Leave iCloud Shared Photo Library

If you created an iCloud Shared Photo Library, learn how to remove a participant or delete your Shared Library. If you're a participant, learn how to leave a Shared Library.

• Leave a Shared Library

• Remove a participant from your Shared Library

• Delete your Shared Library

Leave a Shared Library

If you're a participant, you can leave a Shared Library at any time. Just make sure that you stay signed in to iCloud with iCloud Photos turned on until the process is complete.

On your iPhone or iPad

1. Go to Settings, tap Apps, then tap Photos. In iOS 17 or earlier, go to Settings, then tap Photos.

2. Tap Shared Library.

3. Choose Leave Shared Library.

   👁 An iPhone with iOS 26 showing the Shared Library menu. Leave Shared Library is located at the bottom of the screen in red text.
   

4. Choose to copy everything from the Shared Library into your Personal Library, or just the content that you contributed.

Mac

1. In the Photos app, choose Settings from the Photos menu.

2. Select the Shared Library tab.

   👁 A Mac with macOS 26 showing the Shared Library menu. Leave Shared Library is located at the bottom of the window.
   

3. Click Leave Shared Library.

Remove a participant

If you’re the library creator, you can remove participants from the Shared Library at any time.

On your iPhone or iPad

1. Go to Settings, tap Apps, then tap Photos. In iOS 17 or earlier, go to Settings, then tap Photos.

2. Tap Shared Library.

3. Select a participant, then choose Remove from Shared Library.

   👁 An iPhone with iOS 26 showing a participant named Ashley Rico in the Shared Library menu. Remove from Shared Library is shown at the bottom of the screen.
   

4. The participant receives a notification that they've been removed from the Shared Library.

   • If the participant has been in the Shared Library for more than seven days, all of the shared assets are automatically copied to their Personal Library.

   • If they've been in the Shared Library for less than seven days, only the photos and videos that they contributed are copied to their Personal Library.

On your Mac

1. In the Photos app, choose Settings from the Photos menu.

2. Select the Shared Library tab.

3. Click the More button👁 No alt supplied for Image
   next to a participant's name, then choose Remove.

   👁 A Mac with macOS 26 showing the Shared Library menu. Ashley Rico is selected. The option “Remove” is located below Show Contact Card.
   

4. The participant receives a notification that they've been removed from the Shared Library.

   • If the participant has been in the Shared Library for more than seven days, all of the shared assets are automatically copied to their Personal Library.

   • If they've been in the Shared Library for less than seven days, only the photos and videos that they contributed are copied to their Personal Library.

Delete your Shared Library

If you’re the library creator, you can delete your Shared Library at any time.

On your iPhone or iPad

1. Go to Settings, tap Apps, then tap Photos. In iOS 17 or earlier, go to Settings, then tap Photos.

2. Tap Shared Library.

3. Choose Delete Shared Library.

   👁 An iPhone with iOS 26 showing the Shared Library menu. Delete Shared Library is located at the bottom of the screen in red text.
   

4. Choose Keep Everything or Keep Only What I Contributed, then tap Delete Shared Library to confirm.

5. All participants receive a notification.

   • If the participant has been in the Shared Library for more than seven days, all of the shared assets are automatically copied to their Personal Library.

   • If they've been in the Shared Library for less than seven days, only the photos and videos that they contributed are copied to their Personal Library.

On your Mac

1. In the Photos app, choose Settings from the Photos menu.

2. Select the Shared Library tab.

   👁 A Mac with macOS 26 showing the Shared Library menu. Delete Shared Library is located at the bottom of the window.
   

3. Click Delete Shared Library.

4. Choose Keep Everything or Keep Only What I Contributed, then click Delete Shared Library to confirm.

5. All participants receive a notification.

   • If the participant has been in the Shared Library for more than seven days, all of the shared assets are automatically copied to their Personal Library.

   • If they've been in the Shared Library for less than seven days, only the photos and videos that they contributed are copied to their Personal Library.