How to Keep Hidden Photos Off iCloud: Simple Steps to Protect Your Privacy

How iCloud Syncs and Stores Photos

iCloud is Apple's cloud storage service that allows you to sync and store your photos across all your Apple devices. When you enable iCloud Photos, your photos are automatically uploaded to iCloud and you are allowed to download them on all your signed-in devices with the same Apple account. This means that you can access your photos from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection.

By default, iCloud Photos is set to sync all of your photos and videos to the cloud. This includes photos in your Camera Roll, Albums, and any other folders on your device. However, there are some exceptions. For example, Photos in the "Hidden" album are not automatically synced to iCloud by default.

How to Keep Hidden Photos off iCloud

What Are Hidden Photos in iOS and How Do They Work: Hidden photos are photos that you have marked as private and hidden from your main Photos library. These photos are still stored on your device, but they are not visible in the main Photos app. To view hidden photos, you need to go to the "Hidden" album in the Photos app.

Why Hidden Photos May Still Sync to iCloud

While iCloud Photos is not set to sync hidden photos by default, there are some circumstances under which hidden photos may still sync to iCloud. For example, if you accidentally move a hidden photo to a non-hidden album, it may be synced to iCloud. Additionally, if you manually upload a hidden photo to iCloud, it will be stored there.

How to Stop iCloud from Syncing Hidden Photos

To prevent hidden photos from syncing to iCloud, you can disable iCloud Photos. Here's how to do it on different device:

On iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro

Step 1. Open Settings and tap your name.

Step 2. Select iCloud > Photos.

Step 3.Turn off Sync this [Device] to disable iCloud Photos.

On Mac

Step 1. Open Settings and tap your name.

Step 2. Click iCloud, then choose Photos.

Step 3. Uncheck Sync this Mac to disable iCloud Photos.

On Windows PC

Step 1. Open iCloud for Windows and sign in to your Apple account.

Step 2. Click Options next to Photos.

Step 3. Uncheck iCloud Photos, then click Done and Apply to save changes.

This will prevent any new photos that you add to the "Hidden" album from being synced to iCloud. However, if you already have hidden photos in iCloud, you will need to manually delete them.

Prevent Hidden Photos from Uploading to iCloud

In addition to disabling iCloud Photos, there are other methods that you can use to prevent hidden photos from uploading to iCloud. For example, you can:

• Use a third-party photo storage app: Some third-party photo storage apps allow you to store photos locally on your device and sync them to the cloud only when you choose to.
• Manually delete hidden photos from iCloud: If you have already uploaded hidden photos to iCloud, you can manually delete them from the iCloud.com website.
• Enable two-factor authentication for iCloud: This will add an extra layer of security to your iCloud account and help prevent unauthorized access to your photos.

Steps to Manage Hidden Photos on Your Device Without Cloud Sync

If you want to keep your hidden photos completely private and off of iCloud, you can manage them locally on your device. Here's how:

Step 1. Open the "Photos" app on your iPhone or iPad.

Step 2. Go to the "Hidden" album.

Step 3. Select the photos that you want to delete.

Step 4. Tap on the trash can icon to delete the selected photos.

By following these steps, you can ensure that your hidden photos remain private and off of iCloud.

Pro Tip: Transfer or Sync Files between iCloud and Other Clouds

This article addresses the question "how to keep hidden photos off iCloud?". If you’re considering migrating files from your current cloud service to iCloud, or vice versa, MultCloud can be extremely useful. Trusted by over 3 million users, MultCloud is a multi-cloud management tool that facilitates the transfer or synchronization of files between various cloud services.

For example, it allows for seamless file transfers from cloud drives like Google Drive to iCloud Drive / iCloud Photos without the need to download and then re-upload files. MultCloud also enables you to access and manage all your cloud accounts via a single application. Currently, it supports more than 30 different cloud services, including Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, Google Photos, iCloud Photos, FTP, WebDav, and more.