iCloud Photos Not Syncing on iPhone? Try These Fixes

Common causes

• Low Power Mode or Low Data Mode is on
• Your iPhone is optimizing battery power or system performance, or has a poor network connection
• Battery charge below 20 percent
• Your iPhone needs to cool down
• Your iCloud storage is full
• A Shared Library owner has reached their storage limit

Step-by-Step Solutions

Start by checking the library status message in Photos, then go to the step that matches what it says.

1. 1

   Step 1: Check your library status in Photos

   The status message in Photos tells you whether syncing is paused and why.

   Open the Photos app, go to Collections, then tap the profile button in the upper corner. Your library status appears below your name and photo count, and the last time your iPhone synced with iCloud appears below the account profile. In iOS 17 or earlier, go to the Library tab, tap All Photos, and scroll to the bottom instead.

   Follow any onscreen directions in the status message. The steps below explain the messages Apple lists. The icon in the top-right corner of Collections also gives a quick preview:

   • Yellow badge: iCloud syncing is paused.
   • Yellow warning icon: your iCloud storage is almost full.
   • Red exclamation mark: your iCloud storage is full.
   • Partially filled blue circle around your account icon: photos are uploading to iCloud.
   • Partially filled gray outline around your account icon: uploads are paused.

   Good to know

   You can also pause library uploads yourself for one day. Depending on your library status, pause might not be available.

2. 2

   Step 2: Charge your iPhone and leave it on Wi-Fi

   iCloud Photos needs power, a network connection and time to finish syncing.

   Connect your iPhone to power and to Wi-Fi, then let it sync uninterrupted overnight. Depending on the size of your library and your Wi-Fi speed, you may need to wait overnight for it to finish, and some larger files may take longer to upload or sync.

   If the status says Low Battery, syncing paused because your battery charge is below 20 percent. Charge your iPhone to resume syncing.

3. 3

   Step 3: Turn off Low Power Mode or Low Data Mode

   Both modes pause iCloud Photos to save battery or reduce network data use.

   If the status says Low Power Mode or Low Data Mode, syncing paused to save battery or reduce network data usage. You can turn these modes on or off in Settings.

   Low Power Mode: on iPhone 15 or later, open Settings, tap Battery, then Power Mode, and turn off Low Power Mode. On iPhone 14 or earlier, open Settings, tap Battery, and turn off Low Power Mode. You can also tap the battery icon in Control Center. The battery icon in the status bar is yellow while Low Power Mode is on.

   Low Data Mode is set separately for Wi-Fi and cellular. For Wi-Fi, open Settings, tap Wi-Fi, then tap the Info button next to the network you’re connected to and check the Low Data Mode switch. For cellular, open Settings, tap Cellular, then Cellular Data Options. On 5G, tap Data Mode to find Low Data Mode. With Dual SIM, tap Cellular or Mobile Data, then tap one of your numbers.

   Good to know

   Low Power Mode turns off by itself when you charge to 80% or higher. If your iPhone supports Adaptive Power and it’s turned on, Low Power Mode turns on automatically when the battery goes below 20%.

4. 4

   Step 4: Tap Sync Now or wait a few minutes

   Some pauses protect your battery, performance or temperature and end on their own.

   If the status says Optimizing Battery Power, Optimizing System Performance or Poor Network Connection, syncing paused to improve power, performance and the network connection. Tap Sync Now to force syncing, or wait a few minutes for it to resume automatically.

   If the status says your iPhone Needs to Cool Down, syncing paused to protect it from overheating. You might see an option to Sync Now. If not, wait a few minutes to let your iPhone cool down.

   Good to know

   In iOS 27 or later, you can prioritize syncing with Sync Immediately: open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, tap Photos under Saved to iCloud, tap Sync Immediately and choose For Today. It turns off automatically after one day. Apple says it may affect battery and cellular usage, and it pauses if Low Power Mode or Low Data Mode is turned on.

5. 5

   Step 5: Free up or add iCloud storage

   When your iCloud storage is full, new photos and videos stop uploading.

   If the status says your iCloud storage is full, syncing paused because you exceeded your storage limit. You can reduce the storage you use or upgrade your storage plan to iCloud+.

   On iOS 17 or later, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, and tap Recommended for You. Choose an option and follow the onscreen instructions.

   To make your iCloud Backup smaller, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, tap Storage or Manage Account Storage, then Backups, and tap the name of your iPhone. Turn off apps you don’t want to back up, then tap Turn Off to confirm. That app’s backup data is removed from iCloud.

   You can also delete photos and videos you no longer need. With iCloud Photos, a photo you delete on your iPhone is deleted on all your devices signed in with the same Apple Account, so back up anything you want to keep first.

   Good to know

   If you’re over your iCloud storage limit, photos and videos you delete are removed immediately and can’t be recovered from Recently Deleted.

6. 6

   Step 6: If the status mentions your Personal Library

   A full Shared Library owner account can pause your syncing too.

   If you see Move Photos to Personal Library to Continue Syncing, syncing paused because the Shared Library owner has hit their storage limit. Photos added to a Shared Library count only toward the storage of the person who created it.

   If the message appeared after you tried to move items to the Shared Library, move those items back to your Personal Library. Once the owner upgrades their storage plan or uses less storage, your Personal Library syncs again.

   Good to know

   If photos seem to be missing, check your Library view. Photos you move to the Shared Library no longer appear in your Personal Library.

7. 7

   Step 7: Check your Apple Account and update iOS

   Every device needs the same Apple Account, and your iPhone should run the latest iOS.

   Make sure you’re signed in to iCloud with the same Apple Account that you use on your other devices. To confirm iCloud Photos is on, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, tap Photos, and check that Sync this iPhone is on. If it’s already on, leave it on.

   Then make sure your iPhone is updated to the latest version of iOS.

8. 8

   Step 8: Check other iCloud services and outages

   Apple suggests checking whether other iCloud services work when photos won’t sync.

   Check whether other iCloud services you use, such as Mail, Contacts or Messages, are working. If they also aren’t working, check your Wi-Fi connection and Apple’s System Status for outages.

9. 9

   Step 9: Fix items in the Unable to Upload album

   Photos or videos that couldn’t sync to iCloud can appear in an album of their own.

   If the status says Couldn’t Sync followed by a number of items, look for an album named Unable to Upload. Make sure the items are supported file types, such as HEIF, JPEG, RAW, PNG, GIF, TIFF, HEVC, MP4, and iPhone formats like slo-mo, time-lapse, 4K video and Live Photos.

   Edit each photo or video, then check whether it uploads to iCloud. If that doesn’t work, you can try exporting the items and importing them again. Any edits or keywords you added to them will be lost.

   • In Photos, open the Unable to Upload album, tap Select, then Select All.
   • Tap the Share button, then Save to Files. Choose a location in On My iPhone, tap Save, and check in the Files app that the files exported.
   • Delete the items from the Unable to Upload album, then delete them from the Recently Deleted album.
   • In the Files app, open the folder with your files, tap the Share button, then tap Save.

   Good to know

   After the items are imported again, you can delete the copies in the Files app to save storage space on your iPhone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related guides

• System & PerformanceiPhone Storage Full? Try These FixesSee what is filling your iPhone storage, use its recommendations, offload or delete apps, and clear space from photos, videos, messages and files.
• System & PerformanceiPhone or iPad Overheating? Try These FixesLearn when warmth is normal, what a temperature warning means, why charging pauses when it’s hot, and how to cool your iPhone or iPad down safely.