Managing Your Photo Library with Free Software Instead of iCloud

Shotwell on Linux as a complete replacement for Apple Photos and iCloud.

You don't need iCloud to manage your photos. Shotwell on Linux handles importing, organising, and browsing your entire library — locally, privately, on a device you control.

After exporting from Apple Photos, renaming by EXIF date, and converting HEIC to JPG, the final step is choosing a new home for your library. Willem chose Shotwell — a free, open-source photo manager for Linux.

Shotwell imports photos from cameras and SD cards, organises by date, supports tags and albums, and generates thumbnails instantly. Your entire library lives on your own disk — no cloud subscription, no sync delays, no privacy concerns.

The complete photo library fits on a single SD card. Backups go to a NAS using rsync. And if you still want your photos on your iPhone, macOS Finder can sync a local folder to the iOS Photos app without iCloud.

From Willem's complete guide to digital independence from Apple.