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If I go to settings -> iCloud -> manage storage There are 2 categories:

  1. Backups (118 GB)
  2. Photos (18.3 GB)

In my backups, there's photo library (109.25 GB)

I'm confused, what's the difference between storing my photos in iCloud and backing them up then storing them in iCloud.

What happens if I click on " turn off and delete" the backup for my photo library?

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iCloud Photos is for syncing between your devices and replacing your photos if you lose your device. It retains a full copy of your photos in iCloud (accessible on iCloud.com as well).

iCloud Backup is a one-way backup of your current photo library on your device. It can only be restored by restoring your entire iCloud Backup.

You can safely turn off Photos from your backup - unless you prefer to manually manage your photos, I'd recommend doing this instead of turning off iCloud Photos.

If iCloud Photo Library is on, there will be a note saying "Photo Library is backed up separately as part of iCloud Photos" - if you don't see this message, double check that your device is actually syncing with iCloud Photos. You can do this in the Photos Setting or in iCloud Settings > Photos.

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  • Thank you so much for replying. Here's my problem: I want to be able to restore my photos if something happened to my device, but, I dont want the pictures on my phone to also be on my iPad or MacBook (I use the same iCloud account on all). What would you recommend I do in this case?
    – Jaja bae
    Commented Apr 3, 2021 at 3:20
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    Photos do not participate in backups if you have iCloud Photos turned on, so you need to find an alternative solution for those backups. iCloud Photos isn't a backup and Apple doesn't bill it as one.
    – Marc Wilson
    Commented Apr 3, 2021 at 15:31
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    If you want to backup your photos without syncing them, turn off iCloud Photos and turn on iCloud Backup > Photos.
    – Ezekiel
    Commented Apr 4, 2021 at 4:20

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