Manage your iCloud storage - Apple Support (2024)

Need more iCloud storage? You can easily manage your storage to make space or upgrade to iCloud+.

When you set up iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of storage. You can use that space for your iCloud backups, to keep your photos and videos stored in iCloud Photos, to keep your documents up to date in iCloud Drive, and more. You can always check how much iCloud storage you're using in Settings on your device or on iCloud.com. If you're running low, you can manage your storage to make more space or upgrade to iCloud+ any time.

Not sure about the difference between the storage capacity that comes with your device and iCloud storage? Learn more about device storage and iCloud storage

Make more space available in iCloud

If you run out of iCloud storage, your device won’t back up to iCloud, new photos and videos won't upload to iCloud Photos, and iCloud Drive and other iCloud apps won't stay up to date across your devices. And you also won't be able to send or receive emails with your iCloud email address.

You can free up storage in iCloud by deleting content that you're not using:

• Check Recommended for You

• Reduce the size of your iCloud Backup

• Delete photos in iCloud Photos

• Delete folders or files in iCloud Drive

• Delete texts and attachments in Messages

• Delete messages and manage Mail

• Delete voice memos

Before you delete anything, you might want to archive or make copies of the information that you store in iCloud.

Check Recommended for You

If you're getting low on storage in iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 or later, you can go to Recommended for You in your iCloud settings and check if there are photos, large files, or backups that you might not need anymore and can delete.

1. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.

2. Tap Recommended for You, then tap one of the options below and follow the onscreen instructions:

   

   • Tap Review Backups to identify and delete backups from devices that you no longer use.

   • Tap Review Photos & Videos to delete duplicate photos, screenshots, or videos that you might not need anymore.

   • Tap Review Large Files to get space back by deleting large files that you might not need anymore.

3. If you don't see any of these options, you can still manually delete content from iCloud.

Reduce the size of your iCloud Backup

When you back up your iPhone or iPad to iCloud, the most important information on your device is backed up automatically. Learn more about what iCloud backs up

Many apps automatically back up to iCloud after you install them. You can decrease the size of your iCloud Backup and free up space in iCloud when you stop backing up apps that you don't use or delete old iCloud backups.

Choose which apps to back up on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro

1. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.

2. Tap Manage Account Storage or tap Manage Storage, then tap Backups.

3. Tap the name of the device that you're using.

4. Turn off any apps that you don't want to back up.

5. Choose Turn Off & Delete.

When you confirm that you want to Turn Off & Delete an app, it turns off iCloud Backup for that app and removes all of its information from iCloud.

Some apps are always backed up and you can't turn them off.

Delete backups and turn off iCloud Backup for your device

You can delete old iCloud backups for the device you're currently using, or older devices you might not use anymore. iCloud backups are available for 180 days after you disable or stop using iCloud Backup. Backups that are currently being used to restore a device can't be deleted.

iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro

1. Go to Settings > [your name], then tap iCloud.

2. Tap Manage Account Storage or tap Manage Storage, then tap Backups.

3. Tap the name of the device whose backup you'd like to delete.

4. Tap Delete Backup > Turn Off & Delete.

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When you delete a backup, it also turns off iCloud Backup for your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro. You can turn iCloud Backup back on in iCloud settings on your device.

Mac

1. Choose Apple menu  > System Settings or choose Apple menu  > System Preferences.

2. Click Apple ID, then click iCloud.

3. Click Manage and select Backups.

4. Select one of the device backups, then click — to delete. If you want to turn off Backup and remove all backups for that device from iCloud, choose Delete when you're asked to confirm.

When you delete a backup, it also turns off iCloud Backup for your device. You can turn iCloud Backup back on in iCloud settings on your device.

Windows PC

1. Open iCloud for Windows.

2. Click Storage.

3. Select Backup from the items listed.

4. Select one of the device backups, then click Delete. If you want to turn off Backup and remove all backups for that device from iCloud, choose Delete when you're asked to confirm.

When you delete a backup, it also turns off iCloud Backup for your device. You can turn iCloud Backup back on in iCloud settings on your device.

Delete photos in iCloud Photos

iCloud Photos uses your iCloud storage to keep all of your photos and videos up to date across your devices. You can make more space in iCloud when you delete photos and videos that you no longer need from the Photos app on any of your devices.

Before you delete anything, make sure that you back up the photos and videos that you still want. When you use iCloud Photos and delete a photo or video on one device, it's also deleted on all other devices where you're signed in with the same Apple ID.

Use the steps below to delete photos and videos from your iCloud Photos. If you don't use iCloud Photos, you can delete photos from your Camera Roll instead.

If you are part of an iCloud Shared Photo Library, photos added to the Shared Library only count towards the storage of the person who created the Shared Library. To delete items that count towards your iCloud storage, make sure that you're viewing your Personal Library.

iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro

1. Open the Photos app, then tap Library at the bottom of your screen.

2. Tap All Photos.

3. Tap Select, and choose one or more photos or videos that you want to delete.

4. Tap the Delete button , and then tap Delete Photo.

If you don't use iCloud Photos

If you don't use iCloud Photos, your Camera Roll is part of your iCloud Backup. To check how much storage it's using in iCloud Backup:

1. Go to Settings > [your name], then tap iCloud.

2. Tap Manage Account Storage or tap Manage Storage, then tap Backups.

3. Tap the name of the device you're using, then look at Photos.

To reduce the size of your Photos backup, save your photos and videos to your computer, then manually back up your device. If you want to keep your photos and videos on your device, you can turn off Photos in Backup or upgrade to iCloud+ for more storage. If there are any photos that you don't want to keep, you can delete them:

1. Open Photos.

2. Select the item that you want to delete.

3. Tap the Delete button and then tap Delete Photo.

Mac

1. Open the Photos app.

2. Select the photos and videos that you want to delete.

3. Press the delete key on your keyboard, control-click, or right-click and choose Delete (#) Photos. Then click Delete to confirm.

iCloud.com

1. From your iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro, or computer, sign in to iCloud.com.

2. Select the Photos app.

3. Select the photos or videos that you want to delete.

   • To select multiple photos or videos, tap Select on iOS, iPadOS, or visionOS, or press and hold Command on a Mac or Control on a PC while you select the items.

   • To select all, press and hold Command-A on macOS or Control-A on Windows, or tap Select All on iOS, iPadOS, or visionOS.

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4. Tap the Delete button, then tap Delete.

You can recover photos and videos that you delete from your Recently Deleted album for 30 days. If you want to remove content from Recently Deleted album faster, tap Select, then select the items you want to remove. Tap Delete > Delete. If you exceed your iCloud storage limit, your device immediately removes any photos and videos you delete and they won't be available for recovery in your Recently Deleted album.

Delete folders or files in iCloud Drive

You can manage and delete folders or files you store in iCloud Drive from your iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, or PC. If you're a participant in someone else's shared folder, it doesn't count towards your iCloud storage.

iPhone

1. Go to the Files app and tap Browse.

2. Under Locations, tap iCloud Drive.

3. Tap the More button , then tap Select.

4. Choose the file or folder that you want to remove.

5. To delete the file or folder from iCloud Drive and all of your devices, tap the Delete button . You can find it in Recently Deleted for 30 days.

iPad or Apple Vision Pro

1. Go to the Files app and open the sidebar.

2. Under Locations, tap iCloud Drive.

3. Tap Select, then choose the file or folder that you want to remove.

4. To delete the file or folder from iCloud Drive and all of your devices, tap Delete. You can find it in Recently Deleted for 30 days.

Mac

1. Open the Finder and go to the iCloud Drive folder.

2. Drag an item to the Trash, or move it to a different folder on your Mac. If you move it to the Trash, you can find it in Recently Deleted for 30 days.

Windows PC

On a PC with iCloud for Windows, you can manage your iCloud Drive files using Windows Explorer. You can pin a file or folder to Windows Explorer, or use these steps to add an iCloud Drive folder to Windows Explorer and delete it from iCloud Drive:

1. Download and install iCloud for Windows.

2. Sign in with your Apple ID.

3. Turn on iCloud Drive.

4. Go to the iCloud Drive folder.

5. Select the folders or files that you want to delete.

6. Click Delete. You can find it in Recently Deleted for 30 days.

iCloud.com

1. Sign in to iCloud.com.

2. Tap the iCloud Drive app.

3. Select the files that you want to delete, then tap the Delete button . It'll be available in Recently Deleted for 30 days.

Delete texts and attachments in Messages

When you use Messages in iCloud, all of your text messages and the attachments you send and receive use your iCloud storage. You can make more space available when you delete texts and attachments—like photos, videos, and files—that you don't need anymore.

Delete a message or attachment on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro

1. In a message conversation, touch and hold the message bubble or attachment that you want to delete.

2. Tap More.

3. Tap the Delete button , then tap Delete Message. If you want to delete all messages in the thread tap Delete All, in the upper-left corner. Then tap Delete Conversation.

Delete multiple attachments from a contact or conversation

1. In a message conversation, tap the contact's name at the top of the screen.

2. In the Photos section, tap See All.

3. Tap Select, tap the images you'd like to delete.

4. Tap Delete, then tap Delete Attachment to confirm.

Delete an entire conversation

1. Swipe left over the conversation that you want to delete.

2. Tap Delete.

3. Tap Delete again to confirm.

Delete a message or attachment on your Mac

1. Open a message conversation.

2. Control-click the blank area of a message bubble that you want to delete.

3. Choose Delete.

4. Click Delete to confirm.

Delete multiple attachments from a contact or conversation

1. Open a message conversation.

2. Click the Info button

3. Scroll to the Photos section.

4. Click on an attachment then hold the Command key to select multiple attachments.

5. Control-click or right-click, then choose Delete.

6. Click Delete Attachment to confirm.

Delete an entire conversation

1. Control-click a conversation.

2. Choose Delete or Delete Conversation.

3. Click Delete to confirm.

Delete messages and manage Mail

You can free up iCloud space when you delete email messages from your iCloud email account. You can also move email messages from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC, where they no longer count against your iCloud storage.

Use the steps below to delete messages from your account. Remember that messages with large attachments take up more space than simple text emails.

iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro

If your device is set up to access iCloud email, you can delete messages from any mailbox, then empty the Trash to free up space:

1. Swipe left across any message to delete it.

2. Go to your Mailboxes and choose your Trash folder.

3. To delete messages one at a time, swipe left on each message. To delete everything, tap Edit, tap Select All, and then tap Delete. Tap Delete All to confirm.

Mac or Windows PC

If you use iCloud Mail with a desktop email app, such as Mail on your Mac or Microsoft Outlook on your PC, use these steps:

• Mail on your Mac: Delete the messages that you no longer want, then choose Mailbox > Erase Deleted Items and select your iCloud email account from the menu. Then click Erase to confirm.

• Microsoft Outlook 2010 through Outlook 2016 (Windows): Delete the messages that you no longer want. Outlook will permanently delete your messages the next time you close and restart the app.

iCloud.com

1. Sign in to iCloud.com.

2. Select Mail and choose your Trash folder.

3. To delete messages one at a time, select the message you want to delete, then select the Trash button . To delete multiple messages, select the messages you want to delete then select Delete.

Delete voice memos

With Voice Memos in iCloud, your voice recordings are stored in iCloud. You can easily delete them if you need more space.

iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro

1. Tap Edit, then select the voice memos that you want to delete.

2. Tap the Delete button .

3. Open Recently Deleted, then tap Edit.

4. Tap Delete All, or select voice memos then tap Delete.

Mac

1. Select the voice memos you want to delete.

2. Click the Delete button .

3. Open Recently Deleted, then click Delete All or Delete.

4. Click Delete Forever to confirm.

Learn how iCloud operates in China mainland.

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Published Date:April 05, 2024