With the iCloud Shared Photo Library feature, you can set up or join a shared library to share photos and videos with up to five friends or family members. You and those close to you can collaborate on the photo collection and enjoy more complete memories, all in one place. You can belong to one shared library at a time.
When you join, the photos and videos you contribute move from your personal library to the shared library, where all members can view, edit, and delete them. They appear in Photos alongside your personal content, and a filter lets you switch between your personal and shared libraries. Before you begin, iCloud Photos needs to be on, though you don’t need Family Sharing.
Note: To use iCloud Shared Photo Library, you need iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1, macOS 13, or later. On devices with earlier software versions, photos and videos added to a shared library won’t be available.
Before you begin
You need iCloud Photos turned on before you set up or join an iCloud Shared Photo Library.
Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, then make sure Sync this iPad is on.
Note: You can set up a shared library without Family Sharing turned on.
Set up an iCloud Shared Photo Library
The organizer is the person who sets up an iCloud Shared Photo Library.
- Start the Photos app on your iPad.
- Tap Collections. Tap your account in the top-right corner.
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Tap Shared Library and then follow the instructions onscreen to add participants and move photos and videos into the shared library.
Note: Photos and videos you add to the shared library don’t appear in your personal library; see Switch between viewing your iCloud Shared Photo Library and personal library.
You can preview the photos and videos you add to the shared library and make changes before you invite participants using Messages or a web link.
Join an iCloud Shared Photo Library
To join an iCloud Shared Photo Library, tap the invitation sent from the organizer, tap Get Started, then follow the onscreen instructions. During setup, you can add photos and videos to the shared library the same way as the organizer (see Set up an iCloud Shared Photo Library).
Once you join a shared library, there are several ways to add photos and videos to it, and you can access the same content within it as the organizer and other participants. See our guide, Add content to an iCloud Shared Photo Library.
Add participants to an iCloud Shared Photo Library
The organizer, who sets up the iCloud Shared Photo Library, can add new participants to the shared library.
- Start the Photos app on your iPad.
- Tap Collections. Tap your account in the top-right corner.
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Tap Manage, then tap Add Participants.
Note: A shared library can include up to six participants including the organizer; you can belong to one shared library at a time.
Delete or leave an iCloud Shared Photo Library
The organizer of an iCloud Shared Photo Library can delete it, while everyone else can leave the shared library.
- Start the Photos app on your iPad.
- Tap Collections. Tap your account in the top-right corner.
- Tap Manage, then tap one of the following:
- Delete Shared Library: When a shared library is deleted, participants who have been members of the shared library for more than 7 days can copy everything from the shared library into their own libraries. Participants who have been members for less than 7 days can copy only the content they contributed.
- Leave Shared Library: When you leave a shared library, you can copy everything from the shared library into your own library, or just the content you contributed.
Everything added to a shared library counts toward the library organizer’s iCloud storage space. Read our article, Add storage space to your iCloud Shared Photo Library.
See also
