Create a shared stream

Sharing a stream is an easy way to share just the photos and videos you want with just the people you choose. You invite friends and family who have iCloud Photo Sharing set up. They can view, like, and comment on your photos and videos, and they can download your photos. They can also add their own photos and videos to your stream using an iOS device, Mac, or Windows computer. Anyone can view your stream on the web, even if they don’t have iCloud Photo Sharing set up, if you turn on the Public Website option in your shared stream settings.

On an iOS 7 device

  1. In the Photos app, tap Shared at the bottom of the screen, tap Streams at the top of the screen, then tap New Shared Stream.

    If you don’t have any shared streams yet, tap Shared at the bottom of the screen, then tap Create New Stream.

  2. Enter a name for your shared stream, then tap Next.

    iPhone window for setting up a new shared photo stream with invitees, photo stream name, and public website status
  3. Invite people to subscribe by entering their email addresses or tapping the Add button to select from your contacts, then tap Create.

  4. To let people view your shared stream on the web, tap the stream in the Shared Streams list, tap People, then turn on Public Website. To send the shared stream’s web address to friends, tap Share Link.

On an iOS 6 device

  1. In the Photos app, select a photo, tap the Share button , then tap Photo Stream.

    To share several photos from an album, tap Edit, select the photos, tap Share, then tap Photo Stream.

    You can share photos and videos from your Camera Roll, Albums, Photo Stream, Faces, Photos, Events, or Places.

  2. If a list of your existing shared streams appears, tap New Photo Stream in the list.

    You don’t see the list unless you have a shared stream.

  3. Invite people to subscribe by entering their email addresses or tapping the Add button .

    iPhone window for setting up a new shared photo stream with invitees, photo stream name, and public website status
  4. To let people who aren’t iCloud users view your new shared stream on the web, turn on Public Website.

  5. Tap Next, enter a comment (optional), then tap Post.

If you selected Public Website for your shared stream and want to share a link to it, go to the Photos app and tap Photo Stream. On iPhone or iPod touch, tap the arrow to the right of the stream’s name. On iPad, tap Edit, tap the shared stream, then tap Share Link.

On a Mac using iPhoto

  1. Select the photos and videos you want to share.

  2. Click the Share button in the toolbar, click iCloud, then click “New photo stream.”

  3. Invite people to subscribe by entering their email addresses, then name your new shared stream.

    New Shared Photo Stream dialog in iPhoto on a Mac
  4. To let invitees add their own photos and videos to your shared stream, select Subscribers Can Post.

  5. To let people view your shared stream on the web, select Public Website.

  6. Click Share.

If you selected Public Website for your shared stream and want to know the stream’s web address, select the shared stream in iPhoto, then look in the Information pane. To send the web address to friends, click the link in the Information pane, then use the Share button in Safari.

On a Mac using Aperture

  1. Select the photos and videos you want to share.

  2. Click the Share button in the toolbar, choose iCloud, then choose New Photo Stream from the Stream pop-up menu.

  3. Invite people to subscribe by entering their email addresses, then name your new shared stream.

    Photo Stream dialog in Aperture
  4. To let invitees add their own photos and videos to your shared stream, select Subscribers Can Post.

  5. To let people view your shared stream on the web, select Public Website.

  6. Click OK.

If you selected Public Website for your shared stream and want to know the stream’s web address, click the Info button on the shared stream’s thumbnail in Aperture. To send the web address to friends, click the link in the Information dialog, then use the Share button in Safari.

On a Windows computer

  1. Select iCloud Photos under Favorites in a folder window of File Explorer (Windows 8) or Windows Explorer (Windows 7).

  2. Click New Photo Stream in the toolbar.

  3. Invite people to subscribe by entering their email addresses, then name your new shared stream.

    New Shared Photo Stream window on a Windows computer
  4. To let people view your shared stream on the web, select the public website option.

  5. Click Next, then drag photos or videos to the dialog that appears, or click “Choose photos or videos.”

  6. Click Done.

Your invitees are sent an email and a notification asking them to join or subscribe to your shared stream. Invitees using an iOS device or a Mac with OS X v10.8 or later also receive invitations in Notification Center.

Invitees using Apple TV can accept shared photo stream invitations, view shared streams, “like” photos, and read comments about photos.