Delete, Offload, and Export in Manage Apple Photos

The Manage button in a managed collection opens three operations. Delete removes photos from the library. Offload exports and verifies them first, then asks whether to delete them. Export copies photos to a folder and removes nothing.

Set up any operation

1. Open a managed collection and click Manage in the toolbar.
2. Choose a Mode: Delete, Offload, or Export. Delete is the default, and your last choice is remembered for that collection during the session.
3. Check From. It is the whole collection unless you opened Manage with a selection.
4. Use Refine to build the selected set, for example rejected photos or 1-star photos for Delete, or 5-star and Favorites for Export. For Delete and Offload you can instead choose what to keep and everything else becomes the selected set.
5. Review the preview grid. It always shows both sides, such as Deleting and Keeping, before anything runs.

Delete

1. With Delete selected, refine until the preview shows exactly what you want to remove.
2. Tick I've confirmed what's being deleted.
3. Click Delete N from Photos, iCloud & devices. On a Mac, macOS asks you to confirm.

Offload

1. With Offload selected, choose an offload folder and refine the selected set.
2. Click Offload N photos. Nothing is deleted at this point: Cullibrate exports the complete available resource bundle for every photo and verifies it.
3. When the rail shows Exported and verified, review the result. Open offload folder lets you inspect the files.
4. At Confirm deletion, choose Delete N from Apple Photos… to continue to the system confirmation, or Decide later or Cancel offload… to keep everything in Photos.

• Closing or minimising the modal does not cancel an offload. The export continues, and the activity item at the bottom right brings you back to the decision.
• A paused or failed export never leads to deletion. Use Restart export to run the whole export and verification again.
• If the library changes before you confirm, the deletion is refused and a fresh export is required.
• Tick Create new file collection at destination if you also want to open the offloaded files as a collection in Cullibrate.

Export

1. With Export selected, choose an export folder and refine the selected set.
2. On a Mac, leave both boxes clear to export unmodified originals, tick Edited to export the current Apple Photos edit of eligible non-RAW photos, or tick For archive to include every exportable resource.
3. Click Export N photos. Photos membership never changes.

If something goes wrong

• If you close the system confirmation, nothing is deleted. Exported files stay where they are.
• If deletion fails after an offload, Try again returns to the decision without copying the files again.
• Quitting Cullibrate while an export is copying pauses it. Resume it from the task controls when you return; nothing resumes on its own.