Where your iCloud storage goes and how to check it
iCloud storage fills up fastest with photos, videos, and device backups — not email or documents. You can see exactly what is using your space by opening Settings on your iPhone or iPad, tapping your name at the top, then selecting iCloud. The storage meter shows your total used and remaining space, and below it you will see a list of apps and how much each one occupies.
On a Mac, go to System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions), click your Apple ID, then select iCloud. Click Manage next to the storage bar to see the breakdown. On iCloud.com, sign in, click Settings in the top right, then Account, then Manage Storage. All three views show the same information, so use whichever device is closest.
The largest category for most people is "Photos and Videos" — this includes your entire photo library if you turned on iCloud Photos. The second is usually "Device Backups," which stores a snapshot of your phone or tablet in case you need to restore it. Mail takes up space too, especially if you keep years of messages. Everything else — Notes, Reminders, Contacts — uses very little.
Key Takeaways
- iCloud Photos and device backups are the two biggest space users, and disabling either one stops new data from uploading but does not delete what is already stored.
- Deleting photos from your phone also deletes them from iCloud if iCloud Photos is on, so move important photos to your computer first if you want to keep them.
- Turning off backup for apps you do not need to restore saves space without affecting the apps themselves on your device.
- Paying for more storage costs $0.99 per month for 50 GB, $2.99 for 200 GB, or $9.99 for 2 TB, and the extra space applies to all your devices and your family group.
Deleting old photos and videos safely
If iCloud Photos is on, your phone and iCloud are linked — deleting a photo from your phone removes it from iCloud too. Before you delete anything, move photos you want to keep to your computer or an external drive. On a Mac, open Photos, select the images you want, then drag them to a folder on your desktop or use File > Export. On Windows, connect your iPhone with a cable, open File Explorer, navigate to your phone, then drag photos to a folder.
Once your important photos are safe, go to the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad and delete the rest. Tap Select in the top right, choose the photos you want to remove, then tap Delete. They move to the Recently Deleted album for 30 days before disappearing permanently. If you change your mind within those 30 days, open Recently Deleted, tap Select, choose the photos, and tap Recover.
For a faster cleanup, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage (or iPad Storage) and scroll down to see which apps are taking the most space. Photos and Camera often appear here. Tap Photos, then tap Offload App or Delete App — offloading removes the app but keeps your data, while deleting removes both. You can reinstall the app later without losing your photos, because they remain in iCloud.
Turning off backups and syncing you do not need
Device backups are automatic and run daily when your phone is plugged in, locked, and on Wi-Fi. A full backup can be 10 to 30 GB depending on your apps and data. If you do not plan to restore your phone from backup, you can turn this off. Go to Settings, tap your name, select iCloud, then tap Manage Storage. Choose your device from the list, tap Delete Backup, and confirm. Your phone will stop backing up, freeing that space when ready.
You can also choose which apps back up. In the same Manage Storage screen, tap your device name, then scroll down to see the list of apps. Toggle off any app you do not need to restore — for example, if you do not care about restoring your game progress, turn off that game's backup. Mail, Notes, and Reminders back up automatically, but you can turn those off too if you do not use them.
If you turn off iCloud Photos but want to keep your existing photos in iCloud, do not delete the backup. Instead, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos and toggle off iCloud Photos. A dialog will ask what to do with your library — choose Keep on My iPhone. Your photos stay on your device and in iCloud, but new photos will not sync automatically.
Paying for more storage or downgrading your plan
Apple gives every account 5 GB free. If you need more, you can buy a plan through Settings on any Apple device. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage, tap Change Storage Plan, and choose your tier. The 50 GB plan costs $0.99 per month, 200 GB costs $2.99, and 2 TB costs $9.99. Your payment method is charged monthly, and you can cancel anytime.
If you share an Apple Family group, the extra storage applies to the whole family — everyone in the group can use it, and the organizer pays the bill. To set up family sharing, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Family Sharing and invite family members. They accept the invitation and their storage joins the pool.
If you downgrade from a paid plan back to 5 GB free, you have 30 days to move your data before iCloud stops syncing. During those 30 days, your data is still there but nothing new uploads. After 30 days, if you are still over the free limit, iCloud will not back up your device or sync new photos. You can upgrade again anytime to restore syncing.
What happens when you run out of space
When your iCloud storage is full, backups stop running, new photos do not sync, and you cannot send or receive mail. Your existing data stays in iCloud — nothing is deleted — but nothing new gets added. You will see a notification on your device saying storage is full.
The fastest fix is to delete old photos or turn off backup for apps you do not need. If you do neither, you can buy more storage. Upgrading takes effect when ready, and backups and syncing resume within a few minutes. If you are not sure what is taking up space, go back to Manage Storage and look at the breakdown again — often you will find old device backups from phones you no longer own, which you can delete safely.
Moving your library off iCloud if you want to stop using it
If you decide iCloud is not for you, you can move your photos and data to your computer and turn off syncing. On a Mac, open Photos, go to Photos > Settings, click the iCloud tab, and uncheck iCloud Photos. A dialog asks whether to keep or remove your library from iCloud — choose Keep Downloaded Copy. Your photos stay on your Mac and in iCloud, but they stop syncing.
On Windows, read iCloud for Windows from Apple's website, sign in, and uncheck Photos. Then open File Explorer, go to iCloud Photos, and drag your photos to a folder on your computer. This takes time if you have thousands of photos, so let it run overnight if needed.
Once your photos are on your computer, go to Settings on your iPhone or iPad, tap [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos, and turn off iCloud Photos. Choose Delete Photos to remove them from your device and iCloud, or Keep Photos to keep them on your device only. After this, your phone and iCloud are no longer linked for photos.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I turn off iCloud Photos, do my photos disappear?
No. Turning off iCloud Photos stops new photos from uploading, but your existing photos stay on your device and in iCloud. If you want to remove them from iCloud, you must delete them separately. If you want to keep them on your device only, choose that option when you turn off iCloud Photos.
Can I delete old backups to free up space?
Yes. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage, tap your device name, and tap Delete Backup. You can delete backups from old phones you no longer use. Your current device will create a new backup the next time it is plugged in and on Wi-Fi.
What is the cheapest way to get more storage?
The 50 GB plan at $0.99 per month is the cheapest paid option. If you have a family group, you can split the cost of a larger plan among members. If you only need temporary extra space, you can upgrade for one month, delete what you do not need, then downgrade back to free.
Will my apps stop working if I turn off their backup?
No. Turning off backup for an app only stops iCloud from storing a copy of its data. The app continues to work normally on your device. If you restore your phone later, that app's data will not come back, but you can reinstall the app and start fresh.
How long does it take to free up space after I delete photos?
Deleted photos move to Recently Deleted for 30 days, and your iCloud storage is freed when ready. After 30 days, they are permanently gone. If you need the space right away, you can empty Recently Deleted manually by opening the Photos app, tapping Albums, scrolling to Recently Deleted, tapping Select, and tapping Delete All.