The iCloud storage that comes with your Apple account can be incredibly useful for offloading large files from your iPhone, but even the cloud can get full eventually, leaving you searching for ways to avoid shelling out more money for additional storage. Here are some practical techniques to ease the pressure on your cloud storage.
1. First Off, What’s Taking Up All Your iCloud Storage Anyway?
The free 5GB of storage that comes with your Apple ID quickly gets consumed by several of Apple’s iCloud features. The Photos app, with thousands of large image and video files, is usually the biggest data hog. But iCloud Backup, files in iCloud Drive, and apps that store shared data also take up significant amounts of this free space. To see which apps and features are using the most space, on your iPhone or iPad go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Storage. On a Mac, go to System Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and click Manage next to Account Storage. You can also go to Your iCloud Storage on the web, but you’ll only be able to see an overview of the storage usage, not take any direct action.
2. The Easiest Fix: Upgrade to More Storage
When you’re faced with a dwindling amount of space, Apple will eagerly recommend upgrading to a different plan with higher storage tiers. That could be the best option if you just don’t want to bother cleaning out your data. As long as the cost is within your budget, paying that would mean you don’t have to think about clearing out your storage until you reach the new storage limit, that is. Upgrading to iCloud Plus in the US calls for the following amounts per month for more storage: 50GB for $1, 200GB for $3, 2TB for $10, 6TB for $30, and 12TB for $60.
3. Quickly See What’s Recommended for You
Recommendations like deleting inactive backups or reviewing your photos and videos can be found under an umbrella feature called Recommended for You at Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Recommended for You. You can find out how to upgrade your plan and also learn about other iCloud features, and you may also see a Free Up Storage section with ideas. This is a quick shortcut to check out, though as you’ll see below, additional options for managing your storage are available.
4. Remove Unwanted and Duplicate Photos and Videos
If you have iCloud Photos enabled, images and videos are automatically synced to iCloud and made available to all of your devices. Do you need to keep everything? Identifying unneeded pictures can be time-consuming, but it can make a significant difference in freeing up storage space. To make things easier, use the Photos app to find and remove duplicates in your library. On the iPhone or iPad, scroll to the Utilities list and select Duplicates. It pairs similar shots for your consideration; tap Merge to keep the highest-resolution version and send the other(s) to the Recently Deleted category.
5. Are Old Device Backups Cluttering Your Storage?
Do you have an old device’s iCloud backup still taking up space? The iCloud Backup feature works in the background, but if you get a new phone, the old backup can stick around on the cloud. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup and look at the All Device Backups list. If an unused one is still listed, tap it and then tap Turn Off and Delete from iCloud to free up space.
6. Delete Attachments in Your Messages Conversations
I often share photos and funny memes with friends in the Messages app, but I was shocked to discover that those little attachments added up to almost 55GB of cloud storage! A feature called Messages in iCloud stores and syncs text messages to make sure you’re seeing the same things on every device. Over time, the associated files have built up a serious cloud blockage. Options such as removing specific conversations help to trim the storage down to a reasonable level.
7. Delete or Move Files in Your iCloud Drive
iCloud Drive is a handy shared space for storing documents, videos, and other files that you want to make available on all your Apple devices or share with other people. It’s also where the Mac Desktop and Documents folders are stored. If your Desktop is as stuffed as mine, that could be a significant source of stored cruft. On the Mac, open a new Finder window and click iCloud Drive in the sidebar, then move any files or folders to another location on your disk to remove them from the cloud.
8. Get Rid of Old Lingering App Data
Apps can store data in iCloud for use across devices, but when you stop using them, the data can still stick around. On the iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Account Storage. That breaks down which apps and services are taking up your storage. In many cases, you can’t dig down to see which documents are being used; you may only have the option to delete the app’s data. Some apps, such as Apple’s Numbers spreadsheet, will show more information, which can lead you to find the files in the app or on disk. But the only action you can take is to delete all the app’s data.
9. Cut the Chatter by Removing Old Voice Memos
One effective tactic is to regularly review and delete unused apps. Every installed app not only occupies storage but sometimes also clutters your backup. Another method is optimizing your photo storage. Use the “Optimize iPhone Storage” option, which keeps smaller, space-saving versions of your photos on your device, while the full-resolution images reside in the cloud. Videos, which consume a lot of space, can be archived to a computer or external drive. Don’t forget to clear out old message threads with large attachments, and regularly back up your device to an external hard drive to avoid duplication in iCloud.