6 Ways to Clear iCloud Storage That Is Full on iPhone and iPad

Quick Tips

• Go to iCloud settings, turn off backup for Photos, and delete existing photos from iCloud.
• You can also turn off apps from backing up files and app data to iCloud.
• Delete large and unwanted files from iCloud Drive in the Files app to free up space.

Method 1: Turn Off iCloud Photos

Turning off iCloud Photos will turn off all subsequent backups to iCloud. You can also delete whatever photos are stored on iCloud.

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad > tap your profile > iCloud > Photos.

Step 2: Turn off the toggle for iCloud Photos.

Important: If your iOS device was low on storage, it may have replaced locally stored images with low-res versions instead. To get back the original versions, select the Download and Keep Originals setting before turning iCloud Photos off. If you are confused, read our guide to disable and delete photos from iCloud backups.

Note: Your photos or videos will not be backed up to your iCloud account anymore.

To delete the already backed-up photos to free up iCloud storage, follow the below steps.

Step 3: Return to the previous screen > tap Manage Storage > Photos > Disable and Delete.

Method 2: Turn Off Apps That Use iCloud

Most native and third-party apps and services on iPhone and iPad use iCloud to sync data, actions, and settings between devices.

Step 1: Open Settings > tap on your profile > go to iCloud > turn off the toggle for the app. The app will cease using iCloud to sync or back up any data.

Step 2: To delete existing app data from iCloud, tap Manage Storage > app. Delete the data from the following screen.

Method 3: Choose What Gets Backed Up

When performing system backups to iCloud, your iPhone or iPad uploads the documents and data related to almost every app installed. While that is great, if you want to do a complete system restore in the future, you can disable backup for non-essential apps.

Step 1: Open the Settings app > tap on your Profile > go to iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.

Step 2: Select your iPhone or iPad from underneath Backups. On the following screen, turn off the toggle for any app you don’t want iCloud to take a backup of alongside a system backup.

Step 3: Tap Turn Off to confirm. This will delete any backed-up data already present in iCloud and stop future backups for the app.

Repeat the same for the other apps you want to disable. Remember that if you have multiple iOS devices, you must use the device related to the backup itself to perform the modifications above.

Method 4: Delete Old Backups

Do you have any iOS devices that you no longer use? If so, this usually means there’s a backup occupying iCloud storage space unnecessarily.

Step 1: Open the Settings app > tap on your Profile > go to iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.

Step 2: Select the device whose backup you want to delete. On the following screen, tap Delete Backup.

Step 3: Tap Turn Off to confirm.

Method 5: Delete Files From iCloud Drive

Delete files from iCloud Drive (the file storage arm of iCloud) to free up space.

Step 1: Open the Files app and tap iCloud Drive.

Step 2: You will see all the files and folders located within iCloud Drive (except for system backups and synced app data). Dive into the various folders to see if there are any unwanted items that you can remove. The Search bar also lets you filter out items quickly.

You can not only delete files stored within iCloud Drive but also move them to alternate cloud storage or even save them locally.

Method 6: Alternate Storage for iWork Apps

iWork apps, which consist of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, use iCloud to store and sync files between devices. However, you can change the location to any other cloud storage installed on your iPhone or iPad. Alternatively, you can also save your documents locally.

However, there’s a catch. Switching to an alternate service will disable certain functionalities, notably the ability to collaborate with others, so do this only if you don’t mind losing out on key features.

Step 1: Open the Settings app > scroll down and select Pages, Numbers, or Keynote. On the subsequent screen, tap Document Storage.

Step 2: Select another cloud storage service or choose On My iPhone to save your documents locally.

Last Resort: Upgrade Your iCloud Storage Plan

While this might seem like an obvious move, it is by far the most efficient fix for the issue. You can only clear your iCloud storage to some extent. Therefore, if you can afford to pay the premium, we highly recommend buying and expanding your iCloud storage.

Here’s how different iCloud plans are priced.

Storage Option	Price
50 GB	$0.99 per month
200 GB	$2.99 per month
2 TB	$9.99 per month

Also Read: How to transfer iCloud contacts to Android