iCloud & iCloud Photos · iCloud Photos and the Photos library
Can I delete photos from my Mac but keep them in iCloud Photos?
Short answer: Not by deleting — with iCloud Photos on, a deletion on your Mac removes the photo everywhere. Choose Optimize Mac Storage in Photos → Settings → iCloud so originals stay in iCloud and your Mac keeps smaller versions.
Not by deleting them. With iCloud Photos on, deleting a photo in Photos on your Mac deletes it from iCloud and every device. To free space on the Mac but keep the photo everywhere, use Optimize Mac Storage instead.
- Open Photos → Settings → iCloud.
- Choose Optimize Mac Storage.
- Photos keeps the originals in iCloud and smaller versions on your Mac, freeing space as needed.
Deleted photos go to Photos' Recently Deleted album for a while, so you can recover one deleted by mistake. See reducing the space Photos uses.