Guide
How to keep private photos out of iCloud
iCloud Photos uploads your entire photo library, the Hidden album included, and you can’t exclude a single album or photo. To keep private photos out of iCloud, you either turn iCloud Photos off on that iPhone (and check that iCloud Backup isn’t picking the photos up instead), or you keep those photos outside the Photos app, in a vault that encrypts them before anything is stored or backed up. The details below matter, because each setting moves photos somewhere you might not expect.
Settings paths checked against Apple’s iPhone User Guide (iOS 18 and iOS 27) and Apple’s “What does iCloud back up?” article on Oct 24, 2026.
What goes to iCloud, and where
There are four separate ways a photo can end up in iCloud:
| Feature | What it uploads | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| iCloud Photos | Every photo and video in your library, at full resolution, hidden ones included | Settings → your name → iCloud → Photos |
| iCloud Backup | Your photo library only if iCloud Photos is off, plus app data | Settings → your name → iCloud → iCloud Backup |
| Shared Library | Photos you move to it, or that Camera adds automatically | Photos → Collections → your account → Shared Library |
| Shared Albums | Photos you add to a shared album | Photos → Collections → Shared Albums |
The second row is the one people miss. Apple’s iCloud Backup article says that if you haven’t turned on iCloud Photos, iCloud Backup may include the photos and videos on your iPhone. So turning off iCloud Photos can move your photos from one part of iCloud to another.
Option 1: Turn off iCloud Photos on this iPhone
This keeps your library on the phone and stops new photos from uploading. It’s all or nothing for that device.
- Keep full-size originals first. If Optimize iPhone Storage is on, some originals exist only in iCloud. Go to Settings → your name → iCloud → Photos → iPhone Storage and choose Download and Keep Originals. Make sure you have the space, and wait for the download to finish.
- Turn it off. In Settings → your name → iCloud → Photos, turn off Sync this iPhone. Choose to keep the photos on your iPhone when asked.
- Decide what stays in iCloud. Your existing library stays in iCloud for your other devices. Deleting a photo there deletes it everywhere that still syncs.
Then check iCloud Backup.
Option 2: Keep photos out of iCloud Backup
- Go to Settings → your name → iCloud → iCloud Backup.
- Tap This iPhone to see what’s included.
- Turn off the photo library in the list. Apple says turning an app off also deletes its existing data from that iCloud backup.
Now the photos live only on your iPhone. That’s private, and it’s also fragile: if the phone is lost or broken, they’re gone. Make a local backup you control, such as an encrypted backup to a Mac (in the Finder, select your iPhone, choose “Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac” and “Encrypt local backup”).
Option 3: Keep private photos in a vault
Options 1 and 2 change how your whole library behaves. Usually you only want some photos out of iCloud: IDs, medical photos, private pictures. A vault lets the rest of your library keep syncing.
In Bunker, photos you import live in a vault that is encrypted on your iPhone, outside the Photos app. They aren’t part of iCloud Photos, Shared Library, Memories or the Photos widget. After importing, Bunker offers to delete the originals from Photos; do that, and then empty Recently Deleted, where Photos keeps them for 30 days. When iCloud Photos is on, deleting the original removes it from iCloud Photos too.
What about backup? Bunker’s Encrypted Backup does use your iCloud, but differently: each vault is encrypted on the device first, and only your Pattern or Recovery Phrase can open it. Apple can’t read it, and neither can we. You can also turn it off per vault, in Vault Settings → Encrypted Backup; after a confirmation, that deletes the vault’s backup from iCloud. Bunker’s own app data in your device backup is encrypted the same way.
The limits: a vault that isn’t backed up lives only on that device, so if you turn backup off, keep the phone safe. If you forget your Pattern and lose your Recovery Phrase, nobody can open the vault. And the free version holds 3 Vaults, with 100 photos, 10 videos and 20 documents and notes in total.
Shared Library: the setting that adds photos for you
iCloud Shared Photo Library lets up to 6 people share one library. Photos you contribute move out of your personal library, and every participant can view, edit and delete them. Three settings can add photos without you choosing each one:
- Sharing from Camera. After setup, Camera shows a Shared Library button. You can turn the feature off in Settings → Apps → Photos → Shared Library → Sharing from Camera.
- Share Automatically when participants are nearby, in Photos → Collections → your account → Shared Library → Sharing from Camera.
- Share When At Home, in the same place.
Check these before you take anything private. If a photo did go to the shared library, open it, tap the More button, and tap Move to Personal Library. Participants may already have seen it or saved a copy.
Other places your photos travel
- Shared Albums. These sit outside Advanced Data Protection: Apple says Shared Albums aren’t end-to-end encrypted even when ADP is on.
- Messages. Photos people send you appear under Shared with You in Photos. That’s controlled in Settings → Apps → Messages → Shared with You. Messages in iCloud is end-to-end encrypted, with a caveat about iCloud Backup explained in Advanced Data Protection, explained.
- Your Mac. If iCloud Photos is on there, the whole library downloads to it. See how to hide photos on Mac.
When you don’t need an app
If you just want iCloud to keep your photos safer, not to keep them out, turn on Advanced Data Protection: iCloud Photos becomes end-to-end encrypted, and Apple no longer holds the keys. It’s in Settings → your name → iCloud → Advanced Data Protection (not available to new users in the UK). And if you’re happy with every photo on one device and none in iCloud, Options 1 and 2 do the job with no extra app.
Related: how to hide photos on iPhone, how to stop photos showing in Memories and widgets, and how to take photos that skip the camera roll.
Questions
Can I exclude one album from iCloud Photos?
No. iCloud Photos syncs the whole library on each device where it's on, including the Hidden album. To keep some photos out, turn iCloud Photos off on that device, or keep those photos somewhere other than the Photos app.
If I turn off iCloud Photos, are my photos off iCloud?
Not necessarily. The copies already in iCloud stay there for your other devices, and Apple says iCloud Backup may include your photos when iCloud Photos is off. Check both.
Do hidden photos sync to iCloud?
Yes. Apple says hidden photos are hidden on all your devices when you use iCloud Photos, which means they're in iCloud like the rest of your library.
Is iCloud Photos end-to-end encrypted?
Only with Advanced Data Protection turned on. With standard data protection, Apple holds the keys for iCloud Photos so it can help you recover your data.