I like to save “images” from Facebook/Pinterest/Emails and may also take a photo of say an IRS form/Receipt/FedEx Label/Magazine article, and either save it in a Folder or in Notes. I will then delete in Photos because it’s not really a Photo I have taken and I don’t want these images to clutter up my actual photos. Since I have deleted from Photos, I hope they will not disappear some day from my Saved location. Am I doing this right? I suppose an option would be to move over to the Pictures folder?
I’ve searched online and even called Apple but did not get a good answer. You have a great website! Thanks for your help
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Chris McS
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Can I Save an “Image” To Notes or a File and Then Delete In Photos?
Comments: 5 Responses to “Can I Save an “Image” To Notes or a File and Then Delete In Photos?”
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Yes and no. Yes to a file, of course. The file isn't going to go anywhere unless you delete it or something happens to the drive, etc.
Notes is probably OK, it wasn't designed to be a permanent archive of important documents. It is easy to delete a note, for instance, without a "trash" or history to give you a safety net. And it also isn't very searchable.
I use it myself to store photos of things I need for temporary records, like receipts or information on signs and such. I take the picture right in Notes and then it never goes to my Photos library to mix in with "real" pictures.
But I wouldn't use it as a way to store important things like tax documents. I would do those as files. In fact I do do those as files in folders. And I make sure they get backed up in Time Machine, of course.
As for whether you can delete something in Photos once you have it saved as a file elsewhere, the answer is yes. The external file would be independent of the one in your Photos Library.
Thanks Gary for the quick response and for answering my question!
Perhaps I am overusing Notes. I find it handy for saving little snippets that I can access easily on my iPhone (shopping lists, pics of medication). I also use screenshot a lot. I will create a File to save more permanently but is there an App you are aware of that would be safer and just as convenient?
Chris: I think a lot of people use Evernote for that. I'm not a user myself, so I can't speak from experience, but I hear about people storing documents with it. But nothing wrong with a folder of files (in iCloud for Mac+iPhone+iPad access) organized and named well.
Actually notes is perfect for what you want to do. Notes is now a Evernote replacement. You can even lock a note with a password. Additionally if you accidentally delete a note it keeps it in the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days. Read more at link below. I love Notes and exported everything out of Evernote and into Notes. Notes is free. Evernote you have to subscribe (well there is a free version but not as useful).
https://support.apple.com/guide/notes/NOT5585D71A8/4.5/mac/10.13.4
Thanks for the tip Henry. I love Notes and really don't want to use Evernote. I didn't know about the Recently Deleted folder.