Perhaps, you may need more iCloud storage for your iOS device. Okay, that’s simple, it’s either you make space or you buy more storage! However, buying more storage could cost you a fortune. So, knowing how to manage iCloud storage becomes an essential thing for you.
Moreover, when you set up iCloud, you will automatically get 5GB of free storage space. With the free storage space, you can keep your photos and videos saved up in iCloud Photos. Likewise, use it for your iCloud backups and to keep your important documents up to date in the iCloud Drive. On exhausting this free storage space, you can equally purchase more storage space with several purchasing plans available to you.
Meanwhile, when your free storage is full and you are yet to purchase more storage, you won’t be able to backup to iCloud. Also, you won’t be able to store new photos and videos in your iCloud Photo Library. In a similar way, other iCloud apps will not be able to update across devices. So, that’s why knowing how to manage iCloud storage comes into play. But first, you would like to know how much iCloud storage is used or available for you to use.
How to Check your iCloud Storage Usage
To know how much storage is available or used, follow the quick steps below;
- On your iOS device, go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud. Click on the iCloud Storage or Manage Storage option to view more in-depth information on how apps and services are using your storage.
- On your Mac device, go to Apple Menu > System > Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud. Also, click on Manage to see details on how apps and services are using your storage.
- For your Windows Pc, open iCloud for Windows
- Then, on a supported browser, sign in to iCloud.com and click on Account Settings.
Note: Your iCloud storage is different from the storage capacity that comes with your device.
Steps to Manage iCloud Storage
If you run out of iCloud storage, you can make more space available in iCloud by deleting some content that you are no longer using. However, to manage iCloud storage which will lead to deleting some contents, it is best you archive or makes copies of the information you have stored in iCloud before deleting anything. Having done that, you will have to manage iCloud storage following these procedures;
1. Delete and Turn Off iCloud Backups for your Device
Many iOS apps automatically backups to iCloud after you install them. So, to manage your iCloud storage well, you need to decrease the size of your iCloud backups. That is, freeing up space in iCloud and turning off backups for apps that are not in use or also deleting old iCloud backups. Below are the steps to take in performing the above;
For iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch
- Go to the Settings app, then Your Name. Under Your Name section, click on iCloud
- Select Manage Storage, then Backups
- Tap on the name of the device whose backup you would like to delete
- Click on Delete Backup
- Next, tap on Turn Off & Delete.
For Mac
- Go to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Apple ID. Click on iCloud under Apple ID.
- Next, click Manage and select Backups.
- Select the device backups you wish to delete, then tap Delete. Meanwhile, if you want to turn off Backup and remove all backups for that device from iCloud, select Delete when they ask you to confirm.
For Windows
- First, open iCloud for Windows
- Tap on Storage
- Choose Backup from the items listed
- Select the device backups you wish to delete and hit the Delete button. Choose delete when you are asked to confirm if you want to turn off backup and remove all backups for that device from iCloud.
Remember, when you delete a backup, it also turns off iCloud Backup for your device.
2. Delete Some Photos and Videos from your iCloud Photos
Since your iCloud Photos uses your iCloud storage to keep all your photos and videos up to date, you can manage iCloud storage efficiently by deleting some photos and videos that you no longer consider relevant from the Photos app on your devices. However, make taking this step, make sure you backup the photos and videos that you still need.
For iOS Devices [iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch]
- Go to the Photos app, then click on Photos at the bottom of your screen
- Click Select. You can mark all the photos and videos that are not relevant in your storage to delete them
- Tap the Trash icon and then click Delete Photo.
For Mac Device
- Launch the Photos app
- Choose the photos and videos that you want to delete
- Select Image and then click Delete Photos.
For iCloud.com
- On your computer or iPad, sign in to iCloud.com
- Click the Photos app
- Choose the photos or videos to delete as usual
- Click on Trash and then Delete.
Meanwhile, you can still recover photos and videos that you deleted from your Recently Deleted album within 30 days of deleting them. However, if you want to remove the photos from the Recently Deleted album before such duration, just go to Select and choose the items you want to delete permanently. Tap Delete > Delete. But if your iCloud storage limit is already exceeded, your items will delete immediately once you delete them and they won’t be available for recovery.
Reduce the size of your Photo Library
In addition, if you don’t use iCloud Photos, your Camera Roll is part of your iCloud Backup. So, for you to check the amount of storage it is using, follow the steps below
- Go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud
- Click on Manage Storage. Then Backups
- Tap on the name of the device you’re using, then look at Photos.
Hence, for you to minimize the size of your Photos Library backup, and constantly save your photos and videos to your computer. You can then manually back up to your iOS device.
Also Read
How to Create a New Apple ID on your iPhone, iPad & MacBook
iCloud Email Login – Sign in to iCloud to Quickly Access your Emails
3. Delete Folders or Files in iCloud Drive to Manage iCloud Storage
To manage and delete folders or files you stored in iCloud Drive from your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, or PC, follow the steps below;
For iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch
- Go to the Files app and click on Browse
- Click on iCloud Drive under Location, then Select
- Choose the folders or files that you want to delete and click on the Trash icon
- Go to Location > Recently Deleted > Select
- Now, choose the files that you want to delete.
- Then tap Delete.
Note: With iOS 11 or later, files that you delete from iCloud Drive will remain in Recently Deleted for 30 days before they are removed permanently from your device.
For Mac
To manage your iCloud Drive files, go to the iCloud Drive folder in Finder.
1. So, for you to turn on iCloud Drive on your Mac, follow these steps;
- Go to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud
- Sign in using your Apple ID
- Turn on iCloud Drive. But in Options, make sure that you selected the apps or folders for the files you want to manage.
2. Now, open Finder and go to the iCloud Drive folder
3. Pick an item to the Trash icon or move it to a different folder on your Mac
4. Next, open Trash and right-click the files that you wish to delete.
4. Select Delete Immediately.
For Windows
If your PC is running on Windows 7 or higher, you can manage your iCloud Drive files using Windows Explorer. Follow the steps below
- Download and Install iCloud for Windows
- Log in using your Apple ID
- Turn on iCloud Drive
- Go to the iCloud Drive folder and select the folders or files that you want to delete
- Click Delete
For iCloud.com
- Sign in to iCloud.com from your computer or iPad
- Click on the iCloud Drive app
- Choose the files that you want to delete and then click on Trash
- Next, open the iCloud Drive folder and tap Recently Deleted
- Again, select the folders or files that you want to delete,
- Then click on Delete.
4. Delete Messages from your Email Account
To manage iCloud storage, you can delete email messages from your iCloud email account. Also, you can move your email messages from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac or PC where they no longer count against your iCloud storage. Use the steps below to delete your email messages;
For iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
- Go to your Mail box
- Swipe left across any message you want to delete
- Click on your Trash folder
- You can delete messages one at a time or go to Edit then Delete All to delete all of them at a go.
For Mac or Windows PC
Perhaps you use iCloud Mail with a desktop email app, such as Mail on your Mac or Microsoft Outlook on your PC, follow these steps to delete
- Mail on your Mac: Delete the emails you no longer need. Choose Mailbox > Erase Deleted Items and then select your iCloud email account from the menu
- Mail on Microsoft Outlook 2010 through Outlook 2016 [Windows]: Delete the emails you no longer want. Then Outlook will permanently delete your messages the next time you close and restart the app.
For iCloud.com
- Log in to your iCloud account from your computer or iPad
- Click on Mail
- Next, delete the messages that you no longer want
- Then click the Settings app and select the Empty Trash option.
Delete Voice Memos
Voice Memos in iCloud make your voice recordings be stored in iCloud. So, to manage iCloud storage effectively, you can easily delete the voice memos. Kindly follow these few lines of guide;
- Open Voice Memos
- Delete the recordings that are less important
- It will move to Recently Deleted and will delete permanently after 30 days.
- You can choose to restore deleted items or delete them permanently before the 30-day duration. Just select Recover All or Erase All to affect all recordings at one time.
Meanwhile, if you use iOS 11 or earlier, or macOS High Sierra or earlier, your Voice Memos are included in iCloud Backup, not iCloud.
That’s all! These are the steps you can follow to manage iCloud storage efficiently!
I hope it was helpful? Feel free to leave us a reply!