Photos on my iMac and iPhone will not sync.

My iMac is running MacOS 11.7.1. My iPhone IOS is 16.1. I am using iCloud Photos. My iMac shows 31,268 photos in the Photo Library. My iPhone shows 17,388 photos. I have gone through the iCloud Photo set up procedures again. I have rebuilt the Photo Library on the iMac. There are numerous duplicate photos on the iMac. The iMac does not show the duplicates nor does it show the correct albums. The iPhone is correct. The iMac is incorrect.


How do I delete Photos on the iMac and replace them with Photos on iCloud and iPhone?

iMac 27″, macOS 11.7

Posted on Nov 15, 2022 08:23 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 17, 2022 09:42 AM

Hello Frank Bendrick,


To help us better assist you, can you let us know if you have received any errors about iCloud Photos? If so, what did the error say? That information will help us determine how to proceed.


1. We understand you stated that you went through the iCloud Photo set up. If this is the information you used, feel free to skip this part. To help ensure iCloud Photos is set up and enabled correctly, and rule out a possible issue there, please check out the details in this link which outline the correct set-up process: Set up iCloud Photos on all your devices


Set up iCloud Photos on all your devices

You can use iCloud Photos on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple TV, and Windows computer, and on iCloud.com. For an overview of what you can do with iCloud Photos, see Share photos and videos and keep them up to date with iCloud.

Note: Make sure you’re signed in with the same Apple ID on each device. If you have devices where you’re not signed in with your Apple ID or that have iCloud Photos turned off, you won’t be able to access your photos and videos on those devices.



2. Please also check out the information and suggestions in this link, as it can help with several iCloud Photos issues: Get help with iCloud Photos


What if some of my photos and videos are missing after I turn on iCloud Photos?

Look for your missing photos and videos in the Recently Deleted album of your Photos app, and make sure that you signed in to iCloud with the correct Apple ID. Learn more about how to find missing photos and videos in the Photos app.

Any photos or videos that you copy to your device through iTunes or the Finder are not copied in iCloud Photos. 

Upload originals from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac

To upload original, full resolution versions of your photo library to your Mac, turn on iCloud Photos on your Mac



Thanks!

Similar questions

2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 17, 2022 09:42 AM in response to Frank Bendrick

Hello Frank Bendrick,


To help us better assist you, can you let us know if you have received any errors about iCloud Photos? If so, what did the error say? That information will help us determine how to proceed.


1. We understand you stated that you went through the iCloud Photo set up. If this is the information you used, feel free to skip this part. To help ensure iCloud Photos is set up and enabled correctly, and rule out a possible issue there, please check out the details in this link which outline the correct set-up process: Set up iCloud Photos on all your devices


Set up iCloud Photos on all your devices

You can use iCloud Photos on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple TV, and Windows computer, and on iCloud.com. For an overview of what you can do with iCloud Photos, see Share photos and videos and keep them up to date with iCloud.

Note: Make sure you’re signed in with the same Apple ID on each device. If you have devices where you’re not signed in with your Apple ID or that have iCloud Photos turned off, you won’t be able to access your photos and videos on those devices.



2. Please also check out the information and suggestions in this link, as it can help with several iCloud Photos issues: Get help with iCloud Photos


What if some of my photos and videos are missing after I turn on iCloud Photos?

Look for your missing photos and videos in the Recently Deleted album of your Photos app, and make sure that you signed in to iCloud with the correct Apple ID. Learn more about how to find missing photos and videos in the Photos app.

Any photos or videos that you copy to your device through iTunes or the Finder are not copied in iCloud Photos. 

Upload originals from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac

To upload original, full resolution versions of your photo library to your Mac, turn on iCloud Photos on your Mac



Thanks!

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Photos on my iMac and iPhone will not sync.

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.