Photos makes it simple to manage your growing photo and video library. When you use iCloud Photo Library, you can securely store your entire collection and access it from all your devices and iCloud.com. And powerful, intuitive editing tools built right into Photos help you perfect your images so they’re ready to share.
Before you begin
- Update your Mac to the latest version of macOS.
- If you use iPhoto or Aperture to manage your photos and videos, upgrade to the Photos app.
Access all of your photos from anywhere
iCloud Photo Library automatically keeps all your photos in iCloud, so you can access them on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, Mac, iCloud.com, or even on a PC. When you edit and organize images in the Photos app, your changes are kept up to date and visible everywhere.
Manage your iCloud storage
The photos and videos that you keep in iCloud Photo Library use your iCloud storage. Before you turn on iCloud Photo Library, make sure that you have enough space to store your entire collection. You can see how much space you need and then upgrade your storage plan if necessary.
Turn on iCloud Photo Library
It's easy to get started. Just turn on iCloud Photo Library in your Settings and make sure that you're signed in with the same Apple ID on all of your devices. On your Mac, go to System Preferences > iCloud and click the Options button next to Photos. Then select iCloud Photo Library.
Keep your photo library organized
The Photos app is organized into five main tabs: Photos, Memories, Shared, Albums, and Projects. In the Photos tab, photos and videos taken around the same time and place are grouped into Moments, Collections, and Years. Relive your favorite and forgotten moments in Memories. See the photos that you share with others in iCloud in the Shared tab. Organize your collection in the Albums tab. Then view and order books, cards, calendars, prints, and more in Projects.
With the Search bar built directly into Photos, quickly find the content you’re looking for. You can also navigate and organize your library from the Sidebar. Go to View > Show Sidebar, or use the keyboard shortcut Command-Option-S.
You can even hover over a Moment or Collection to instantly prepare a slideshow, add the photos to an album, or share through iCloud Photo Sharing and your social networks.
Play a slideshow
Quickly create a slideshow directly in Photos. Just click 
, customize the theme and music, and you're ready to go.
Start a project
Click 
to add your photos and videos to an album. You can also make gifts like a calendar for loved ones or print pictures for yourself.
Share with friends
Use 
to share photos in iCloud Photo Sharing, Mail, and more. Or send photos to your social media accounts, such as Facebook and Twitter.
Delete photos and videos from your library
If there are photos and videos that you don't want anymore, you can delete one at a time, or several.
Delete one photo
- Select the photo that you want to delete.
- Press the Delete key.
- Confirm that you want to delete the photo.
Delete multiple photos
- Press and hold the Command key.
- Select the photos that you want to delete.
- Press the Delete key.
- Confirm that you want to delete the photos.
When you delete a photo, it goes into your Recently Deleted album, where it stays for 30 days. If you use iCloud Photo Library, the photos that you delete are moved into the Recently Deleted album on your other devices too. After 30 days, Photos deletes the photos permanently. You can permanently delete photos right away when you click Delete All in the Recently Deleted album.
When you delete photos directly from an album by pressing the Delete key, you only remove them from the album and not your entire photo collection. If you want to delete photos from both the album and your collection, press Command-Delete.
Edit your photos
Photos includes powerful, easy-to-use editing tools. You can apply adjustments to your photos and make them look just they way you like. Then if you want to start over, you can always revert to the original photo. Here's how to get started:
- From the Photos view, or from within an album, double-click the photo you want to edit.
- Click
in the upper-right corner of Photos. - The editing tools appear along the right side of the window. Click the tool you'd like to use.
After you edit your photo, click Done. Want to start over? Click Revert to Original. If you use iCloud Photo Library, you'll see the changes on all of your devices.
You can also install third-party photo editing extensions on your Mac to use alongside the built-in tools in Photos. Learn more about editing your photos with third-party extensions.
See and add information about a photo
You can also add details to your photos, like a description, keywords, or a specific location. You can even Add Faces to name your friends and family in each photo.
To view the Info window, double-click a photo to open it and then click 
in the upper-right corner, or select a photo and use the keyboard shortcut Command-I. Once you add information, you can use the Search bar to find photos by keyword, title, description, faces, or location.