How to Create a Shared Album on iPhone

Shared Albums make it easy to privately share photos and videos with family, friends, or colleagues. Invited participants can view the album, leave comments and likes, and—if the owner allows it—add their own photos and videos.

This guide explains how to create a shared album on iPhone, invite participants, manage its content, accept invitations, and share an album with people who do not use iCloud.

Don’t feel like reading the whole breakdown? We’ve pulled together a quick summary below.

Key Takeaways

• Shared Albums are separate from your main iCloud Photos library.
• Photos and videos in Shared Albums do not count against your iCloud storage.
• A single shared album can contain up to 5,000 photos and videos.
• The album owner controls access and can delete any content.
• Participants can delete only the photos, videos, and comments they added.
• People without an Apple Account can view an album through a public web link.
• Shared Album files may be resized, so you should keep the original photos in your personal library.
• You can edit pictures in Luminar for Mobile before sharing them.

What Is an iCloud Shared Album?

An iCloud Shared Album is a collection of photos and videos shared with selected people through Apple’s Photos app.

Participants can view the content, add comments and likes, and receive notifications when something new is posted. If the owner enables participant posting, invited users can also upload their own photos and videos.

Shared Albums are available on:

• iPhone
• iPad
• Mac
• Windows through iCloud for Windows
• iCloud.com
• Supported browsers through a public link

The feature is separate from iCloud Photos. You do not need to synchronize your entire photo library to use Shared Albums, but you must be signed in to your Apple Account and enable the feature.

If you need help accessing your library on different devices, see this guide on how to view photos on iCloud.

Shared Albums vs. iCloud Shared Photo Library

Although the names sound similar, these Apple features serve different purposes.

Feature	Shared Albums	iCloud Shared Photo Library
Main purpose	Sharing selected photos and videos	Maintaining a combined photo library
Number of people	Up to 100 subscribers per album	Up to six participants, including the creator
Editing permissions	Participants cannot edit the shared originals	Participants can add, edit, favorite, and delete content
Storage	Does not count against iCloud storage	Uses the library creator’s iCloud storage
Image quality	Shared files may be resized	Originals are stored in the shared library
Public web access	Available when enabled	Not available

Use Shared Albums when you want to distribute selected pictures. Choose iCloud Shared Photo Library when a small group needs to maintain one combined collection.

How to Turn On Shared Albums on iPhone

Before creating or joining an album, enable the feature:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap your name.
3. Select iCloud.
4. Under Saved to iCloud, tap Photos.
5. Scroll down and turn on Shared Albums.

The exact location of these controls may vary slightly between iOS versions.

How to Create a Shared Album on iPhone

The process depends on your version of iOS.

On Current iOS Versions

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Go to Collections.
3. Scroll down and select Shared Albums.
4. Tap Create or the Add button.
5. Enter a name for the album.
6. Choose the photos and videos you want to include.
7. Select people from your contacts or enter an email address or iMessage phone number.
8. Tap Create.

On iOS 17 or Earlier

1. Open Photos and go to Albums.
2. Tap the Add button.
3. Select New Shared Album.
4. Enter an album name and tap Next.
5. Choose the people you want to invite.
6. Tap Create.

You can create the album first and invite more participants later.

How to Add Photos and Videos

You can post content from your photo library or from inside the shared album.

Add Content from Your Photo Library

1. Open Photos.
2. Tap Select and choose the photos or videos.
3. Tap the Share button.
4. Select Add to Shared Album.
5. Choose the appropriate album.
6. Add an optional comment.
7. Tap Post.

Add Content from the Shared Album

1. Open Photos and go to Shared Albums.
2. Select the album.
3. Tap the Add button or choose Add Photos from the menu.
4. Select the items you want to share.
5. Tap Done or Post.

Participants receive a notification when new content is added.

How to Invite or Remove Participants

Only the album owner can manage the participant list.

Invite More People

1. Open the shared album.
2. Tap the More button.
3. Select the album name or Shared Album Details.
4. Tap Add Participants.
5. Enter a contact name, email address, or phone number.
6. Tap Done.

If participants should be able to upload content, enable Participants Can Add Photos. On older iOS versions, the setting may appear as Subscribers Can Post.

Remove a Participant

1. Open the shared album.
2. Open the album details.
3. Select the participant.
4. Tap Remove Subscriber.

Removing someone prevents them from accessing the album. However, any images they previously saved to their personal library will remain there.

How to Share an Album with People Who Do Not Use iCloud

The album owner can create a public iCloud link:

1. Open the shared album.
2. Tap the More button.
3. Open the album details.
4. Turn on Public Website.
5. Tap Share Link and send the URL.

Anyone with the link can view the album in a supported browser without signing in to an Apple Account. However, visitors cannot add photos or comments through the public page.

A public link may be forwarded to other people, so avoid using this option for private or sensitive photographs.

How to Accept a Shared Album Invitation

When someone invites you to an album, you can usually accept it from the notification:

1. Open Notification Center.
2. Tap the Shared Album invitation.
3. Tap Accept.

You can also find the invitation in Photos:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Go to Collections.
3. Scroll down to Shared Albums.
4. Open Activity.
5. Tap Accept.

If the invitation is missing, check that Shared Albums are enabled and ask the owner to resend it. You can also check the email address associated with your Apple Account or sign in to iCloud Photos through a browser.

How to Manage a Shared Album

Rename the Album

Only the owner can rename a shared album:

1. Open the album.
2. Tap the More button.
3. Tap the current album name.
4. Enter a new name.
5. Tap Done.

Delete Photos or Videos

The owner can delete any item in the album. Participants can delete only the content they added.

1. Open the shared album.
2. Select the photo or video.
3. Tap the Delete button.
4. Confirm the action.

Deleting an item removes it from the shared album on every participant’s device. It does not remove copies that participants have already saved to their personal libraries.

Save a Shared Photo to Your Library

1. Open the photo or video.
2. Tap the Share button.
3. Select Save Image or Save Video.

The saved copy may not have the same resolution or metadata as the original file.

Delete the Entire Shared Album

Only the owner can delete an album:

1. Open the shared album.
2. Tap the More button.
3. Select Delete Shared Album.
4. Confirm the deletion.

The album will be removed from the owner’s devices, subscribers’ devices, and the public website. Save any important images before deleting it.

Shared Album Storage and File Limits

Shared Albums do not use your iCloud storage allowance, but Apple applies several limits.

Limit	Maximum
Photos and videos in one album	5,000
Subscribers per album	100
Shared albums created by one owner	200
Shared albums a user can join	200
Comments and likes per item	200
Video duration	15 minutes
GIF file size	100 MB

Standard photos are reduced to 2,048 pixels on the long edge. Panoramic images can be up to 5,400 pixels wide, while videos are delivered at up to 720p.

Shared Albums are intended for sharing rather than storing original files. Keep full-resolution photos and videos in your personal library or another secure backup.

How to Edit Photos Before Sharing Them

A few subtle adjustments can make an iPhone photo look more polished before it is added to a shared album.

With Luminar Mobile for iPhone, you can:

• Correct exposure and white balance
• Improve color and contrast
• Straighten the horizon
• Crop distracting edges
• Remove unwanted objects
• Enhance portraits naturally

Complete the main edits before uploading the image because changes made to the original afterward are not automatically applied to the copy in the shared album.

For quick adjustments from a browser, you can also edit a photo online. For more extensive work on a computer, Luminar provides a straightforward photo editing workflow for improving light, color, composition, and detail.

Final Thoughts

Shared Albums provide a convenient way to share selected photos and videos without using additional iCloud storage. You can invite participants, collect their pictures, exchange comments, or publish an album as a web page for people who do not use iCloud.

However, Shared Albums are not designed for full-resolution storage or backup. Keep your original files safely stored, review the album’s privacy settings, and edit your strongest images before posting them.

Frequently Asked Questions