what happened to my photo stream on mac?
apple shut down my photo stream on july 26, 2023. apple's support article recommends icloud photos for keeping the photos and videos you take current on all your devices, and says that on a mac, photos from my photo stream are imported into your library automatically.
so if you're looking for old photo stream pictures on a mac, check your library in the photos app first, then check whether icloud photos is on.
this guide follows apple's support article and mac user guide as we read them in november 2026. apple marks that article as archived and no longer updated. for backups rather than photo sync, see time machine vs icloud on mac.
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what was my photo stream?
my photo stream was an icloud service. apple introduced icloud with photo stream on june 6, 2011, built into iphoto on macs. its support article says the service temporarily uploaded the photos you took on one device, so you could view them on your other devices with my photo stream turned on, and import them to your library there if you liked.
my photo stream kept photos for 30 days, with up to 1,000 photos at a time, before icloud deleted them automatically. apple says new uploads stopped on june 26, 2023.
what replaced my photo stream?
apple points to icloud photos as the best way to keep the photos and videos you take current on all your devices. here is how the options compare, from apple's support article and its photos user guide for mac:
| my photo stream | icloud photos | shared albums | icloud shared photo library | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| status | shut down | in apple's current mac guide | in apple's current mac guide | in apple's current mac guide |
| what it does | temporarily uploaded the photos you took so other devices could view them | stores all the photos and videos in your photo library in icloud | shares photos and videos with people you invite, who can like or comment | you plus up to five family members or friends work on one shared collection |
| on a mac | photos imported to your library automatically | photos > settings > icloud | shared albums in the photos sidebar | photos > settings > shared library |
how do you check whether you use icloud photos on a mac?
apple's support article gives these steps:
- choose apple menu > system settings.
- click your name, then click icloud.
- make sure it says "on" next to photos. apple says to check this on each of your devices.
how do you turn on icloud photos on a mac?
you turn it on in the photos app. if you aren't signed in to your apple account, apple's mac user guide says to sign in from apple menu > system settings, then click icloud, click photos and turn on sync this mac. then, per the same guide:
- go to the photos app on your mac.
- choose photos > settings, then click icloud.
- select the icloud photos checkbox.
- choose download originals to this mac to keep full-size versions on your mac and in icloud, or optimize mac storage to keep smaller versions on your mac when storage space is limited, with the originals in icloud.
apple says the first upload can take a while, and you can keep using photos while it runs. to sync to all your devices, sign in to the same apple account and turn on icloud photos on each one.
apple's support article says you can turn on icloud photos on a mac with os x yosemite or later.
how do you share photos with family now?
in our read, two features in the photos app are the closest fit for sharing:
- shared albums: after you turn on shared albums, you can create one, and people you invite can join and like or comment on items. click shared albums in the sidebar to view them.
- icloud shared photo library: apple says you need icloud photos turned on first, and that photos and videos you add leave your personal library and move into the shared library, where all members can view, edit and delete them.
did you lose any photos?
if you didn't use icloud photos, apple said the photos in my photo stream were already stored on at least one of your devices, and that as long as you have the device with your originals, "you won't lose any photos as part of this process." if you already had icloud photos on all your devices, apple says your photos were already uploaded and stored in icloud.
where does remynd fit?
in microsoft's work trend index, published may 9, 2023, which surveyed 31,000 full-time employed or self-employed workers in 31 markets, 62% of respondents said they struggle with spending too much of their workday searching for information. the same survey found 86% were looking for ai to help find the information and answers they need.
in our read, photos keeps your pictures, while text you read on screen is harder to find again. remynd records your screen, runs ocr locally with apple vision, and keeps a searchable index on your computer. text comes from the focused window only, and video covers windows you have not excluded.
you can exclude apps and sites, and private browser windows are excluded by default.
press control space to search in plain language, refine by app, date or source, and jump to an exact moment, provided remynd was running then, the window was not excluded and, for text, it was the focused window. it needs macos 14 or later on an apple silicon mac.
remynd also runs on windows 11 (x64 or arm64).
limits of this guide
- it follows apple's support article and photos user guide for mac as we read them on the date above. apple's photo stream article is archived and no longer updated.
- we did not test icloud photos or shared albums for this guide.
- it does not cover icloud storage plans, iphone or ipad steps, or windows.
download the remynd desktop app and search what you saw in a focused window, by app and date.