iCloud storage full? What to do on your iPhone

Your iPhone says iCloud is full. Every Apple Account comes with 5 GB of iCloud storage for free. Photos, backups and messages use it up fast. You have three ways out: free up space, buy more, or keep your iPhone backups on your Mac instead of in iCloud.

Quick answer Open the Settings app, tap your name, then tap iCloud. Tap Recommended for You for Apple's suggestions. Tap Storage (or Manage Account Storage) to see what uses the space. Then trim your iCloud backup, delete the photos, files and attachments you don't need, or upgrade to iCloud+. If the backup takes most of the space, back up your iPhone to your Mac instead.

What stops working when iCloud is full

Apple lists four things:

Your iPhone won't back up to iCloud.
New photos and videos won't upload to iCloud Photos.
iCloud Drive and other iCloud apps won't stay up to date across your devices.
You can't send or receive email with your iCloud email address.

One warning. While iCloud is full, a photo or video you delete is removed right away. It skips Recently Deleted. You can't get it back.

Before you delete anything, do what Apple suggests: archive or make copies of what you keep in iCloud.

Step 1: See Apple's suggestions

On iOS 17 or later:

Open the Settings app, tap your name, then tap iCloud.
Tap Recommended for You.
Tap one of the options and follow the onscreen instructions.

Step 2: Trim your iCloud backup

Your iCloud backup holds the data and settings on your iPhone that don't already sync to iCloud. You choose which apps it includes:

Open the Settings app, tap your name, then tap iCloud.
Tap Storage or Manage Account Storage.
Tap Backups, then tap the name of the iPhone you're using.
Turn off the apps you don't want to back up, then tap Turn Off to confirm.

Turning off an app removes all of its backed-up information from iCloud. Some apps are always backed up. You can't turn those off.

If you don't use iCloud Photos, your photo library is part of your iCloud backup. It shows up as Photo Library in the same list.

Step 3: Delete old backups

A backup of an iPhone or iPad you no longer use still counts against your storage.

Open the Settings app, tap your name, then tap iCloud.
Tap Storage or Manage Account Storage, then tap Backups.
Tap the name of the device whose backup you want to delete.
Tap Turn Off and Delete from iCloud, then tap Turn Off and Delete.

Deleting a backup also turns off iCloud Backup for that device. If it's the iPhone you use now, make sure you have another backup first, such as one on your Mac. You can't delete a backup while a device is restoring from it.

Step 4: Delete what you don't need

Photos and videos: in the Photos app, go to your Library, tap Select, choose the items, tap the Delete button, then tap Delete Photo or Delete Video. With iCloud Photos on, this deletes them from all your devices. Deleted items stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days. They don't count against your storage there. When iCloud is full, they skip it, as above.
Files in iCloud Drive: in the Files app, tap Browse, then iCloud Drive. Tap the More button, tap Select, choose the files, tap the Delete button, then tap Delete.
Message attachments: in a conversation, tap the contact's name at the top. On iOS 26 or later, tap Photos, tap Edit, then Select Photos. On iOS 18 or earlier, tap See All in the Photos section, then Select. Choose the pictures, tap Delete, then Delete Attachment.
Voice memos: in Voice Memos, tap All Recordings, select the recordings and tap the Delete button. Then empty Recently Deleted: tap Select, tap Delete All, then Delete Forever.
iCloud Mail: delete emails you don't need, especially ones with attachments, then empty the Trash mailbox.

Step 5: Buy more storage

iCloud+ adds more storage, billed monthly. If you don't have iCloud+ yet:

On iOS 27: open the Settings app and tap the iCloud Storage Almost Full notification. Or tap iCloud, tap Storage (or Almost Full), then tap Get More Storage.
On iOS 18.4 through iOS 26: open the Settings app, tap your name, tap iCloud, scroll down, then tap Upgrade to iCloud+.

If you already have iCloud+ and need more:

On iOS 27: open the Settings app, tap your name, then tap iCloud. Under iCloud+ Features, tap Manage Plan.
On iOS 18.4 through iOS 26: open the Settings app, tap your name, tap Subscriptions, tap iCloud+, then tap See All Plans.

Choose a plan and follow the onscreen instructions. Apple's iCloud+ page lists the storage sizes and prices for your country.

Another way: back up your iPhone to your Mac

If your iCloud backup is what fills the space, keep your iPhone backups on your Mac instead. Finder backs up almost all of your iPhone's data and settings, by cable or, once you set it up, over Wi-Fi. The backup stays on your Mac. It uses no iCloud storage. Our guide How to back up your iPhone to your Mac without iCloud takes you through it.

Turn on Encrypt local backup in Finder, so the backup includes your Health, Activity and Keychain data too. Once your iPhone has an encrypted backup on your Mac, you can delete its iCloud backup, as in Step 3. Either way, iCloud Photos, messages in iCloud and anything else that already syncs to iCloud stay in iCloud.

Your Mac makes a backup only when you run one. Make it a habit.

An easier way to keep backups on your Mac

Mirivilo is a Mac app. It backs up your iPhone and iPad to your Mac, by cable or over Wi-Fi, on a schedule you set. Encrypt the backups with a password if you like. None of it uses iCloud storage.

You can also read what's in them. Open a device's Browse tab to see messages, photos, contacts, notes, call history and more, without restoring anything. On an APFS drive, such as your Mac's, Mirivilo keeps the last backup of each day for up to 30 days. Pick an earlier day and see what your iPhone held then. Export saves what you need in formats that open anywhere. A restore puts back everything, or only what you need, from the latest backup.

Updated November 2026