iCloud is Apple's proprietary cloud storage that allows you to synchronize data between different smartphones and tablets united by one Apple ID account, save music, photos, books and application information, create backups of files stored in the operating system, and at the same time use the Find iPhone ”, which allows for a few seconds (with the correct settings!) to determine the location of lost or stolen equipment.
Access to iCloud is issued for free immediately after purchasing an iPhone, iPad or iPod, but with an unpleasant limitation - 5 gigabytes of free space on the cloud storage. Therefore, it is so important to know how to clear iCloud storage.
Why and what is filling up iCloud storage
The bulk of the free iCloud cloud storage limit is consumed by operating system backups, which are automatically created and then updated several times a week, bringing the data to the most current form. If there is little space due to backups in the cloud, and there is an urgent need to keep only documents or messages there, then the "save backup copies" function can be turned off in "Settings".
But it is better to shift the responsibility of saving data to a computer using a similar function in iTunes.
Photos ranked second in terms of iCloud storage spend. Again, the sync function for images and videos is also turned off in the settings, in a few seconds.
At the end of the list are usually documents (completely different - boarding passes in PDF format, recorded in third-party programs, books from the iBook or notes spiced with photos, Pages pages or Numbers tables) and messages transmitted via iMessage.
The example described above of how free space is consumed depends on what synchronization parameters are set, and therefore, even before dealing with the lack of space, it is worth delving into the offered options:
Cleaning from iPhone or iPad
If there is not enough free space and none of the settings for synchronization, parameters and other tools helped with adding free space, then you will have to follow a different path - clear iCloud storage. And there are many options:
Change tariff
In the iCloud Storage section, Apple's developers subtly suggest increasing the amount of free space.
The prices are quite moderate (for example, for a 2 TB plan you will have to pay 599 rubles a month, while competitors are not so rosy), and the purchased subscription can be shared with the family (valid when renting 200 GB of free space per month). If you don’t want to pay, and you need cloud storage to synchronize messages and browser bookmarks, then it’s better to go the other way.
Delete backups
Change the way photos are saved
If keeping recently taken pictures close at hand is extremely important (if not on your phone, then at least in the cloud), and you don't want to uncheck the iCloud sync point associated with adding photos to the cloud, then you need to change the "Save originals" option to the "Optimize storage" option. In the latter case, any images (even those that are uploaded on the network, without fail undergo a high-quality archiving procedure). There will be noticeably more space, and there will never be any problems with loading.
Go through all the storage items
Are your messages taking up too much free space? You can delete linked data! Is your iBook full of unnecessary books? And there are no problems here, the main thing is to get into the settings and choose a method for clearing the data.
Cleaning from a computer
If, for some reason, freeing up space in iCloud using a smartphone or tablet is not very convenient, then you can easily change the working tool, armed with a personal computer. The procedure in this case is as follows:
Work with data on the official website
The developers of the service allow it directly from the browser - it is enough to fill in two text fields for authorization (login and password Apple ID) and all the information added to the cloud storage will appear on the screen. From here, they are also allowed to work with the settings (but with some), look into documents and mail, and at the same time wash the bones with all contacts.
If you want to immediately get down to business - freeing up free space, then you should immediately look into the "Photos" section. It is here that you can view all images, remove duplicate videos, find failed panoramas and other creative works that have not won fame. A few hours of sorting and iCloud will definitely become more free.
Download iCloud to PC
The second option to look behind the curtain of cloud storage secrets is to download a special tool that exactly repeats all the settings from the iPhone, iPad or iPod menu. A utility is available (suitable for both Windows and MacOS). Installation takes a few minutes, and for authorization again you need a username and password.
Of the minuses - it is impossible to work with photos, as on the site through a browser (accordingly, and you cannot free up space). On the plus side, you can work with other applications, delete the accumulated cache, free up space by clearing all messengers and messages. In addition, it is here that additional space is bought if nothing happened from a smartphone or tablet.
Using third party tools
The last way to free up some space without editing the sync settings is to use third-party tools that are downloaded for your PC and tell you where and what to remove. The best example of this is service. Of the advantages - work in several modes (paid and free), help in finding system vulnerabilities, solving problems with optimization and garbage accumulated on the internal memory.
It also automatically searches for duplicate photos and compresses browser data. As a result, in a few minutes, and there was more space on the smartphone, which means that in a few hours iCloud will be rebuilt (during synchronization) for the changes that have appeared.
Tired of being constantly notified that your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch are full of storage? Before installing a new application, do you have to find the very "extra" game or program that needs to be donated? Enough tolerating this! Here are 40 ways to help you free up space on your iPhone and iPad.
The problem with the lack of memory on the iPhone and iPad is familiar to many. Users of devices with a memory capacity of 8 or 16 GB especially suffer from this - they more than others have to think about how to fit on a smartphone or tablet and their favorite music, and the necessary applications and games to help pass the free minute. Depending on the activity of using the device, owners of 64GB iPhone and iPad models may suffer from lack of memory. In any of these cases, the following 40 methods will help you.
How to free up space on iPhone and iPad
1. Reboot your device regularly
Restarting your iPhone or iPad every day not only provides an impressive performance boost, it also clears the iOS cache that gets clogged up all the time. You can see a clear example of how badly your device needs a reboot in iTunes - when the gadget is connected, the garbage is displayed as a storage section " Other", In some cases occupying several gigabytes.
It is impossible to manually delete the system cache, but iOS gets rid of all unnecessary things on its own during a reboot. Therefore, do not neglect restarting your iPhone and iPad - due to it, you will be much less likely to think about how to cram a fresh game or movie that you wanted to watch on the road into the device's memory.
2. Perform a hard reboot
In addition to a regular reboot, a hard reboot helps to combat the full memory of an iPhone or iPad. During its execution, all temporary files, which can take up a lot of space, are also deleted from the device. To perform a hard reset, you need to simultaneously hold down the buttons Nutrition and Home and hold them until the Apple logo appears on the device screen.
3. Remove unnecessary applications and games
One of the easiest ways to free memory. Just delete from your iPhone or iPad unused applications and games that have been gathering dust for months in various folders on the main screen of the device. This method, despite its simplicity, is one of the most effective - many users sometimes simply forget that one or another application is installed on their device, which has not been launched for a long time.
4. Delete documents in applications
Documents created by third-party applications also take up space on your device's memory. If you have a whole bunch of personal documents that you no longer need, simply delete them directly from the applications in which they were created. Keep in mind that some applications move deleted documents to special temporary folders and the space may not be reclaimed immediately.
5. Remove pending iOS updates
New versions of iOS are automatically downloaded to your device via Wi-Fi, which means they take up memory space. Even if you reject the installation of a fresh update, it remains in the device's memory, waiting for you to finally mature. 
Removing the pending iOS update is easy. To do this, you need to go to Settings -> The main-> and select the item " To govern". Here you need to find the firmware hanging in the memory, select it and delete it. In order to disable automatic download of updates, go to the menu Settings -> App Store, iTunes Store and turn off the switch " Updates».
6. Update iOS via iTunes
The process of updating an iPhone or iPad over the air is incredibly convenient, however, to maximize the release of device memory, it is better to install new versions of iOS through iTunes. Downloading new firmware directly to the device is inevitably associated with the preservation of temporary files in memory, even after the installation is completed.
When installing new versions of iOS via iTunes, the firmware is unpacked and stored in the computer's memory, and therefore the device is not clogged with all these temporary files.
7. Delete old voicemail
Don't leave old voice messages collecting dust in your device's memory. In order to remove them go to the application Telephone -> Answering machine, then select unnecessary messages and press " Delete"... After that, be sure to go to Telephone -> Deleted Messages and press the button " clear all”, Only after that the old voicemail will be completely lost from the device memory.
8. Remove attachments from Messages
Over time, attachments in the application Posts, especially if you are a texting lover, may start to take up a lot of space in the device's memory. It is very easy to delete attachments while leaving the correspondence safe and sound.
Go to the app Posts, open any dialog and click on the " More details"Located in the upper right corner of the screen. Click and hold on the attachment until a pop-up menu appears. In this menu, select the item " Yet»And start marking any attachments you no longer want to see on your device. After that, you should click on the icon with the image of the trash can and confirm the deletion.
9. Set a limit on the storage time of messages
In addition to removing attachments from dialogs, you can also set a limit on how long messages are stored in the device's memory. To do this, go to the menu Settings -> Posts -> Leave and select the item " 30 days».
Please note that after setting this parameter, text messages will be permanently deleted from the device's memory after 30 days. Be careful with the setting of this setting, especially if correspondence is dear to you.
10. Set a shorter storage time for audio and video messages
And another way to save memory related to the application Posts... After you send or listen to audio or video messages, it is moved to the device's memory, where it continues to be stored for an unlimited time. By going to the menu Settings -> Posts and choosing in the section " Audio messages" paragraph " Expires», You can specify a shorter time for automatic deletion of audio and video messages, for example, 2 minutes.
11. Delete old photos and videos
You can free up a huge amount of space on iPhone and iPad by deleting old photos and videos. To do this, you need to go to the application Photo, select the photo or video you want to delete and click on the trash can icon. After that, you need to go to Albums -> Recently deleted -> Select -> delete everything and confirm the final deletion of media files from the device.
12. Disable Photo Stream
When Photo Stream is turned on, photos taken on one of your iOS devices automatically appear on your other gadgets linked to the same account. All this, of course, is very convenient, but the device memory due to this function can fill up much faster than usual.
To disable this option, you should go to Settings -> iCloud -> Photo My photostream».
13. Turn off iCloud Photo Sharing
ICloud Photo Sharing lets you create shared albums with others and subscribe to albums that you already have. Photos from albums you subscribe to will be sent straight to your device's memory, so if you want to save as much space as possible, it's best to turn this feature off. To do this, you just need to go to Settings -> iCloud -> Photo and remove the switch from the item " ICloud Photo Sharing».
14. Avoid storing HDR originals
When you take HDR shots, iOS automatically saves regular versions of photos, thereby doubling the storage space required for media files. Fortunately, you can opt out of storing originals in the system options by instructing iOS to store only HDR images. Go to the menu Settings -> Photo & Camera and remove the switch from the item " Leave original».
15. Use iCloud Music Library
With iCloud Music Library, you can store optimized versions of your photos and videos on your device, leaving the originals in high quality in iCloud storage. This feature allows you to significantly save space on your iPhone or iPad, even if your media collection is not very large.
You can activate the option to store optimized photos and videos on your device in the menu Settings -> Photo & Camera... Depending on the size of your library and your internet bandwidth, the initial sync process can take hours or even days.
16. Store photos and videos in the cloud
You can free up several gigabytes at once on your iPhone and iPad just by starting to use cloud storage. Having uploaded all the photos and videos from your mobile device to Dropbox, Flickr, Google Drive, Yandex.Disk or OneDrive, you will still always have them at hand, at the same time having the opportunity to clog the memory of the iPhone and iPad than your heart desires.
17. Remove Unused Content from iBooks
Books, magazines, and textbooks that are stored in iBooks can take up a lot of space on your device's memory. This is especially true for books with advanced features such as embedded audio or video content. To remove them, launch iBooks, click “ Change", Select the books you want to delete and click" Delete».
To prevent automatic downloading of book and magazine updates from the App Store, go to the menu Settings -> App Store, iTunes Store and remove the switch from item Books In chapter " Automatic downloads».
18. Delete the content of the Video app
Your personal videos, along with movies and TV shows purchased from the iTunes Store, can take up a lot of space on your iPhone and iPad. In order to delete videos that have become unnecessary, go to the standard application Video, click on the " Change"And erase everything unnecessary from the device memory by pressing the button" NS».
19. Delete unnecessary podcasts
Podcasts downloaded to a mobile device can take up a lot of memory space, in particular, if you do not follow the filling rate of the Podcasts application. You can delete unwanted or old podcasts directly in the application itself. To do this, you need to click on the icon in the form of three dots to the right of the podcast name, click on the button " Delete loaded object”And confirm the process.
20. Turn on the function to automatically delete the played podcasts
You can delete podcasts as soon as you listen to them. You can activate this option in the menu Settings -> Podcasts -> Delete played.
21. Start Using Apple Music
It's 2016 and fiddling with music collections, constantly syncing them to iPhone and iPad, is already tantamount to using CDs. Of course, there are more convenient ways to transfer music to devices other than iTunes (for example), however, the best thing to do is to start using Apple Music. 
For just 169 rubles per month, you will get access to over 30 million songs, personal selections, themed radio stations and much more. In order to join the army of Apple Music users, you just need to go to the Music application and start the registration process.
22. Clear your Safari Reading List cache
Safari Reading List is a great feature that allows you to access your saved articles and web pages without an Internet connection. But you can get carried away with filling this list, eventually clogging up the device's memory with hundreds of files related to saved pages.
To clear the cache of the Safari Reading List, go to the section Settings -> General -> Storage and iCloud usage and select the item " To govern". After that, you need to find Safari in the list, click " Change»And delete the reading list files.
23. Delete the Safari cache
In addition to the previous method, deleting the browsing history of the Safari browser and search queries can also help clear up some memory on the iPhone or iPad. This process is extremely simple - go to Settings -> Safari, click " Clear history and site data”And confirm the cleaning.
Keep in mind that clearing browsing history on one device automatically deletes it on other devices that are linked to the same iCloud account.
24. Delete the application cache
Many applications that download data from the Internet can store mountains of temporary files in the memory of your iPhone or iPad. Most of these files become unnecessary over time, so they can be deleted, freeing up a couple of hundred cherished megabytes.
In order to delete the cache of a specific application, go to the menu Settings -> General -> Storage and select the item To govern... You will see a list of applications installed on the device, sorted by the amount of memory used - select the ones you need and clear the cache whenever possible.
25. Reinstall especially gluttonous applications
If some separate application literally settled in the memory of your iPhone and iPad, having arranged its cache in it in a businesslike manner, then you need to resort to a radical solution to the problem. This solution, however, is not particularly difficult - you just need to delete such an application and download it from the App Store again.
26. Use special utilities
The built-in iOS mechanism for clearing temporary files works, frankly, imperfectly. There are much more functional third party utilities like PhoneExpander. With it, you can clean up your iPhone and iPad from temporary files as much as possible without losing a single important document.
To start using PhoneExpander you just need to download the utility, connect your mobile device to your computer and press the button " Clear temporary files". Further, the cleaning process will go automatically.
27. Set up your device as new
Quite a radical way, but, in fact, why not? Start the life of your iPhone and iPad from scratch, having previously backed up your data to iTunes and iCloud.
In order to set up an iPhone or iPad from scratch you need to go to the menu Settings -> The main -> Reset and select the item " Erase content and settings". Please note that this process involves deleting all files and settings from the device, so double-check that you have backed up your device.
And 13 more ways in one line:
28. Remove all duplicates, blurry photos and screenshots from the Photos application.
29. Download high-resolution panoramic photos from your mobile device to your computer, and then delete them from your iPhone and iPad.
30. Delete or export photos from applications such as Camera + or VSCO.
31. Turn off high quality voices by going to the menu Settings -> General -> Universal access -> Speech -> Vote -> Russian by unchecking the box Milena (improved)... Here you can also delete this voice option by clicking on " Change».
32. Disable unused system languages by going to the menu Settings -> General -> Language and region.
33. Remove unused third-party keyboards from the menu Settings -> General -> Keyboard -> Keyboards.
34. Remove custom hotkeys that you no longer use. This can be done in the menu Settings -> General -> Keyboard -> Replacing text.
35. Limit background activity of applications in the menu Settings -> The main -> Content update.
36. Select 1080p video recording format instead of 4K in the menu Settings -> Photo & Camera -> Video recording.
38. Clear the Siri cache by disabling and re-enabling the voice assistant in the menu Settings -> Siri.
39. Turn off automatic downloading of music, applications, books and updates in the menu Settings -> App Store, iTunes Store.
40. Synchronize iPhone and iPad with iTunes from time to time, this will enable the system to transfer error logs from the device and automatically delete them.
Modern technologies make it possible to use cloud services for data storage. Sometimes users run into problems when using them as "iCloud storage is full". What to do and how to fix the situation is described in this article.
Apple Cloud Storage gives each user 5 GB of free server space for free. It allows you to synchronize the following information between devices with Apple accounts:
- multimedia files;
- notes;
- General settings;
- messages, etc.
If you have backups of such data, you do not have to worry about their loss or permanent deletion from the device.
Over time, the personal cloud fills up, after which new data is no longer stored in it.
Freeing up space
To clear space in iCloud, use one of the following methods.
From an Apple gadget
You can manage iCloud from any Apple device, be it iPhone or iPad, because their systems and settings are the same.
Note! Starting with iOS 11, this item has been moved to the top of the settings.
- Go to Settings → iCloud.
- Select "Storage".
- Go to storage management.
- Open the information you want to delete.
- Click Change.
- The icon to the left of each item indicates it is ready to be removed. Click "Done" to apply the operation to all files, or swipe to the left each item separately to selectively erase.
Through Windows
Cloud management software is also available for Windows.
Note! In Mac OS, cleaning occurs in a similar way, but without the need to install the program (it is built-in).
On the site
The ability to clean up through the cloud site is available.
- Log in to the main page.
- Go to the required section.
- Select unnecessary files → click on the trash can icon in the upper right to delete the selected items.
conclusions
If iCloud is full, you need to remove unnecessary and outdated data backups from it. To do this, you need to use the control application on the Apple gadget or a program for Windows.
iCloud is a cloud storage service provided by Apple for storing music, photos, documents, and contacts. It allows you to access your files from any device. Back up and share information with other iOS devices.
The volume that can be stored here for free is 5 GB. For photographs, the size is determined in terms of the number of files and does not matter the size. The service will keep 1000 photos for the last 30 days, which will be more and will be deleted before that.
How to get out of the cloud
There can be many reasons why you may need to leave Icloud: from buying a used phone to losing your account password.
To sign out of iCloud on iPhone, you need to do the following:
- Enter "Settings" and then "iCloud".
- In this menu, at the very bottom of the list, there will be an option "Exit".
- After that, the account on the iOS device will be deleted, and the data will no longer be saved.
Click on Exit
When you click on the "Exit" button, a pop-up window with a message will appear. In which there will be a warning that if the account is deleted, then all data will be deleted.
To avoid this, you need to click "Cancel" and go to the "iCloudDrive" tab, with which, if this option is enabled, the data is saved. You need to save the necessary information and turn off iCloud Drive.
How to clear iCloud storage on iPhone
Now, when you click "Sign out" again in your account, you may receive a message stating that if you delete the profile, the photos stored in Photo Stream and documents in the cloud will be deleted from the smartphone.
Accordingly, if important and valuable data is located there, then it is necessary to transfer it. For example, if we are talking about photographs, then you need to move them from the Photo Stream to the Camera Roll.
Then you should return to the menu, select "Photos" and opposite the options "My photo streams" and "Sharing photos" move the switch to "Off".
Now you need to go back to the menu and try to delete your account.
The app might ask what to do with Saphari objects, calendar and contacts. Several options will be offered:
- "Leave on iPhone" - and then all contacts and dates will be available on the device.
- "Delete from iPhone" - and then the data will be erased.
To clear, you need to go to "Settings" - "iCloud" and select "Storage". A list of files will appear; to erase them, just swipe away with your finger or do it through the "Edit" menu.
But in both cases, the information will be available in the cloud. To check this, you need to go to the Apple cloud website and enter your account. When you enter the previous password and login, the contacts and dates of this account will appear.
Untie the iPhone from the cloud
To unlink iPhone from iCloud, you need to log into http / icloud.com from your PC using your Apple ID and iPhone password.
- Go to the "Find iPhone" tab
When buying and activating any device from Apple, you need to create and bind an AppleID to a new device. The developers have come up with a special iCloud Storage that allows you to save data and distribute it to other synced computers and phones.
Cloud service
You only need your AppleID to log in. The same username / mail and password that are used when downloading or purchasing applications from the AppStore.
Possibilities
Aikloud is a very convenient and useful thing. After all, you can transfer all important data without a special cable. What tasks does the service perform:
- easy movement and access to files;
- fast data exchange (mail, messages, cloud services);
- viewing documents and notes with the ability to make adjustments;
- search for a lost device via Find My iPhone;
- the Photo Stream function allows you to view pictures at any time via AppleTV;
- sync apps.
If a new iPhone has appeared, then on the old one you just need to enter the login password and all the early files will immediately be displayed, and nothing will be lost.
Where to find iCloud storage
In the settings of your phone or tablet, there is an iCloud item where you can enable or disable the synchronization of any data.
An internet connection is required to sync with the cloud service.
Since the MAC computer is based on Apple, it has all the built-in Icloud functions in its system, which cannot be said about a Windows PC.
In order to synchronize on Windows, you need to download a special program from the developer's website or use the official website iCloud.com
You can log into it from any computer and also manage your account. The following functions are available on the site for any PC:
Chips
When a new device from Apple appears, Icloud will become an indispensable synchronization service. It is worth considering in more detail all the functions of the service's capabilities.
Photo
Convenient to use in iCloud My Photo Stream... New pictures are transferred to all devices linked to the account. And sharing allows you to enter the AppleID of your friends and family so that they can view your images on their phones or tablets.
If you turn on the camera on the iPhone and take a new picture, then at the same time through Icloud it will be downloaded to another linked device. To do this, you do not need to connect the cable to your computer and copy all the images. Because all the photos from the iPhone will appear in the Aycloud Photostream. Including those that have just been made.
Contacts
Let's say you are on the phone with someone and you urgently need to record a new contact. Open the contacts application on your computer and create this contact. After a few seconds, we can watch how it appears on another connected device. After that, you can make any edits on your phone or tablet. This is how synchronization occurs. Address Book.
Notes
Similarly work Notes... If you have a brilliant idea or need to make a list of products, you just need to open the Notes tab on your computer through iCloud Storage. Write down all the sketches and the necessary points there. And from anywhere, open the note on your phone or tablet.
Pages
Documents are a very important part of a person's phone. How can iCloud make life easier in this case?
You can create a document in Pages on MAC or on the iCloud website. After that, you need to open Pages on your iPhone, and Icloud will show all these documents. The best part is that you can continue to make all our changes on your phone and then reopen them on your computer. Thus, work takes place between different devices.
Backups
In the same menu, you can enable saving backups to iPhone or iPad. Copies will be created every time the device is connected to WiFi and is on charge. This saves a lot of time.
Other
This is how not only standard applications work, but many of those that the developers have laid the ability to save data in Icloud. You can also manage Mail, Calendar, Reminders, Keychain, and various documents.
Free space
From the moment of registration, each user receives 5 free gigabytes for storing their data, files and backups. All of your photos will be saved to iCloud storage, but their size will not count towards that 5GB.
IMPORTANT! Aikloud can store no more than 1000 photos. When this figure is reached, old photos will be deleted.
If 5 gigabytes seems a little small, then you can expand your storage for an additional fee. And a special convenient scale shows how much free space is available and how much has already been used.
