMore
How to optimize your photo and video storage
If you routinely shoot 4K video or high-quality images on your iPhone, iPad, or DSLR, you may run out of storage space fast. (I have a 1TB iMac, but also have almost a terabyte of 4K video stored in iCloud — it gets unwieldy, fast!) This is especially true if you have a Mac laptop with limited hard drive space: It's nice to look at your iPhone's gorgeous Portrait mode photos, but not necessarily always practical to store all of them locally.
If you want to manage your iOS device backups manually, you’ll still find them in the /Library/Application Support/MobileSync/ folder.Click on each of the tabs to manage Music, Movies, TV Shows, and other content you might want to sync to your iOS device. You can choose to back up your iPhone manually to your computer here, ideal if you’re switching from an old iPhone to a new one. The Files tab allows you to download and upload files to app directories, a feature previously known as “iTunes File Sharing.” Use drag and drop to copy files to and from your mobile device.Note: Apple has maintained backward compatibility with earlier versions of iOS so you can sync pre-iOS 13 devices using Catalina and the Finder.
Thankfully, Apple offers an Optimize Storage option, which lets you store full-resolution photos and videos of only your most recently shot and accessed imagery; all older photos and videos are available to download via iCloud and are stored as low-resolution previews on your device to save space. You can switch between optimizing your Mac's photos storage or storing your full library locally: Here's how!
Note: If you plan on using Optimize Storage, we suggest having at least one device that stores your entire library locally (usually a Mac with a large local or external hard drive), so you have multiple backups of your photographs and video.
Icloud Photo Library Mac Release Date 2017
- Launch the Photos app on your Mac.
- Click Photos in the App menu in the upper left corner of your screen.
- Select Preferences from the drop-down menu.Source: iMore
- Click the iCloud tab.
- Click Optimize Mac Storage.Source: iMore Locate font library on mac.
Full-resolution versions of your photos and videos will be uploaded to iCloud.
How to share photos with iCloud Photo Library
Apple's photo service doesn't just provide online backups and sync for your images and video: The company also offers a free sharing service that allows you to send shared albums to friends and family (or create a publicly-shared website). Here's how to turn it on for your Mac.
Questions?
Let us know in the comments below.
Updated January 2020: Updated for macOS Catalina. Serenity Caldwell worked on a previous version of this post
Icloud Photo Library Mac Release Date Free
iCloud Photo Library: The Ultimate Guide
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