What do I need to use My Photo Stream?

To use My Photo Stream you need an iCloud account, compatible devices, and up-to-date software:

• iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 5.1 or later
• Mac with OS X Lion v10.7.5 or later and iPhoto 9.2.2 or Aperture 3.2.3 or later
• Apple TV (2nd generation) with Apple TV Software Update 5.0 or later
• PC with Windows 7 or later and either iCloud for Windows 4.0 or iCloud Control Panel 3.1 or later

See how to set up iCloud.

How do I turn on My Photo Stream?

After you update your devices and set up your iCloud account, you can easily turn on My Photo Stream on any of your devices:

• iOS devices: Go to Settings > iCloud > Photos, then turn on My Photo Stream.
• Mac:
  1. Go to Apple () > System Preferences > iCloud.
  2. Select the checkbox for Photos (or Photo Stream).
  3. Click the Options button and make sure that My Photo Stream is selected.
  4. Open the app that you want to use with Photo Stream (iPhoto or Aperture) and make sure that My Photo Stream is turned on in that app. You can also adjust your My Photo Stream settings in iPhoto or Aperture Preferences.
• PC:
  1. Open iCloud for Windows 4.0 (or iCloud Control Panel) and select the checkbox for Photos.
  2. Click the Options button and make sure that My Photo Stream is on and adjust the settings.
  3. Click Apply when you’re done.

Does My Photo Stream use my iCloud storage?

No. Photos uploaded to My Photo Stream don’t count against your iCloud storage.

Does using My Photo Stream substitute for using iCloud Backup or iTunes to back up my photos?

No. Photos in My Photo Stream are saved on the iCloud server for 30 days. To save or back up these photos, you must save them from My Photo Stream to your iOS device. Select the photos and choose Share > Save Image. You can then back up your photos using iCloud or iTunes.

Which photo formats does My Photo Stream support?

My Photo Stream supports JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and most RAW photo formats. My Photo Stream doesn’t work with video.

When do photos upload to My Photo Stream?

When you turn on My Photo Stream on your devices, all new photos you take or import to those devices will automatically upload.

• iOS devices: New photos that you take automatically upload to your photo stream when you leave the Camera app and connect to Wi-Fi. My Photo Stream doesn’t push photos over cellular connections.
• Macs: Any new photos you import to iPhoto or Aperture automatically upload when you connect to Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Or you can change your iPhoto or Aperture preferences so that only photos you manually add to My Photo Stream upload.
• PC with iCloud for Windows 4.0 (or iCloud Control Panel 3.1): Open a Windows Explorer window and, under Favorites, select iCloud Photos. Open My Photo Stream. Click the Add photos button. Select the photos to import to My Photo Stream, then click Open.

How long are My Photo Stream photos stored in iCloud?

The photos you upload to My Photo Stream are stored in iCloud for 30 days to give your devices plenty of time to connect and download them.

How many photos are stored in My Photo Stream on my devices and computers?

iCloud pushes all your photos to the Recently Added album or My Photo Stream album on your devices and computers, and manages them efficiently, so you don’t run out of storage space.

Your iOS devices keep a rolling collection of your last 1000 photos in the Photos tab (or My Photo Stream album in iOS 7). From there, you can browse your recent photos or move the ones you like to another album to keep them on your device forever.

Because your Mac and PC have more storage than your iOS devices, you can choose to download all of your My Photo Stream photos automatically.

• In iPhoto or Aperture preferences on your Mac, select Photos (or Photo Stream) > My Photo Stream > Automatic Import. All of your photo stream photos will import into your Events, Projects, Photos, Faces, and Places folders in iPhoto or Aperture.
• On your PC with My Photo Stream on in the Control Panel, all of your photos will import into

  C:\\Users\<user name>\Pictures\iCloud Photos\My Photo Stream

Due to storage limitations, your Apple TV might display only your most recent photos.

Are all of the photos taken with burst mode on my iPhone 5s or later saved to My Photo Stream?

When you take photos using burst mode, only your favorite photos are imported to your device. In iOS 7.1 or later, you can choose to save all photos you take using burst mode to My Photo Stream. Tap Settings > iCloud > Photos, and turn on Upload Burst Photos.

How do I view photos in My Photo Stream?

• iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch: Your new photos will appear in the Recently Added album (or My Photo Stream album in iOS 7) in the Photos app.
  • In iOS 8, My Photo Stream will import the last 30 days of photos to the Recently Added album. Photos older than 30 days are imported to your Photos tab. Get help finding your photos in iOS 8.
  • In iOS 7, you can find your photos by tapping the Photo Stream tab, then tapping My Photo Stream.
• Mac: Your photos appear in the Shared albums section under iCloud in iPhoto 9.5 or Aperture 3.5. In earlier versions of iPhoto and Aperture, your photos appear in the Photo Stream section. In iPhoto 9.4 or later or in Aperture 3.4 or later, open the My Photo Stream album.
• PC using Windows 8.1: From the Start screen, click the down arrow  in the lower-left corner, then click the iCloud Photos app.
• PC using Windows 8: From the Start screen, select iCloud Photos.
• PC using Windows 7: Click the Windows Start button, then click Pictures. Click iCloud Photos or Photo Stream under the Favorites menu in the panel on the left. Double-click My Photo Stream to view your photos.
• Apple TV: After signing in with your iCloud account, you can view your photos by choosing iCloud Photos or Photo Stream from the main menu (or selecting Internet > Photo Stream in Apple TV Software Update 5.0).

What resolution are My Photo Stream photos?

On a Mac or PC, your photos are downloaded and stored in full resolution. On iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV, your photos are delivered in a device-optimized resolution that speeds downloads and saves storage space. Dimensions will vary, but an optimized version of a photo taken by a standard point-and-shoot camera will have a 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution when pushed to your devices. Panoramic photos can be up to 5400 pixels wide.

How do I delete photos from My Photo Stream?

You can delete photos from your photo stream the same way you delete other photos from your iOS device or Mac. Just select the photos you want to remove, then tap the trash icon or click Delete. On your PC, select the photos you want to remove from your photo stream, right-click, then select delete. When you delete a photo from My Photo Stream on one device, it will be removed from the Photos tab and your albums and iCloud. Photos imported from My Photo Stream to other devices won’t be deleted. Learn more about deleting photos.

What happens to my photos if I turn off My Photo Stream?

If you sign out of iCloud or turn off My Photo Stream on an iOS device, all the photos in the My Photo Stream album are removed from that device. Any photos from My Photo Stream that were imported to the Recently Added album and the Photos tab will also be removed. The photos from My Photo Stream on your other devices aren’t affected. Photos from My Photo Stream are saved on the iCloud server for 30 days from the date you uploaded them to My Photo Stream. If you sign in to iCloud with the same Apple ID and turn on My Photo Stream on another device, those photos will automatically download to this device.

Before turning off My Photo Stream, it’s a good idea to save any photos that you’d like to keep to your device. Learn more about saving your photos.