14/11/2020
How to free up iCloud storage without paying for more? A selective backup to iCloud may help when iCloud is full. Itâs no surprise to anyone that the 5GB that come with free iCloud accounts is not enough for average iPhone users. Youâll run out of storage even faster if you own multiple iOS devices.
iCloud backup is great only if you donât go over the 5GB limit. Without enough storage, your device wonât be able to back up to iCloud. This is critical if you lose or break your phone then you can restore your data to a new iPhone.
Otherwise, your photos and videos wonât upload to iCloud Photos and iCloud Drive. And you canât also send or receive emails with your iCloud email address. That shouldnât be an issue since most iPhone users donât use it as their primary email.
One way you can reduce iCloud storage is to choose what to back up to iCloud. The Photos app takes a lot of space in iCloud. So if you have a lot of photos, you can use other alternative cloud storage services to back up your photos and keep them safe.
During your iPhone setup, if youâve selected to use iCloud for backing up your iOS device, then after you installed your apps, their settings, and data will automatically back up to iCloud. You can, however, choose which apps to back up to iCloud, that way you have more control over your iCloud storage space.
How to free up iCloud storage
Hereâre all the iCloud storage tips youâll learn in this guide.
1. Check to see how much storage you have
Before we see the tip, youâll want to know how much storage space youâve used.
To see how much storage you currently have, go to the Settings app, tap the Apple ID banner, then iCloud.
The color graph at the top shows how much storage you have left and which data are taking how much space.
2. Manage your photos and videos. Photos and videos are a nice way to capture those moments you donât want to forget. If youâve enabled iCloud Photo Library, your photos and videos drain the 5GB of free iCloud. To clean up iCloud storage, turn off iCloud Photo Library, and use other free cloud storage services to store all your photos and videos. You can also save them locally on your iPhone if you have storage.