How to delete iCloud backups from your iPhone

💡 Need to know

• Free space fast: Delete old backups you don’t need—especially from previous phones.
• Double-check: Deleting backups also removes settings tied to that device.
• Keep current: Always keep one recent backup just in case.

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iCloud® backups make sure that important data from your iPhone®, like your device settings, app data, and Home Screen layout, is saved in the cloud. If your phone gets lost or stolen, or you're upgrading to a newer model, you can use the backup to set up your new phone to match your old one.

However, the drawback is that iCloud backups consume storage on both your phone and your account. Learn how to delete backups from iCloud to increase your iPhone storage availability.

From iCloud storage tips to iPhone troubleshooting insights, Asurion Experts are here to help you with all of your tech needs.

Check your iCloud storage

The first step to deleting old backups from iCloud is checking what’s currently in your iCloud storage. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Select [Your Name] > iCloud.
3. View the storage bar in your iPhone iCloud settings. It should show you how much iCloud storage you have and how much of it you’re currently using.
4. Click the storage bar for a more in-depth breakdown of how you’re using your iCloud storage.

On this page, you’ll see a breakdown of each of the components of your iCloud storage and exactly how much space they’re taking up in gigabytes (GB), megabytes (MB), or kilobytes (KB). One of these components should be iCloud backups, which will vary in size depending on the amount of data you include from your device. If you have a large number of photos, messages, and app data, your iCloud backups will typically consume more storage space.

You can tap on any specific category in your iCloud storage breakdown for more details. Your iPhone will even offer recommendations on how to free up storage, such as reviewing your photos and videos to delete the ones you no longer need. See if there’s anything you’re willing to delete or move to other storage to free up room on your device.

For example, you may decide that you don’t need copies of all of your old WhatsApp messages. Delete your WhatsApp backup from iCloud to free up cloud and device storage.

Delete old iCloud backups

Deleting your old backups from iCloud may be just what you need to optimize your iCloud storage space, especially if you have shared storage that fills up quickly. Use these steps to remove old iCloud backups from your phone:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage.
3. Select Backups.
4. If you have multiple devices backed up to iCloud, select your device.
5. Tap Turn Off and Delete from iCloud.

Selecting this option will stop iCloud backups from your device and delete all of your device’s backups currently stored in iCloud, including old and duplicate backups. If you still want new backups, you can turn backups back on in the iCloud settings on your iPhone.

One helpful tip for managing your iCloud storage is to reconfigure which apps are included in your backup. By default, all your apps are turned on and included in the backup; however, you can change this setting. Turn off the apps you don’t need in the backup to reduce its storage space usage.

Keep in mind that deleting your backups doesn’t affect any of the other data currently on your phone. You can delete your old device backups and create a new one right away as part of your iCloud storage cleanup.

Manage and free up iCloud space

If deleting your device backup still doesn’t free up enough iCloud space, there are other steps you can take, such as:

• Turning off iCloud backups and leaving them off
• Deleting app data that you don't need
• Clearing your Recently Deleted folder of photos and videos
• Purchasing additional iCloud storage through iCloud+
• Using cloud storage on your computer rather than your phone
• Backing up some of your photos, videos, or other data to local physical storage instead

Consider removing anything you don’t need from your iCloud backups and iCloud storage in general to free up space.

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FAQ

Why should I delete old iCloud backups?

Delete old iCloud backups to free up extra space in your iCloud storage.

How much space will deleting a backup free up?

Deleting an old iCloud backup will free up storage equal to the size of your backup. If you have lots of pictures, videos, and apps in backup, that could be 1GB to 5GB or more. Smaller backups might only free up around 500MB of space.