Start by looking at the map under Settings > your name > iCloud > Manage Account Storage (Solution 1). In most accounts the biggest culprit is backups of iPhones and iPads the owner no longer uses (Solution 2) - deleting those usually frees several gigabytes at once and affects no device in use. One thing to be clear about: with iCloud full, your iPhone's backup has stopped, and the real risk is not the on-screen warning, it is having no copy of your data.
What causes this problem
- Old backups of devices you replaced or stopped using - they keep taking up space indefinitely.
- Photos and videos synced by iCloud Photos, the largest category for anyone who uses the feature.
- The WhatsApp backup and other app backups, which count against iCloud and often exceed 1 GB.
- Message attachments: videos, images and audio received over the years.
- Files stored in iCloud Drive, including a Mac's Desktop and Documents folders.
- The free 5 GB tier, which does not even cover one full backup of a current iPhone.
- Open Settings > your name > iCloud > Manage Account Storage before deleting anything.
- Understand the distinction that causes the most regret: deleting an old backup affects no device in use, but deleting a photo from iCloud Photos removes it from every device on the account.
- Before deleting a device's backup, make sure you do not intend to restore from it - once deleted, there is no recovering it.
- If space ran out today, check when the last successful backup was: that is the most important figure on the screen.
Solutions, in the order to try them
1See what is using the space
iCloud shows a chart by category, and it is almost always surprising: what feels like "too many photos" is usually an old backup. Deciding without looking at this map leads to deleting the wrong thing.
- Open Settings and tap your name at the top of the screen.
- Tap iCloud, then Manage Account Storage.
- Look at the coloured bar and the list below it, sorted by size.
- Note the three largest items - usually Backups, Photos and Messages.
2Delete backups of devices you no longer use
This is the step that frees the most space, and the safest of all: an old backup is a copy of a device you no longer have. Deleting it removes nothing from the iPhone in your hand.
- In Manage Account Storage, tap Backups.
- The list shows every device linked to the account, with the date of its last backup.
- Tap a device you no longer use and choose Turn Off and Delete from iCloud.
- Repeat for each old device. Your current iPhone's backup should stay.
3Choose what goes into your current device's backup
Not every app needs to be in the backup. Many keep their own data in the maker's cloud and take up iCloud space for no reason.
- Under Backups, tap the device you use today.
- Look at the app list sorted by size.
- Turn off the ones that store data elsewhere - streaming services, games with their own accounts, banking apps.
- Keep on the ones you could not recover any other way, such as Photos (if you do not use another service) and Messages.
4Handle photos carefully
Photos is usually the second largest category, but it is also where cleaning is riskiest: with iCloud Photos on, deleting a photo on the iPhone deletes it on every device and in the cloud. Make a copy before deleting anything.
- First of all, copy your photos to a computer or to another cloud service.
- Empty the Recently Deleted album: deleted photos keep taking up space for 30 days.
- Delete long and duplicate videos - a few minutes of 4K takes more room than hundreds of photos.
- If you already use Google Photos, consider turning off iCloud Photos, but only after confirming everything is safely in the other service.
5Clear large Message attachments
Conversations kept for years accumulate videos and images nobody will open again. The iPhone itself offers the list sorted by size.
- In Settings > General > iPhone Storage, tap Messages.
- Open Review Large Attachments and sort by size.
- Delete the videos and images you do not want to keep.
- Under Settings > Messages > Keep Messages, choose 1 Year instead of Forever so the problem does not repeat.
6Review iCloud Drive
If you use a Mac with Desktop and Documents syncing, iCloud Drive can grow without you noticing - computer files eating into the space your iPhone backup needs.
- In Manage Account Storage, tap iCloud Drive.
- Look at the files sorted by size and delete what you no longer need.
- On the Mac, check under System Settings > your name > iCloud whether Desktop and Documents syncing is on.
- Move large work files to an external drive or another service.
7Decide between cleaning up and upgrading the plan
If space is still tight after all of this, your data has simply outgrown the free 5 GB - and that is normal on any current iPhone.
- Add up the size of your device backup and your photos: that is the minimum your account needs.
- The 50 GB plan is usually enough for one iPhone backed up with its photos.
- Remember that without space, the automatic backup simply does not happen - and you find that out at the worst possible moment.
- A free alternative: back up through a computer, which does not use iCloud space at all.
Applies to
| System | Status |
|---|---|
| iOS 16 to 18 and iPadOS | Confirmed |
| iOS 15 and earlier | Confirmed |
| iCloud on Windows and the web | Storage can be managed at icloud.com, with the same items |
Menu names can change slightly between versions. If a step above does not match what you see on screen, the official support page from the manufacturer has the most current wording for your version.
Frequently asked questions
Last checked: Sep 22, 2026 · We review this guide whenever the manufacturer changes the process.