How to free up iCloud storage space on iPhone, iPad and Mac

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to free up iCloud storage space on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

When your iCloud storage is full, your devices can no longer back up properly, photos stop syncing across your Apple devices, and you may see repeated error messages. The good news is that most iCloud storage issues can be resolved by identifying what's taking up the most space and clearing out data you no longer need. This guide walks you through checking your current usage, removing large items and optimising your storage so your devices back up reliably again.

Check Your Current iCloud Usage

Before you start deleting anything, it's worth seeing exactly what's using your iCloud storage. Apple breaks this down by category so you can target the biggest space hogs first.

On iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap your name at the top of the screen.
3. Tap iCloud.
4. Tap Manage Account Storage (or Storage on older versions of iOS).
5. Review the colour-coded bar at the top showing what is using your space.

On Mac

1. Click the Apple menu and select System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS).
2. Click your Apple ID at the top of the sidebar.
3. Click iCloud.
4. Click Manage next to the storage bar.

Free Up Space by Category

Remove Old Device Backups

Every time you back up an iPhone, iPad or Mac to iCloud, a full copy of that device is stored. If you've upgraded devices over the years, you may have multiple outdated backups taking up gigabytes of space.

On iPhone or iPad:

1. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Account Storage.
2. Tap Backups.
3. Select the backup you no longer need.
4. Tap Delete Backup, then confirm.

On Mac:

1. Open System Settings > Apple ID > iCloud.
2. Click Manage, then select Backups from the sidebar.
3. Select an old backup and click Delete.

Optimise iCloud Photos Storage

If you use iCloud Photos, your full-resolution images and videos count against your storage. Enabling "Optimise Storage" keeps smaller versions on your device while storing the originals in iCloud.

On iPhone or iPad:

1. Open Settings > Photos.
2. Turn on Optimise iPhone Storage (or Optimise iPad Storage).
3. Wait for your device to upload originals and replace local copies.

On Mac:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Go to Photos > Settings (or Preferences).
3. Click the iCloud tab.
4. Tick Optimise Mac Storage.

Clear App Data from iCloud

Many apps store documents and data in iCloud. You can disable iCloud syncing for apps you don't need synced, or delete the data they have already uploaded.

On iPhone or iPad:

1. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud.
2. Tap Manage Account Storage.
3. Tap an app showing a large amount of data.
4. Tap Delete Data to remove what is stored, or toggle the app off under Apps Using iCloud to stop it syncing in future.

Empty the iCloud Trash

Deleted photos, files and notes move to a "Recently Deleted" folder and continue to use iCloud storage for up to 30 days. Emptying this folder frees up space immediately.

On iPhone or iPad:

1. Open the Photos app, tap Albums, then scroll down and tap Recently Deleted.
2. Tap Select, then Delete All.
3. For files, open the Files app, tap Recently Deleted, then tap Delete All.

On Mac:

1. In the Photos app, go to Recently Deleted in the sidebar and click Delete All.
2. In Finder, open iCloud Drive, right-click Recently Deleted in the sidebar and choose Delete Now.

Reduce Future iCloud Usage

Once you've freed up space, a few small changes will help prevent the issue from recurring.

• Disable backups for unused devices. In Settings > iCloud > Backups, turn off backups for any device you no longer use.
• Turn off iCloud for apps you don't need. Review the list under Apps Using iCloud and toggle off anything you don't actively sync.
• Use Messages in iCloud selectively. If you have large group chats with lots of photos and videos, consider turning off Messages in iCloud or enabling Keep Messages for 30 days or 1 year under Settings > Messages.
• Manage Mail attachments. Large emails with attachments can quietly consume storage. Delete old emails with attachments or set up rules to archive them locally.

Troubleshooting

Storage Bar Is Not Updating

Sometimes the iCloud storage bar takes a few minutes to refresh after you delete content. Force a refresh by signing out of iCloud and signing back in, or by restarting your device.

Cannot Delete a Backup

If the Delete Backup option is greyed out, the device may still be signed in to your Apple ID. Sign out of that device first, or delete the backup from a different device signed in to the same Apple ID.

Storage Full But Nothing to Delete

If your storage appears full but you cannot find large items, check whether you have hidden data such as:

• Old Mail attachments cached on your device.
• iCloud Drive folders containing large documents.
• Data from third-party apps that sync automatically.

You can also check usage from any browser by visiting icloud.com, signing in and reviewing the storage breakdown.

Still Running Out of Space

If you have removed everything you can and still need more room, Apple offers paid iCloud+ plans starting at 200 GB. Upgrading is done under Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Change Storage Plan. Alternatively, you can move large files such as photo libraries and documents to an external drive or NAS device to keep them outside of iCloud entirely.

Still Having Issues?