iCloud storage full? What to do first (and what not to)

When iCloud says your storage is full, work through a short order of operations before paying for more: check what is using the space in your iCloud settings, delete backups of old devices you no longer use, merge duplicates with the Duplicates album in Photos, remove large videos and the similar shots and bursts you do not need, and tidy iCloud Drive and Messages attachments. Only then decide whether an iCloud+ plan is worth it. Nothing you have already stored is removed when you hit the limit, so there is time to do this calmly, but backups and new photo uploads stop until you make room.

Why iCloud fills up

Every Apple Account comes with 5 GB of iCloud storage for free. That 5 GB is shared by everything that uses iCloud: device backups, iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive, Messages in iCloud, iCloud Mail and a few smaller things such as voice memos.

A single iPhone with iCloud Photos turned on can fill 5 GB in months. Every photo and video goes up at full quality, including screenshots, chat images, bursts and the same shot taken five times. Add a backup of the phone itself and a second device, and the free allowance runs out quickly.

What the "storage full" warning actually stops

Your existing photos and files are not deleted. What stops, according to Apple, is the flow of new things:

• Your iPhone or iPad stops backing up to iCloud.
• New photos and videos stop uploading to iCloud Photos. They stay on the device only, so a lost or broken phone loses them.
• iCloud Drive and other iCloud apps stop keeping your devices up to date.
• You cannot send or receive email at your iCloud email address.

The photo point is the one that matters most. Until there is room again, anything you take is not protected by iCloud.

Do not do these first

A few common reactions make things worse or achieve nothing:

• Do not turn off iCloud Photos to "save space". Depending on the option you choose, it can remove photos from the device that are only in iCloud, and it does not free any iCloud storage on its own.
• Do not rely on "Optimise iPhone Storage". It saves space on the phone by keeping smaller versions locally. It does not reduce iCloud storage at all.
• Do not start deleting at random. With iCloud Photos on, a deletion on one device deletes everywhere. And Apple notes that while you are over your limit, photos you delete on a device are removed immediately and will not be available in Recently Deleted. Free a little space in other ways first, so the safety net works.
• Do not empty Recently Deleted in a hurry. Apple says items in Recently Deleted do not count toward iCloud storage, so emptying it does not free iCloud space; it only removes your chance to change your mind.

The order to work through

Each step is cheap, and the first two are entirely risk-free for your photos.

1. See what is using the space

• On iPhone or iPad: Settings, tap your name, then iCloud. The bar at the top shows the breakdown; tap Manage Account Storage (or Storage) for the full list.
• On a Mac: System Settings, click your name, then iCloud, then Manage.
• On the web: sign in at icloud.com and open your account settings.

If Photos is 4 GB of your 5 GB, that is where to spend your time. If Backups is the biggest slice, start there.

2. Delete old device backups

This is often the quickest win and touches no photos. In the storage list, open Backups. You may find a backup of a phone you sold two years ago, or an iPad nobody uses. Delete those.

For devices you still use, open the backup and turn off apps you do not need backed up, such as large games that can be downloaded again. One point that often surprises people: when iCloud Photos is turned on, your photos are not part of the device backup. They are stored once, in iCloud Photos. If iCloud Photos is off, your photo library is in the backup instead.

3. Merge duplicates

Open Photos on your iPhone, iPad or Mac and look for Duplicates under Utilities. Apple's Duplicates album finds exact copies and near-identical versions and lets you merge each set, keeping the best-quality copy and moving the rest to Recently Deleted. It is free, built in, and the obvious first pass. The step-by-step is in how to delete duplicate photos in iCloud Photos.

4. Large videos

Video is the heaviest thing in most libraries. A few minutes of 4K footage can weigh more than hundreds of photos. In Photos, open the Videos media type and look for long clips: screen recordings, a concert filmed in full, the same school play recorded twice. Save anything you want to keep to a computer or external drive before deleting it from iCloud Photos.

5. Similar shots, bursts and screenshots

This is the clutter the Duplicates album does not handle. Ten frames of the same moment are ten different photos to Apple, so they all stay. The same goes for screenshots of boarding passes and directions from years ago.

You can work through them by hand: the Bursts and Screenshots albums under Media Types are a good place to start, and for bursts you can tap Select and keep only the frames you like. For a large library a tool is more realistic. Doppelgone is a Chrome extension that works with icloud.com on a Mac or PC. It groups exact duplicates, similar shots and bursts, suggests the best shot in each set, and moves only the photos you approve to Recently Deleted, with an Undo. Photos are analysed on your own computer and are never uploaded to Doppelgone. More in find similar and burst photos in iCloud Photos.

6. iCloud Drive and Messages

In iCloud Drive, sort by size on a Mac (or look in the Files app) and remove large files you no longer need: old installers, exported videos, duplicate downloads. In Messages, Apple's storage list can show large attachments; on iPhone, Settings, General, iPhone Storage, Messages lets you review and delete big attachments and old conversations.

7. Check again, then decide

Give the storage figure some time to update, then look again. If you are comfortably under the limit, you are done for now. If you are still full after all of this, it is a sign your library has simply outgrown the free tier, and paying is a reasonable choice.

When paying makes sense

At the time of writing, iCloud+ comes in 50 GB, 200 GB, 2 TB, 6 TB and 12 TB plans, with prices that vary by country. iCloud+ can be shared with family members through Family Sharing, and Apple One bundles include iCloud+ storage too.

Paying is sensible if you have years of photos and video you want kept in full quality and you have already cleared the obvious waste. It is less sensible if most of the space is old backups and duplicates, because those come back every year and you end up paying to store clutter. The guide on freeing up iCloud storage without paying goes further into what you can reclaim first.

A note on recovering photos while full

If you deleted something by mistake while the account is full, recover it from Recently Deleted as soon as possible. Restoring puts the photo back in your library, which needs space, and while the account is over quota a restore can be refused. If that happens, free some space first, by deleting an old backup for example, then try again.

Frequently asked questions

Will iCloud delete my photos if my storage is full?

No. Apple does not remove your existing photos when you reach the limit. New photos and videos stop uploading, and backups stop, until there is room again. That means recent photos are only on your device in the meantime.

Does deleting photos from my iPhone free up iCloud storage?

With iCloud Photos turned on, yes: deleting a photo on your iPhone deletes it from iCloud and all your devices. Apple says items in Recently Deleted do not count toward iCloud storage. With iCloud Photos off, deleting photos on the phone only makes the next backup smaller.

Why is my iCloud storage still full after deleting photos?

The figure can take a while to update. It is also worth checking that photos were the main user in the first place; old device backups and iCloud Drive files are common culprits. Look at the breakdown in Settings, your name, iCloud.

Is 5 GB of iCloud enough for photos?

For most people with iCloud Photos turned on, not for long. It can last if you clear duplicates, bursts and large videos regularly and keep backups lean, but a growing library usually outgrows it.

What to do next

Open the iCloud storage breakdown now and delete any backups of devices you no longer use; it is the quickest gain and has no effect on your photos. Then run through the Duplicates album. If similar shots and bursts are what is left, a desktop tool such as Doppelgone can group them for review, and Pro is a one-time payment if you need more than the free 200 photos. If you also have a Google account filling up, see Google Photos storage full.