How to delete old iCloud backups that eat your storage

Knowing how to delete old backups on your iCloud safely becomes pretty important when your iPhone keeps sending you those iPhone not backed up warnings. Couple that with the realization that your 5 GB is full, and it's enough to induce panic.

I was always really worried that I’d end up losing something important, but after going through the process myself just last week, I discovered that removing old backups from old devices I don’t even own anymore doesn’t remove any precious photos, messages, or apps.

Let me show you where your old backups are stored (iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Windows) and what is really safe to remove.

iCloud backup and what deleting one does

​Before we get into deleting an iCloud backup on an iPhone or Mac, I just want to cover what a backup actually is, because I think online, there’s a bit of confusion around it versus iCloud sync.

A backup is simply a saved snapshot that’s used (if ever needed) to restore a device to a previous state; it’s not where the actual data lives.

That means that deleting it only removes that snapshot, nothing else. The only issue I see is deleting the backup for the device you’re currently using, because if you don’t make a new one, you’ve got no restore point if anything happens, like damage or losing it. That free 5 GB of storage is shared, however, across your backups, your iCloud Drive, photos, and Mail.

So now, let’s talk about iCloud sync, because that’s something different. This is where all your real, live data is stored, for things like Notes, your actual iCloud, Messages, and your photos. When you delete synced items, they are removed from all your synced devices, so quite the opposite of removing an old backup.

Find and delete old iPhone backup on your iPhone or iPad

I’m on iOS 27.0.1, and all I needed to do, on this version, was open up the Settings app, tap on my name at the top, and scroll down to iCloud Backup. On older iOS, it’s called Manage Storage and might require a few extra steps until you find Backups.

Here you’ll see all the backups you’ve got saved for any device you’ve ever had backed up to your Apple Account. Its size and last backup date are included.

To remove a backup, select it and tap Delete Backup.

Good to know, if you do delete the backup for the device you're on, that’ll also turn backups off completely, so do be careful.

So, is it safe to delete an iCloud backup? I think if it’s for a device you no longer use or own, absolutely. What isn’t safe to delete, as I already mentioned, is the backup for your in-use device, unless you’re going to make a new one right away.

How to delete old backups on your iCloud: Mac or Windows device

On a MacBook, go to the main Apple menu > System Settings > Click your name > iCloud. Under Storage, click Manage, then scroll down a little to Backups.

Same process here as on your iPhone or iPad: select it and tap Delete. Another tip for you here: Mac’s don’t back up quite the same way iPhones do, mainly because your Mac is using Time Machine, so if you do see a Mac backup listed in Backups, that means an iCloud Drive and Desktop & Documents sync, not a device backup. Watch out because this catches so many people out.

If you’re using a Windows device, you’ll need to log in on the iCloud for Windows app, go to Storage and Backups.

Another way to check is also via icloud.com, but backup management is limited compared to the device paths above.

iCloud storage full? Shrink the backup you're keeping

Instead of deleting the iCloud backup on your iPhone, you could just shrink it, so it doesn’t take up as much space.

Open your Settings app again, tap your name > iCloud > Scroll down to iCloud Backup and find your latest backup.

When you tap it, you get a per-app view that's sorted by size; all you need to do is toggle off any apps or games without downloadable data, or any apps that already sync to their own cloud. This is going to really reduce the size of your next backup.

By the way, if Photos is at the top of your list, you should really manage the Photos themselves; I’ll go more into that in a moment.

How to manage iCloud storage

If your iCloud storage is full, backups aren’t going to help you save masses of space; you’ll need to work on removing or shrinking the data itself, and for most of us, Photos is up there. It’s always the first place to start. Think about removing all those old screenshots, and maybe even using an external storage device. Don’t forget: if you do delete stuff, check your Recently deleted folder, because items stay there for 30 days and still count.

Next, your iCloud Drive. Documents, desktop sync from a Mac, and loads of other files from apps you forgot you installed get stored in here, so give it a clean-out from time to time. Messages in iCloud can often contain years of attachments and video, and the same goes for Mail; it’s all taking up space.

If your iCloud is stuffed with synced files rather than device backups, you can always try Cloud Cleanup in CleanMyMac. It manages synced files and folders, not iOS device backups.

Once you configure it, it can help you manage your iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive. So instead of doing the manual search, you can just review synced data in one place and remove what you don’t need. You can test the app for 7 days — get your free trial here (all features work).

Keep it from filling up again

Alright, here’s my final checklist, so you don’t need to go through all of this again.

• Turn off iCloud Backup for any apps that really don’t need it.

• Make sure you’ve got Optimize iPhone Storage for Photos turned on or move the photo library elsewhere.

• Delete backups for old devices the moment you replace a phone.

• Empty Recently Deleted in Photos frequently.

• iCloud+ starts at 50 GB, and it's a reasonable call if cleanup has become a recurring chore

Also, don’t forget that storage figures can take a while to update after large deletions, so if things don’t reduce in an instant, give it some time. Well, that’s all the info on iCloud backup taking up space.