Can you clean out your iCloud?

Answered by Tom Adger

You can clean out your iCloud to free up storage space. Here are a few steps you can take to do so:

1. Reduce the size of your iCloud Backup:
– Go to your iPhone or iPad’s Settings.
– Tap on your name and then on “iCloud.”
– Select “Manage Storage” and then “Backups.”
– Choose the device you want to manage and review the apps that are being backed up.
– Disable the backup for apps that you don’t need or use regularly.
– You can also delete old backups of devices you no longer own or use.

2. Delete photos in iCloud Photos:
– Open the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
– Tap on the “Photos” tab at the bottom.
– Select the photos or videos you want to delete by tapping on “Select.”
– Once you’ve chosen the content, tap on the trash can icon to delete them.
– Deleted photos will be moved to the “Recently Deleted” album, where they will remain for 30 days before being permanently deleted.
– To free up space immediately, go to the “Recently Deleted” album and tap on “Select.” Then, choose “Delete All” to remove all photos permanently.

3. Delete folders or files in iCloud Drive:
– Open the Files app on your iPhone or iPad.
– Navigate to the “iCloud Drive” section.
– Browse through the folders and files to identify the ones you want to delete.
– Tap on “Select” and choose the items you wish to remove.
– Once selected, tap on the trash can icon to delete the files.
– Deleted files will be moved to the “Recently Deleted” folder in iCloud Drive, where they will remain for 30 days before being permanently deleted.
– To free up space immediately, go to the “Recently Deleted” folder and tap on “Select.” Then, choose “Delete All” to remove all files permanently.

By following these steps, you can clean out your iCloud and make more space available. It’s important to note that deleting content from your iCloud will also remove it from all devices connected to your iCloud account. So, make sure to back up any important data before deleting it.

Personal experience:
I recently had to clean out my iCloud to free up some storage space. I realized that my iCloud Backup was taking up a significant amount of space, so I reviewed the apps that were being backed up and disabled the backup for a few apps that I didn’t really need to have backed up. This helped me reduce the size of my iCloud Backup and free up some space.

I also had a lot of old photos and videos stored in iCloud Photos that I no longer needed. I went through my photo library and selected the ones I wanted to delete. It was a bit time-consuming, but it was worth it to free up some space in my iCloud.

Additionally, I had some old files and folders in iCloud Drive that I didn’t need anymore. I went through my files and deleted the ones that were no longer relevant or important. This helped me declutter my iCloud Drive and create more space.

Cleaning out my iCloud was a relatively straightforward process, and I was able to free up a significant amount of storage space. It’s definitely worth regularly reviewing and managing your iCloud content to ensure you have enough space for the things that matter most to you.