How to Clear Space on iCloud

This wikiHow teaches you how to free up storage space in your iCloud drive.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:
Using iCloud for Windows

  1. Image titled Clear Space on iCloud Step 1
    1
    Open the iCloud desktop app. To do this quickly, type icloud into the search bar (typically at the bottom-left corner of the screen), then select iCloud.
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    2
    Click Storage. It’s near the bottom-right corner of the window.
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    Click Backups. It’s the green icon with a rounded white arrow in the left column. All of your backups will appear in the right panel, as well as how much space each is using.
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    4
    Select an unneeded backup and click Delete. If you need the backup(s), skip this step and move to the next.
    • Click Delete if prompted to confirm.
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    5
    Delete unneeded files from each category. All of the categories are listed in the left column. Click a category name (e.g. Notes, Pages), select the file(s) you want to delete, then click Delete.
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    6
    Click Done. It’s at the bottom-right corner of the window.

Method 2
Method 2 of 3:
Deleting Videos

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    1
    Open Photos on your iPhone or iPad. It’s the multicolored flower icon typically found on the home screen.
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    2
    Tap the Videos album.
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    3
    Select all of the videos you want to delete. As you select photos, a blue and white check mark will appear on each thumbnail.
    • To select all videos at once, tap Select All at the top-left corner of the screen.
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    4
    Tap the trash icon. It’s at the bottom-right corner of the screen. A confirmation message will appear.
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    Tap Delete <number of> Videos. The videos will be removed from your iCloud storage.

Method 3
Method 3 of 3:
Unsyncing App Data

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    1
    Open your iPhone or iPad’s Settings
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    .     You’ll usually find this app on the home screen.
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    2
    Tap Apple ID. It’s at the top of the screen.
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    Tap iCloud. A list of apps currently syncing to your iCloud will appear.
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    4
    Slide the switch for an app you don’t want to sync to the Off
    Image titled Iphoneswitchofficon.png
    position.     A confirmation message will appear, asking what you want to do with the existing data.
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    5
    Select an option. Tap Keep on My iPhone to keep the data, or Delete from My iPhone to get rid of it.

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About This Article

Nicole Levine, MFA
Written by:
Nicole Levine, MFA
Tech Specialist
This article was written by Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. This article has been viewed 7,270 times.
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Co-authors: 2
Updated: March 8, 2019
Views: 7,270
Categories: ICloud
Article SummaryX

1. Delete old backups.
2. Delete videos from the Videos album in Photos.
3. Unsync app data in Settings > Your Apple ID > iCloud.

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