Did you know that there are over one billion active iPhones worldwide? And while this is the most popular Apple device, an untold number of consumers also use iPads and Mac computers.
Are you an Apple fanatic? If so, you likely use iCloud storage to keep your documents, photos, music, videos, and other files in one convenient place. But, what can you do if you have an iCloud storage full of documents and no extra space?
In this post, we’ll share seven genius hacks that can help you free up iCloud storage! So, keep reading to learn them all!
1. Learn What Takes up Most Space
Once you notice your Apple cloud storage is full or getting close, you’ll need to learn which files take up the most space. To do so, look for your device’s settings. Then, select iCloud and manage storage.
Here, you’ll see a bar with different colors representing file types. Apple users often find that their photos or music takes up the most space. But, backups may also be a problem.
No matter the cause, taking this step is important because it lets you know the root of the problem.
2. Delete Old Messages
While it’s true that messages don’t take up much space in comparison to other types of files, they will eventually add up if you never erase them. This is especially true if you send a lot of GIFs, photos, or emojis.
Of course, you don’t have to erase all your text chains and chats. Just be sure to erase any that you no longer need to clear up some extra space.
3. Erase Any Emails You Won’t Need Again
If you store years and years’ worth of emails on your iCloud, you’ll likely have no space left for any other files.
One option is to stop syncing your emails with iCloud since this may not be necessary. But, if you would like to continue storing emails on your account, you can erase the largest attachments from your emails.
To see which emails have the largest files, open iCloud Mail and click on View. Here, you will find the option to sort your emails by attachment size. It is good to get rid of attachments larger than 15 MB to free up the most space possible.
4. Get Rid of Old Backups
Stored backups are a sneaky storage waster since you may not even know they are on your account.
For example, if you had another iPhone or iPad in the past, you may still be storing a backup of its contents even though you upgraded or no longer use that device.
Since you will likely never want or need to access these files again, you can delete them entirely. First, go to your device settings and then to iCloud settings. Then, tap “manage backups” and delete any of the ones you no longer want!
5. Organize Your Photos
If you’re like most people, the problem with your iCloud account is probably photos. Since the cameras on iPhones have high resolutions, you likely snap many photos and videos daily. So in just a couple of months, you could end up with dozens of gigabytes of images and video files.
If you want to learn how to clear iCloud storage space, the answer is likely clearing out duplicate and poor-quality media files. Sadly, there isn’t a way to do this automatically, but if you spend a few minutes a day sorting through your photo library, you’ll eventually delete all the files you don’t want.
It’s also a great idea to go through lengthy videos and save just the clips of the moments you want to remember, as this can make the video file much smaller.
Moreover, simply deleting files from your storage isn’t enough to free up space. You will also need to erase all the files in the “recently deleted” folder.
After you’ve cleared up space by organizing your photos, it’s best to keep your photo storage in check. You can do this by erasing any duplicates right after you take them or by going through your iPhone files once a week.
And, if it gets to the point that you have too many pictures to store them all on your iCloud account, you can move the oldest ones to an external hard drive. This will save you from purchasing additional storage but allow you to keep your precious memories.
6. Clean Out Your iCloud Drive
All Apple devices have an application called iCloud Drive. Here, you’ll find documents that you’ve downloaded from any of your devices.
Of course, you will eventually want to clear out iCloud files, so they don’t accumulate. The easiest way to do so is directly from your iCloud account on the computer, but you can also manage your files on your iPhone or iPad.
7. Change Your iCloud Settings
The last thing you should do is check your iCloud settings to see what you’re syncing. You may find that you don’t even want many of the files you’re storing.
If you’re using Google Chrome instead of Safari, you don’t need to sync Safari data. And, if you back up your contacts to your Gmail account, you probably don’t need to sync them from your iPhone.
Of course, what you choose to sync is up to you and will depend on your technology habits. But, what’s important is that you aren’t wasting precious iCloud storage space unnecessarily.
iCloud Storage Full? Not for Long!
With the tips in this post, you shouldn’t have your iCloud storage full for long. So, get to work and start clearing space for all the memories and documents you’ll create in the months and years to come. You’ll be glad you did!
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