iCloud Storage Full? What's Using It and How to Free Up Space

iCloud storage fills up because everything synced to your Apple Account shares one space: Photos, device backups, iCloud Drive, Messages and Mail. The free plan includes 5 GB, which a single phone's photo library usually outgrows. To see what's using it, open Settings → [your name] → iCloud; the biggest wins are usually deleting old device backups and cleaning duplicate photos and long videos.

See what's taking up iCloud space

1. Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
2. Tap iCloud. The bar shows how much each category uses.
3. Tap Manage Account Storage (or Storage, depending on your iOS version) for the full list.

Apple's guide to managing iCloud storage lists the same categories and confirms the free 5 GB.

Delete backups you don't need

Old backups of phones and iPads you no longer use often take several gigabytes each.

1. In Manage Account Storage, tap Backups.
2. Tap a backup of a device you don't use any more and delete it.
3. For your current phone, open its backup and turn off apps whose data you don't need backed up (games that sync elsewhere, apps that store data in their own cloud).

Don't delete the only backup of your current phone unless you have another one, for example on a computer.

Clean up photos and videos

With iCloud Photos on, your whole library counts toward iCloud storage, and deleting a photo on your iPhone deletes it from iCloud and every device. That's what you want for duplicates, and what you don't want for photos you meant to keep. Back up anything important elsewhere first.

• Duplicates. The Photos app has a Duplicates album under Utilities; merge the copies it finds. Our guide to finding and deleting duplicate photos also covers similar shots it misses.
• Long videos. A few minutes of 4K video can take more space than hundreds of photos. Sort by type, check Videos, and keep only the clips you'll watch again.
• Screenshots and blurry shots. Hundreds of small files add up.
• Recently Deleted. Deleted items stay there for 30 days. Empty it when you're sure, to finish the clean-up.

Photo Wash helps with the slow part: it finds duplicates, similar shots and blurry photos while you browse your library by country and city, all on the device. You review every suggestion before anything is deleted.

iCloud Drive, Messages and Mail

• iCloud Drive: open the Files app, go to iCloud Drive and sort by size. Move large files you rarely need to a computer or external drive.
• Messages: years of photos and videos in chats count too. In Settings → General → iPhone Storage → Messages, review large attachments.
• Mail: if you use an iCloud email address, delete old messages with big attachments and empty the Trash.

Should you just buy more storage?

If your library is large and you want everything in iCloud, upgrading to iCloud+ is the simple answer, and the plans are listed in Settings. But clean up first: duplicates and forgotten backups cost the same on a paid plan, and a tidy library is easier to browse. To free space on the iPhone itself rather than in iCloud, see our guide on how to free up iPhone storage without losing photos.

"iCloud storage full" emails: watch out for scams

Fake emails and texts saying your iCloud storage is full, your photos will be deleted, or you've won extra storage are a common phishing trick. They usually link to a page that asks for your Apple Account password or card details.

• Don't tap links in the message. Check storage in Settings instead; if it isn't full there, the email is fake.
• Apple's guide to recognising phishing explains how to spot and report these messages.
• Never enter your Apple Account password on a page you reached from a link in an unexpected message.

FAQ

Why is my iCloud storage full when I deleted photos?

Deleted photos stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days. Device backups, iCloud Drive and Messages also use space; check the breakdown in Settings.

Will turning off iCloud Photos free space?

Not on its own. Turning it off on one device stops syncing there; the library stays in iCloud. Make sure you have a full copy elsewhere before removing anything from iCloud.

Is 5 GB of iCloud enough?

For contacts, notes and settings, yes. For photos and full device backups, usually not.