iCloud Storage Full? How to Free Up iCloud Storage

Every Apple Account comes with 5 GB of free iCloud storage, shared by backups, iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive, Messages, Mail and more. When it fills up, Apple says your device stops backing up to iCloud, new photos and videos stop uploading to iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive and other iCloud apps stop staying up to date across devices, and you can’t send or receive email with your iCloud email address.

Check Recommended for You

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   Step 1: Open iCloud settings

   Open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud.

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   Step 2: Open recommendations

   Tap Recommended for You (iOS 17 or later).

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   Step 3: Follow a suggestion

   Tap an option, such as photos, large files or old backups, and follow the onscreen steps.

Make your iCloud Backup smaller

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   Step 1: Open Backups

   In Settings › [your name] › iCloud, tap Storage or Manage Account Storage, then Backups.

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   Step 2: Choose a device

   Tap the device you’re using and turn off apps you don’t want to back up, then confirm with Turn Off. Apple says this removes that app’s backup information from iCloud. Some apps are always backed up.

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   Step 3: Delete old backups

   For a device you no longer use, tap it and choose Turn Off and Delete from iCloud, then Turn Off and Delete. This also turns off iCloud Backup for that device.

Free up space taken by iCloud Photos

With iCloud Photos, your photos and videos use iCloud storage, so deleting ones you don’t need frees space. Apple notes that items in Recently Deleted don’t count toward your iCloud storage, and that if you’re already over your limit, deleted photos and videos are removed immediately instead of going to Recently Deleted.

• Merge or delete duplicates: see how to delete duplicate photos on iPhone.
• In an iCloud Shared Photo Library, photos count toward the storage of the person who created the library.
• In iOS 27 or later, photos added to a shared album count toward the storage of the person who created the album.
• If you don’t use iCloud Photos, your photo library is part of your iCloud Backup instead. Check its size in iCloud › Storage › Backups, tap your device and look at Photo Library.

CleanX

Find photos and videos worth removing with CleanX

CleanX scans your photos and videos on your iPhone and shows how much space similar photos, duplicates, screenshots, blurry shots and videos take. With iCloud Photos on, what you delete is removed from iCloud too, like any deletion in Photos.

• Counts and sizes for each group of photos and videos
• Compress large videos to 1080p, 720p or 480p
• Scanning is free; deleting and compressing need CleanX Pro

Clear iCloud Drive and Messages

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   Step 1: iCloud Drive

   Open Files, tap Browse, then iCloud Drive. Tap the More button, then Select, choose files or folders and tap Delete. Apple says this removes them from iCloud Drive on all your devices.

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   Step 2: Messages attachments

   With Messages in iCloud, attachments use iCloud storage. Apple’s steps for iOS 26 and later: in a conversation, tap the contact’s name, then Photos. Tap Edit › Select Photos, choose images, tap Delete and confirm with Delete Attachment. Deleted messages and attachments stay in Recently Deleted in Messages for up to 30 days.

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   Step 3: Old messages

   Messages can also delete old conversations automatically: Settings › Apps › Messages › Keep Messages.