iPhone (iOS) · Storage & Backup
See What's Using Your iCloud Storage
This screen breaks down exactly what's consuming your iCloud storage plan — Backups, Photos, individual apps, Mail — so you can free up space, buy more, or change your iCloud+ plan without guessing.
How to open Manage iCloud Storage
- Open Settings → tap your name → iCloud → Manage Account Storage (or Manage Storage).
- Review the breakdown of what's using space, largest first.
- Tap a category, like Backups, to see and delete items you don't need.
- Tap Change Storage Plan if you'd rather upgrade than delete anything.
What you should know
- A color-coded bar shows the split between Backup, Photos, and other categories.
- Tapping a category (like an old device backup) lets you delete it directly to free space.
- Change Storage Plan lets you upgrade, downgrade, or cancel an iCloud+ subscription.
- Shared storage used by a Family Sharing group is also reflected here for the organizer.
Deleting an old device's iCloud Backup here permanently removes that backup — make sure you don't need to restore from it before removing it.
Why it matters
Running out of iCloud storage quietly breaks iPhone backups and Photos syncing without always giving an obvious warning, so this screen is the fastest way to diagnose why backups have silently stopped working. It's also the only place to compare the cost of deleting old data against simply paying for more storage.
Best practices
- Delete backups from devices you no longer own instead of letting them silently take up space indefinitely.
- Check this screen before assuming you need to buy more storage — old backups are often the biggest easy win.
- Consider a shared Family Sharing storage plan if multiple family members are each paying for separate iCloud+ tiers.
Common problems and fixes
- iCloud Backup keeps failing with a storage full message
- Delete backups for devices you no longer use, or reduce what iCloud Photos and Messages are storing, then retry the backup.
- Storage breakdown looks outdated compared to what you just deleted
- Give it a few minutes and pull down to refresh the screen — the numbers update after iCloud finishes processing the deletion.
Tips and tricks
- Tap into 'Backups' specifically to see a per-app breakdown of what's bloating a single device's iCloud Backup, like large chat history in a messaging app.
Frequently asked questions
Does deleting photos from iCloud here also delete them from my iPhone?
If iCloud Photos is enabled, yes — Photos syncs both ways, so deleting a photo from iCloud storage removes it everywhere it's synced, not just the cloud copy.
Can I downgrade my iCloud+ plan if I'm using less storage than before?
Yes, Change Storage Plan lets you move to a smaller tier, though you'll need to first get your used storage under the new plan's limit.
Related settings
- iPhone StorageiPhone Storage shows exactly what's using space on your device and offers one-tap recommendations — like offloading unused apps or reviewing large attachments — to free up room.
- iCloud BackupiCloud Backup automatically saves a copy of your photos, app data, device settings, and more, so you can restore everything on a new or reset device.
- Optimize iPhone Storage (Photos)When iCloud Photos is on, 'Optimize iPhone Storage' keeps smaller, space-saving versions of your photos and videos on the device while the full-resolution originals stay safely stored in iCloud, downloading full quality only when needed.
More Storage & Backup guides for iPhone (iOS)
- Offload Unused AppsOffload Unused Apps is a toggle in App Store settings that automatically removes an app's binary — not its documents or data — when the iPhone is low on storage, so you can reinstall and pick up right where you left off.
- Back Up via Finder or iTunesiPhone can be backed up to a computer's local storage using Finder on macOS or iTunes on Windows, as an alternative or supplement to iCloud Backup.
- Music & Podcast DownloadsSongs, albums, and podcast episodes downloaded for offline listening take up local storage separate from Photos and app data, and can be managed or automatically cleared to save space.
- Keep Messages DurationThe Keep Messages setting controls whether Messages retains conversations forever or automatically deletes messages, photos, and attachments after 30 days or one year, directly affecting how much storage Messages consumes.
- iCloud+ Storage PlaniCloud+ is Apple's paid storage subscription, offering tiers beyond the free 5 GB along with extra features like Private Relay, Hide My Email, and HomeKit Secure Video support.
- Quick Start Device TransferQuick Start uses a direct device-to-device connection to transfer settings, apps, and data from an old iPhone to a new one during setup, without necessarily relying on an iCloud or computer backup.