Apple gives everyone 5GB of iCloud storage for free. That sounds acceptable, but if you consider that this does not apply per device, but per account, it can go quickly. Time to clean up!
Of course you can choose to buy more storage. For 50 GB you pay less than a euro per month, for 200 GB almost three euros and for 2 TB approximately ten euros. Before you opt for this, it pays to take a look at the options you have to clean up your iCloud storage.
1. Fewer backups
iCloud regularly backs up and that takes a lot of storage. You can back up the system or all individual apps. First, go to the menu to back up your system. You can find this on your Mac under System Preferences /iCloud. Click on the small icon in the right corner at the bottom of the screen. Select Backups. Here's a list of system backups that you can delete when you no longer need them. This immediately frees up some more space.
You can do the same for your mobile device in iOS by going to the Institutions to go, click on your username and iCloud to click. below Manage storage you will then find options to delete a backup or to stop future backups. In this storage menu you will also find a list of apps that use iCloud. You can enable or disable a link with iCloud for each app.
2. Delete photos
Free up storage space by deleting photos and videos? Nobody wants to believe it, but it is necessary. Often you have enough photos and videos that are just not beautiful enough, but that you have still saved. Be critical and delete as many of these types of files as possible. In addition, it is good to know that if you delete photos or videos, they still take up space in the Recently Deleted folder. So delete them there too.
Of course, you can also decide not to let iCloud sync with your photos. This quickly saves a lot of space.
3. Delete old messages
Few people are aware that Whatsapp messages or text messages take up space on your iCloud as well. That's because we increasingly send photos with those messages. You can delete the text messages manually in the Messages app, while on a Mac you can right-click on a message or conversation and then have the choice to delete it.
4. Manage your mail app
If you use iCloud for your email, things can go fast too. Especially attachments in emails ensure that your cloud storage fills up quickly. Go to your mail app and delete the messages or folders you no longer need. For example, you can choose to only delete the emails you have sent. Then you still keep messages that others have sent you.
5. Delete files from iCloud Drive
If you're not paying attention, your iCloud Drive can quickly fill up with PDFs, voice messages, or old projects you've been working on but no longer need. Deleting these files frees up a lot of space. In iOS, go to the Files app and then choose iCloud Drive and select the files you want to delete. If you have iCloud Drive on your Mac or PC, you can delete files much faster by selecting and deleting them with the mouse.
These tips will definitely help you free up some space on your iCloud. And if this is not enough, you can always decide to buy extra storage in the form of a subscription.
