icloud storage full: what's filling it and how to free it
by sumit paul · last updated
when icloud storage is full, check what's using it on your iphone (settings › your name › icloud) or mac (system settings › your name › icloud › manage). the usual culprits are photos and videos, device backups, icloud drive and messages attachments. delete old backups and large videos first; if you still need room, upgrade to an icloud+ plan or move big files like videos to google drive or dropbox.
what happens when it's full
according to apple, once you're over your limit:
- your iphone and ipad stop backing up to icloud.
- new photos and videos stop uploading to icloud photos.
- icloud drive and other icloud apps stop staying up to date across devices.
- you can't send or receive email with your icloud address.
your existing files aren't deleted. but nothing new is protected until you make room.
see what's filling it
- iphone or ipad: settings › your name › icloud, then storage or manage account storage, depending on your ios version.
- mac: apple menu › system settings › your name › icloud › manage.
- browser: sign in at icloud.com.
the list is sorted by size. the fixes below go roughly in the order these usually appear.
1. old device backups
backups of phones and ipads you no longer own are pure waste. on a mac: system settings › your name › icloud › manage › backups, select the old backup, click the minus button and confirm. on an iphone: icloud storage › backups › the device › turn off and delete from icloud.
for your current phone, open its backup in the same list and switch off apps you don't need backed up. if icloud photos is off, your photo library is part of the backup, which is often why backups are huge. apple's suggestion: save the photos to a computer and back them up there, then switch photos off in the backup list.
2. photos and videos
videos are almost always the biggest part of a full icloud. in photos, open media types › videos to see them in one place. deleting from icloud photos deletes from every device, and items move to recently deleted for 30 days. apple says items in recently deleted don't count toward your storage.
check shared libraries too: photos in an icloud shared photo library count toward the storage of the person who created it.
3. icloud drive
in finder, open icloud drive, switch to list view and click the size column to sort the biggest files to the top. drag files you don't need to the trash. remember that this deletes them from icloud and all your devices, not just the mac. deleted files can be restored from icloud.com for 30 days.
if desktop & documents folders is on, everything on your mac's desktop and in documents is in icloud drive too. old downloads and installers saved there count against your plan.
4. messages and mail
with messages in icloud, every photo and video sent in a chat counts. on a mac, open a conversation, click the info button, select attachments and delete them. on an iphone, open the conversation, tap the name, then photos › edit › select photos. for mail, use icloud mail cleanup to remove promotions and updates, and empty deleted items (mailbox › erase deleted items on a mac).
your options if you still need space
| option | good for | trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| delete what you don't need | old backups, duplicates, screen recordings | only goes so far |
| upgrade to icloud+ | keeping everything automatic on apple devices | an ongoing subscription |
| move big videos to google drive or dropbox | space you already pay for elsewhere; sharing outside apple | a manual move; not part of icloud photos anymore |
| move them to an external drive | archives you rarely open | one copy, unless you also back it up |
upgrading to icloud+
icloud+ comes in 50 GB, 200 GB, 2 TB, 6 TB and 12 TB plans, and a plan can be shared with up to five family members. on a mac: system settings › your name › icloud, then upgrade to icloud+ or manage plan. it's the least effort, and icloud photos, backups and drive keep working as they did. check apple's site for current prices in your country.
moving videos to google drive or dropbox
if you already have space in google drive or dropbox, moving your largest videos there can free more icloud than everything else on this list. do it carefully:
- in photos on a mac, select the videos and choose file › export › export unmodified original. with optimize mac storage on, photos downloads each original first, so you need enough free space for the batch you're exporting.
- copy the exported files into google drive or dropbox and wait until they've finished uploading. check on drive.google.com or dropbox.com.
- only then delete them from photos, and empty recently deleted if you need the space back right away.
for files in icloud drive, the same rule applies: make sure a file is fully downloaded (control-click › download now) before you copy it elsewhere, and don't delete it from icloud until the copy is safely uploaded.
once the videos are in google drive or dropbox, you'll want to open them without filling your mac again. google drive for desktop and dropbox download the whole file when you open it. feather drive streams them instead: it shows google drive and dropbox in finder and fetches only the part a video player or editor reads, so get info shows zero bytes on disk. it needs macos 26 or later, works with google drive and dropbox only, only sees files you put in it, needs a connection to open files, and is a paid app with a 3-day free trial.
related
- icloud optimize mac storage: on or off?
- does icloud drive take up space on your mac?
- how to open a large video from google drive without downloading it
- how to use dropbox in finder without filling your disk
common questions
what happens when icloud storage is full?
your devices stop backing up to icloud, new photos and videos stop uploading to icloud photos, icloud drive stops keeping files up to date across devices, and you can't send or receive email at your icloud address.
will deleting photos from my iphone free icloud storage?
with icloud photos on, yes: deleting a photo removes it from icloud and every device. it moves to recently deleted for 30 days, and items there don't count toward your storage.
does deleting an icloud backup delete my photos?
no. deleting a device backup removes only that backup. photos stored in icloud photos are kept separately and aren't touched.
can i move videos from icloud to google drive?
yes. export the originals from photos, or copy them from icloud drive, make sure they have uploaded to google drive or dropbox, then delete them from icloud. with optimize storage on, make sure the files are fully downloaded before you copy them.
is it better to buy more icloud storage or use another cloud?
buy more icloud+ if you want everything to keep working automatically on apple devices. move large files to google drive or dropbox if you already pay for storage there or need to share with people outside apple's ecosystem.