iCloud Photos not syncing: how to fix it on iPhone, iPad and Mac

Check these four things first

Most sync problems come down to one of a few basics. Check them before trying anything more involved.

On a Mac, the equivalent switch is in System Settings › [your name] › iCloud › Photos, where Sync this Mac should be on.

Read the sync status in the Photos app

The Photos app tells you what it is doing, which saves a lot of guessing. Open Photos, go to your Library and scroll to the very bottom. You may also find the same status by tapping your account picture at the top of Photos.

• Uploading or syncing with a count: it is working. Leave the iPhone on Wi-Fi and power.
• Paused: the message usually gives the reason, such as Low Power Mode or no Wi-Fi. Tap the option to resume if it is offered.
• iCloud storage full: free up iCloud space or upgrade your plan.
• Updated just now: this device is up to date, so the problem is on another device.

Free up iCloud storage or upgrade

When iCloud is full, new photos stop uploading. The free 5 GB plan fills quickly once photos, device backups and messages share it.

1. Open Settings › [your name] › iCloud and look at what is using the space.
2. Delete old device backups you no longer need from the backup section of that screen.
3. Remove large videos or duplicates you do not want from Photos, then empty the Recently Deleted album.
4. If you still need more room, upgrade your plan from the same iCloud screen.

Make room on the iPhone itself

A nearly full iPhone also struggles to sync. Turning on Optimize iPhone Storage lets iCloud hold the full-resolution originals while the iPhone keeps smaller versions.

You will find both options under Settings › [your name] › iCloud › Photos. For other ways to make room, see our guide to cleaning up iPhone storage.

Fix the connection

Large uploads need a steady connection. iCloud Photos pauses on weak Wi-Fi and, unless you allow it, does not use cellular data for big uploads.

• Join a reliable home Wi-Fi network and turn off any VPN.
• To allow uploads over cellular, open the Photos settings, tap Cellular Data and turn it on. On recent iOS versions this is under Settings › Apps › Photos.
• If Wi-Fi itself is misbehaving, our Wi-Fi troubleshooting guide works through the fixes.
• Check Apple's System Status page to rule out an iCloud Photos outage.

Give it time on power and Wi-Fi

A big backlog does not finish in minutes. iCloud Photos does most of its work in the background, and it goes fastest when the iPhone is locked, charging and on Wi-Fi. If you have thousands of photos waiting, plug the iPhone in overnight and check the status again in the morning.

Fix iCloud Photos on a Mac

When photos appear on your iPhone but not on your Mac, the cause is usually a Mac setting.

1. Open Photos on the Mac and choose Photos › Settings › iCloud. Make sure iCloud Photos is ticked.
2. Go to Photos › Settings › General and check that this library is the System Photo Library. Only that library syncs with iCloud Photos.
3. Choose Download Originals to this Mac if you want full-resolution copies stored locally, and make sure the Mac has room for them.
4. Leave Photos open with the Mac on power and Wi-Fi. The status at the bottom of the Library shows progress.

Turn iCloud Photos off and on again

Restarting sync on one device often clears a stuck queue. Read the prompt carefully before you confirm.

1. Open Settings › [your name] › iCloud › Photos.
2. Switch off Sync this iPhone.
3. If you are asked, choose to download photos and videos to the iPhone. Choosing to remove them deletes the local copies, which matters if Optimize iPhone Storage was on.
4. Restart the iPhone.
5. Switch Sync this iPhone back on and leave it on Wi-Fi and power.

Sign out of your Apple Account and back in

If nothing else works, a fresh sign-in resets the connection to iCloud. It is a slower fix, because afterwards Photos has to check your whole library against iCloud again, which can take a long time on a large library.

1. Open Settings › [your name], scroll down and tap Sign Out.
2. Choose what to keep a copy of on the iPhone, then confirm.
3. Restart, then sign back in with the same Apple Account.

If signing back in fails with a verification error, our guide to fixing Apple ID verification failed covers that separately. A wider network problem can also be cleared by resetting network settings.

iCloud Photos and the iOS 27 beta

If syncing stopped right after you installed an iOS 27 beta, the beta itself may be the cause. A major update also makes Photos re-scan the library, which can slow uploads for a while. Install the newest beta build, give the iPhone a night on power and Wi-Fi, and check our list of current iOS 27 bugs and known issues. If it is still broken, report it with Feedback Assistant.

Planning to install a beta? Wait until the Photos status shows your library is up to date first, so everything is safe in iCloud, and make a computer backup as well.

Keep a second copy of your photos

iCloud Photos is sync, not a separate backup: if you delete a photo on one device, it disappears from all of them. For important pictures, keep a second copy, for example by turning on Download Originals to this Mac in Photos on a Mac, then backing that Mac up with Time Machine.

What to do next

If your iPhone is low on space as well as out of sync, fix storage first, because both problems feed each other. Our iPhone storage clean-up guide is the place to start.

Frequently asked questions