Messed up iCloud Photo Library

Over many years, I’ve built a large and carefully ordered photo library, first in iPhoto and more recently in Photos. I use iCloud Photo Library so that I can access this from all my devices. A few weeks ago, I needed to change my Apple ID. Ever since I first signed in to my new account, new albums have proliferated and the library has become badly messed up. How can I restore order to it? [ BARRY SMITH ]

Howard Oakley replies: Once an iCloud copy becomes corrupted like this, it’s very hard to reorganise. One strategy is to get everything back onto a single Mac, kill the iCloud Photo Library, reorganise the library on that Mac, then turn iCloud Photo Library back on, first on that Mac, then on your other devices. It’s best if you ensure that all are up to date before starting. Killing the iCloud Photo Library is the only step that can be tricky. Once you’re confident that you have the whole library stored locally on your Mac, on an iOS device, go to ‘Settings > iCloud > Storage > Manage Storage > iCloud Photo Library’ and tap Disable and Delete. On a Mac, open System Preferences’ iCloud pane, click Manage, select Photo Library, then click Disable and Delete.