The fastest way to clear iCloud storage

The quickest path is to delete photos and videos from your iCloud Photo Library, since media files take up the most space. Open the Photos app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, select the items you want to remove, tap or click Delete, then empty the Recently Deleted folder — files stay there for 30 days before they actually leave iCloud. If you delete from Recently Deleted, the space frees up when ready.

If you do not want to lose those photos, move them to your computer or an external drive first. You can also turn off iCloud Photos entirely in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos, which stops syncing new photos but keeps existing ones in iCloud until you delete them manually.

For most people, this single step recovers gigabytes of space. If you still need more room after clearing photos, the next targets are email attachments, old backups, and documents stored in iCloud Drive.

Key Takeaways

  • Photos and videos are the largest files in most iCloud accounts, so deleting them from the Photos app and emptying Recently Deleted recovers the most space fastest.
  • Turning off iCloud Photos in Settings stops new uploads but does not delete existing photos — you must delete them manually to free space.
  • Old device backups often sit unused in iCloud Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage and can be deleted without affecting your current device.
  • Mail attachments and large files in iCloud Drive are the next biggest space users after photos, and deleting old emails or unused documents can recover several gigabytes.
  • You can see exactly what is using space by opening iCloud Settings and tapping Manage Storage, which shows a breakdown by app and file type.

Check what is actually using your space

Before you start deleting, look at the breakdown so you know where your space is going. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage. On Mac, go to System Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage. The screen shows a list of apps and how much space each one uses.

Photos and Camera usually appear at the top. Mail, Documents, and Backups are the next common culprits. If an app you never use is taking up space — like an old game or a note-taking app you switched away from — you can delete its iCloud data directly from this screen without uninstalling the app itself.

This view also shows you how much total space you have left. Free accounts get 5 GB. If you are paying for more, you can see your plan size and how much you have used.

Delete old device backups

iCloud automatically backs up your iPhone or iPad when it charges and connects to Wi-Fi. If you have upgraded devices over the years, old backups sit in iCloud taking up space even though you will never use them again. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage, tap Backups, and you will see a list of every device that has backed up to your account.

Tap any backup you no longer need — like an old iPhone 8 or an iPad you sold — and select Delete Backup. That space frees up when ready. Keep only the backups for devices you currently own and use. If you have a current iPhone and a current iPad, you should have two backups; anything older can go.

Be careful not to delete the backup for a device you still use, because you will lose the ability to restore it if something goes wrong. If you are unsure which device a backup belongs to, the date and device model are listed.

Remove large attachments and old emails

Mail attachments add up quickly, especially if you receive a lot of PDFs, images, or videos. The easiest approach is to delete old emails in bulk. On iPhone or iPad, open Mail, select a folder like All Mail or a specific inbox, tap Edit, then select multiple emails and delete them. On Mac, you can search for emails from a specific date range and delete them all at once.

If you want to keep certain emails but remove their attachments, that is harder — Mail does not have a built-in tool to strip attachments. Your best option is to save important attachments to your computer or iCloud Drive, then delete the original emails.

You can also turn off Mail syncing in iCloud Settings if you use a different email client. This stops iCloud from storing your mail, though it does not delete what is already there — you have to delete emails manually first.

Clean up iCloud Drive and Documents

Any app that uses iCloud Drive to store documents — like Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Notes, or third-party apps — keeps copies in iCloud. Open iCloud Drive on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac and look for folders or files you no longer need. Delete old projects, drafts, or documents you have moved elsewhere. On iPhone and iPad, swipe left on a file and tap Delete. On Mac, right-click and select Delete.

Some apps also store data in iCloud that is separate from iCloud Drive. For example, Notes syncs through iCloud even if you do not use iCloud Drive. If you have old notes you do not need, delete them from the Notes app itself — they will not sync back to iCloud.

Check your Manage Storage screen again to see if Documents has shrunk. If an app is still using a lot of space and you no longer use it, you can delete its iCloud data from the Manage Storage list without uninstalling the app.

Turn off syncing for apps you do not use

Some apps automatically sync data to iCloud even if you rarely open them. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud on iPhone or iPad, or System Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud on Mac, and scroll through the list of apps. Toggle off any app that you do not use or do not need synced across devices.

Turning off syncing stops new data from uploading to iCloud, but it does not delete what is already there. If you want to free that space, you have to delete the app's data from Manage Storage first, then turn off syncing so it does not come back.

Common apps to consider turning off: old games, apps you switched to a different version of, or services you no longer subscribe to. Keeping syncing on only for apps you actually use across multiple devices keeps your iCloud account lean.

Understand what happens when you delete

When you delete a photo from the Photos app, it goes to Recently Deleted for 30 days. During that time, you can recover it by opening Recently Deleted, selecting the photo, and tapping Recover. After 30 days, it is gone permanently and the space is freed. If you empty Recently Deleted manually, the space frees up right away.

When you delete an email, it goes to the Trash folder and stays there for 30 days before iCloud removes it. You can recover deleted emails during that window by opening Trash and moving them back to your inbox.

When you delete a backup, it is gone when ready — there is no recovery period. Make sure you do not need it before you delete it.

Deleting files from iCloud Drive removes them from all your devices that sync to iCloud. If you have the file saved elsewhere — like on your computer — it stays there, but it disappears from iCloud and from other devices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does deleting photos from my iPhone delete them from iCloud too?

Only if you have iCloud Photos turned on. If iCloud Photos is enabled, deleting a photo from your iPhone deletes it from iCloud and all your other devices. If iCloud Photos is off, deleting from your iPhone does not affect iCloud. Check Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos to see if it is on.

What happens if I turn off iCloud Photos?

Turning off iCloud Photos stops syncing new photos to iCloud, but it does not delete photos already there. Your existing photos stay in iCloud until you delete them manually. Your iPhone photos are not affected — they stay on your device.

Can I recover a deleted backup?

No. Once you delete a backup from iCloud Settings, it is gone permanently. There is no recovery period like there is for photos or emails. Only delete backups you are certain you will not need.

How much space do photos usually take up?

It depends on how many photos you have and their resolution. A typical iPhone photo is 2 to 4 MB. A thousand photos might use 2 to 4 GB. If you have years of photos, it is straightforward to use several gigabytes or more. Deleting old photos is usually the fastest way to free up space.

If I delete mail, does it free up iCloud space right away?

Deleted emails go to Trash for 30 days. The space is not freed until they are removed from Trash, either automatically after 30 days or when you empty Trash manually. Emptying Trash when ready frees the space.