How to Free Up iCloud Storage (Without Losing What Matters)

By Matthieu Poulain · Updated September 26, 2026 · 7 min read

To free up iCloud storage, first check what is using it in Settings > [your name] > iCloud. For most people the two big wins are deleting backups of old devices and cleaning up the photo library, since photos, videos and backups usually take far more space than anything else. Then empty Recently Deleted so the space is actually released.

Step 1: See what is actually filling your iCloud

Before deleting anything, find the real culprit. Guessing wastes time, and you might delete the wrong thing.

1. Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
2. Tap iCloud. The storage bar shows how your space is split.
3. Tap the storage bar or Manage Account Storage (the wording varies slightly between iOS versions) to see a list of everything using iCloud, sorted by size.

The usual suspects are Photos, Backups, iCloud Drive, Messages and Mail. Note the two or three biggest items and focus on those first.

Step 2: Delete backups of devices you no longer use

This is often the fastest win. When you replace an iPhone or iPad, the old device's backup can stay in iCloud indefinitely.

1. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud and open your storage management screen.
2. Tap Backups to see every device with a backup and its size.
3. Tap a device you no longer use and choose to delete its backup.

While you are there, you can also look at which apps are included in your current iPhone's backup. Some apps store large amounts of data you may not need backed up.

Step 3: Clean up your photo library

For most people, Photos is the biggest item by far. With iCloud Photos turned on, every photo and video you keep on your iPhone is also stored in iCloud, so cleaning the library on your iPhone cleans iCloud too.

That is also the part to be careful with: with iCloud Photos on, deleting a photo on your iPhone deletes it on all your devices and on iCloud.com. If you want to keep a copy of something before deleting it, export it first to a computer, an external drive through the Files app, or another photo service. Our guide on deleting photos from your iPhone but not iCloud explains how syncing works in detail.

Start with the biggest files

A handful of long videos can take more space than thousands of photos. A minute of 4K video can take several hundred MB. Sort through your videos first: old screen recordings, accidental pocket videos and long clips you'll never rewatch are easy wins.

Remove duplicates

In recent iOS versions, the Photos app has a Duplicates album under Utilities. It finds exact duplicates and near-identical copies, and its Merge button keeps the highest-quality version. See our full guide to deleting duplicate photos on iPhone.

The Duplicates album doesn't catch similar-but-different shots, like the ten versions of the same group photo or a burst of your dog jumping. Those often make up a large share of a cluttered library.

Clear screenshots and other clutter

Screenshots, bursts and old memes pile up quietly. In the Photos app you can open Screenshots under Media Types, tap Select, then drag your finger across the thumbnails to select many at once before tapping the trash icon.

If you'd rather go through everything faster, PhotoTri lets you swipe through your photos one at a time, filter by category (screenshots, bursts, large videos over 100 MB and more), sort by heaviest files first, and group similar shots taken seconds apart so you can pick the one to keep. Deleted items go to a review trash first, so nothing disappears by accident.

Step 4: Empty Recently Deleted

Deleted photos and videos first go to the Recently Deleted album, where they stay for 30 days. The space is only really released once they leave that album, either after 30 days or when you delete them from there yourself.

1. Open Photos and scroll to Utilities > Recently Deleted.
2. Unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.
3. Check that nothing important is in there, then tap Select and choose to delete all items.

More detail in our guide to permanently deleting photos on iPhone.

Step 5: Tidy up iCloud Drive

iCloud Drive holds files you saved yourself and files some apps save automatically, such as documents, exports and downloads.

1. Open the Files app and tap Browse > iCloud Drive.
2. Switch to list view and sort by Size to see the biggest files first.
3. Delete what you don't need. Deleted files go to Recently Deleted in the Files app, where you can remove them permanently.

Old video exports, disk images, zip archives and duplicated downloads are common space hogs.

Step 6: Shrink Messages and Mail

If Messages in iCloud is on, your conversations and their photos, videos and attachments are stored in iCloud.

• Delete long conversations full of media you don't need, especially group chats.
• Limit how long messages are kept in Settings > Messages > Keep Messages (in newer iOS: Settings > Apps > Messages), choosing 30 Days or 1 Year instead of Forever. This deletes older messages, so save anything important first.
• In Mail, search for old emails with large attachments and delete them, then empty the Trash folder.

Step 7: Check the result, then decide on your plan

Go back to Settings > [your name] > iCloud. Changes can take a little while to show up, so check again later if the bar hasn't moved yet.

If you are still near the limit after a real cleanup, upgrading to an iCloud+ plan may simply make sense for your library. The free tier is only 5 GB, which fills up quickly with photos. The point of cleaning first is to pay for the space you actually need, not for years of duplicates and screenshots.

What not to do

• Don't turn off iCloud Photos to "save space" without a plan. Depending on your settings, your iPhone may only hold smaller optimized versions of your photos. Make sure Download and Keep Originals has finished, or that you have another full copy, before changing anything.
• Don't expect Optimize iPhone Storage to help iCloud. It frees space on your iPhone, not in iCloud.
• Don't delete your only backup. Keep at least one recent backup of your current iPhone.

Keep it from filling up again

Most iCloud storage problems come back because the library keeps growing. A short cleanup once a month, right after a trip or an event, keeps things under control. Our guide to organizing photos on iPhone includes a simple 10-minute monthly routine.

It also helps to check your camera format. In Settings > Camera > Formats, High Efficiency saves photos and videos in formats that take roughly half the space of Most Compatible. And Settings > Camera > Record Video shows how much space each video quality uses per minute, so you can choose 4K only when you really need it.