You deleted photos on your Mac and they vanished from your iPhone too

Why it happens

iCloud Photos keeps one library shared by all your devices. That's why a photo you delete on your Mac disappears from your iPhone and iPad as well. Deleted photos wait in Recently Deleted for 30 days, so you can usually get them back.

How to fix it

1. Open Photos on your Mac and click Recently Deleted in the sidebar. You may need Touch ID or your password to see it.

   Photos›Recently Deleted

2. Select the photos you want back and click Recover. They return to your library, and with iCloud Photos on they come back on your iPhone too.

3. If you want your Mac to keep its own photos, open System Settings, click your name at the top of the sidebar, then iCloud, then Photos, and turn off Sync this Mac.

   Apple Account›iCloud›Photos

4. When your Mac asks what to do with the photos, choose Download so a full copy stays on the Mac. Wait for the download to finish before you delete anything.

5. From then on, deleting a photo on your Mac doesn't touch your iPhone, and the other way round. New photos from your iPhone also stop appearing on your Mac.

Still not fixed?

1. Deleting only to save space on your Mac? You can keep iCloud Photos on and turn on Optimize Mac Storage instead, in Photos settings under iCloud. Your Mac then keeps smaller versions and the full photos stay in iCloud.

   Photos›Settings›iCloud›Optimize Mac Storage

2. Your iPhone has its own iCloud Photos setting in its Settings app: tap your name, then iCloud, then Photos. Leave it on if you want your iPhone's photos kept safe in iCloud.

3. Not in Recently Deleted? Photos stay there for 30 days and are then removed for good. If you back up your Mac with Time Machine, an older backup may still hold them.

4. If photos vanished that you never deleted, or Recently Deleted is empty when it shouldn't be, contact Apple Support.