How to Delete Photos from iCloud and Free Up iCloud Storage

First check: is iCloud Photos on?

Open Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Photos and check whether Sync this iPhone is on.

• On: your library is synced with iCloud. Anything you delete on your iPhone is also deleted in iCloud and on all devices signed in with your Apple Account.
• Off: if iCloud Backup is on, your photos are included in it. Deleting photos on your iPhone also makes the next backup smaller.

With iCloud Photos, a deleted photo is gone everywhere after 30 days. Back up photos you want to keep to a computer first.

Delete iCloud photos on your iPhone

1. Open the Photos app and go to your Library.
2. Tap Select and mark the photos and videos that can go.
3. Tap the trash icon and confirm.

The photos go to Recently Deleted. According to Apple, they no longer count against your iCloud storage there, so the space in iCloud is freed right away. On your iPhone they keep using storage for up to 30 days until you empty the album. Our guide How to delete photos on iPhone shows how to select many photos quickly.

Delete photos on iCloud.com

Without your iPhone, for example on a computer, use the browser:

1. Open icloud.com/photos and sign in with your Apple Account.
2. Select the photos. On a Mac, hold Command while selecting, on Windows hold Control.
3. Click the Delete button and then Delete.

With iCloud Photos on, the photos then disappear from your iPhone too.

Delete photos from your iPhone but keep them in iCloud?

Not while iCloud Photos is on, deletions always sync everywhere. If you only need space on your iPhone, there are two better ways:

• Optimize iPhone Storage: under Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Photos, your iPhone keeps only space-saving versions and the originals stay in iCloud. You still see all your photos, but they take up much less space.
• Back up first, then delete: copy the photos to a PC or to a Mac and delete them afterwards. They are then gone from iCloud too, but stored safely.

Delete photos from iCloud but keep them on your iPhone?

As long as iCloud Photos is on for your iPhone, this isn’t possible: whatever you delete in iCloud also disappears from your iPhone. The way to do it is to turn off syncing. According to Apple, deletions then no longer sync between your iPhone and your other devices.

1. First download your original photos and videos to your iPhone and make sure there is enough storage. With Optimize iPhone Storage, only space-saving versions are on the device otherwise.
2. Open Settings → [your name] → iCloud and tap Photos under Saved to iCloud.
3. Turn off Sync this iPhone.
4. Choose Download Photos & Videos to keep a copy on your iPhone.

After that you can delete photos on icloud.com/photos without them disappearing from your iPhone. Keep in mind: new photos from your iPhone no longer go to iCloud either. So back them up another way, for example on a computer.

To empty iCloud Photos completely, go to Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Storage → iCloud Photos → Turn Off and Delete Photos. According to Apple, the photos are then deleted from iCloud after 30 days. Download the originals to your devices first.

iCloud storage full? First see what is using it

Open Settings → [your name] → iCloud. The bar graph at the top shows how much storage is in use. Tap Storage or Manage Account Storage: the apps and features using the most space are at the top of the list. Here is how to free up storage:

• Photos and videos: Delete what you no longer need in the Photos app. With iCloud Photos, that frees up iCloud storage too.
• Old backups: Tap Backups in the list, then the device, then Turn Off and Delete from iCloud. This also turns off iCloud Backup for that device. You can turn it back on in iCloud settings.
• Apps in your backup: Under Backups and your current device, turn off apps that don't need backing up. Their backup data is then deleted from iCloud.
• iCloud Drive: Open the Files app, tap Browse, then iCloud Drive under Locations. Anything you delete there disappears from all your devices.
• Messages: If you use Messages in iCloud, texts and attachments count too. Delete large attachments such as videos right in the conversation.

Apple recommends archiving or copying important data first. Your Apple Account comes with 5 GB of iCloud storage. If that still isn't enough after cleaning up, you can upgrade to iCloud+.

Use Apple's suggestions

From iOS 17, your iPhone helps when iCloud storage runs low: under Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Recommended for You it suggests photos, large files or old backups you may no longer need. Choose a suggestion and follow the instructions.

Start with the largest videos

Large videos almost always take up the most space: long recordings, 4K videos and slo-mo. A few of them often need more room than thousands of photos. Start with them and you free up the most with just a few deletions.

A cleanup app like PhotoDelete finds them fastest: they sit at the top of “Largest Files” (Pro), biggest first. Every video plays right on the card, and you decide with a swipe: left to delete, right to keep. Go through the rest of your library month by month with a swipe, and “Duplicates” (Pro) groups similar photos. Because you delete directly in your library, iCloud storage is freed too when iCloud Photos is on.

Empty “Recently Deleted”

You don’t need to empty the album for iCloud. You do for your iPhone storage, because deleted photos stay there for up to 30 days. Empty it under Photos app → Collections → Recently Deleted → Select → Delete All.

Common mistakes

• Mistaking iCloud Photos for a backup: it is a sync. Delete on one device and the photo is gone everywhere.
• Deleting without a backup: after 30 days in Recently Deleted, nothing can be recovered.
• Overlooking a Shared Library: photos in a Shared Library count against the storage of the person who created it. Switch to your personal library to clean up.