iCloud is a syncing system and not an offline backup (like Dropbox or OneDricpve). It's purpose is to give you access to your files on every device signed in with the same Apple ID. You need to use something different if you want to move files. Answer from ObviousExchange1 on reddit.com
Reddit
reddit.com › r/iphone › iphone storage full, but plenty of space in icloud - how to offload photos onto icloud, or another way to open up storage?
r/iphone on Reddit: iPhone storage full, but plenty of space in iCloud - how to offload photos onto iCloud, or another way to open up storage?
September 2, 2023 -
Phone storage is maxed out
Photos take up a huge chunk of that
I have 150 GB free in iCloud storage
I have iCloud Photos turned on
I have Optimize iPhone storage toggled on
How can I “move” the photos onto the cloud and take them off my phone to open up space?
Top answer 1 of 6
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iCloud is a syncing system and not an offline backup (like Dropbox or OneDricpve). It's purpose is to give you access to your files on every device signed in with the same Apple ID. You need to use something different if you want to move files.
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I ended up getting an external SSD, backed all my photos to that and deleted them from my iCloud. Was pretty surprised it took me so long to realize that iCloud isn’t a true off-device cloud backup.
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 254519803
How to free up storage space on iPhone? - iCloud
Clear your browsing history and data: Go to Settings > Safari and tap "Clear History and Website Data". Enable iCloud Photo Library: Go to Settings > Photos and turn on iCloud Photo Library. This will allow you to store your photos and videos in iCloud and free up space on your iPhone.
Videos
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Apple Support
support.apple.com › en-us › 108922
Manage your iCloud storage on your Apple device - Apple Support
You can free up storage in iCloud by deleting content that you're not using — such as duplicate photos, files, and texts and attachments in Messages. Before you delete anything, you might want to archive or make copies of the information that you store in iCloud.
Wide Angle Software
wideanglesoftware.com › blog › how-to-free-up-space-on-iphone.php
6 Ways - How to Free Up Space on iPhone
April 26, 2019 - To access these tools, on your iPhone go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Here, Tap the Photos app to see Apple's recommendations to clear space. You can see from the screenshot below that we were recommended to consider 3 items: iCloud ...
Tom's Guide
tomsguide.com › computing › internet › cloud storage
Is your iCloud storage full? 5 tips on how to free up space | Tom's Guide
September 11, 2024 - Delete the ones you don’t need any longer, and you’ll instantly free up storage space. Individual text messages and iMessage threads on their own may only be a few kilobytes each.
PanFone
panfone.com › data-erase › how-to-free-up-icloud-storage-space-on-iphone.html
Top 3 Ways to Free Up iCloud Storage Space on iPhone
Now erase all photos from iCloud to create even more iCloud storage space. If you don’t want the new photos to be uploaded to iCloud, you can disable your iCloud Photo Library. That’s all there is to it. Following these solutions should free up your iCloud storage as much as possible.
Apple
support.apple.com › en-ca › 105061
Manage your photo and video storage - Apple Support (CA)
When Optimize Storage is turned ... have enough space in iCloud, you can store as many photos and videos as you want. When you sign up for iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of free storage....
InsanelyMac
insanelymac.com › forums › apple world › new apple users lounge
How do I free up space on my iPhone? My Storage is full - New Apple Users Lounge | InsanelyMac
October 22, 2025 - Can anyone offer some advice for my situation? I recently went on a mountain trip and started recording a personal video blog using my iPhone. Mid-recording, I got a warning saying the storage was almost full, and the video recording stopped. I quickly deleted a few files just to be able to take ...
Mepis
mepis.org › best iphone cleaner apps
How can I free up more iCloud storage on my iPhone? - Best Iphone Cleaner Apps - Mepis Forum
I’m running out of iCloud storage on my iPhone and can’t back up my data properly anymore. I need help figuring out the best way to free up space or manage my storage. What steps should I take to optimize the available s…
Published March 26, 2025
iDownloadBlog
idownloadblog.com › home › 8 effective ways to free up icloud storage on iphone and mac
8 effective ways to free up iCloud storage on iPhone and Mac
September 12, 2024 - They use the iPhone camera to shoot pictures, and all these are backed up, quickly filling up the iCloud storage. To free iCloud space, open the Photos app and delete unnecessary pictures. This will also delete them from iCloud.
Asurion
asurion.com › connect › tech-tips › free-up-icloud-storage
How to free up iCloud storage without losing your data
1 month ago - Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Backups. Tap the name of the old device. Tap Delete Backup and confirm. This won’t affect your phone, so it’s a safe way to free up space.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/applehelp › any advice on clearing icloud storage?? i’ve deleted so many things and it has not helped 😭
r/applehelp on Reddit: Any advice on clearing iCloud storage?? I’ve deleted so many things and it has not helped 😭
December 11, 2024 -
I have spent the morning organizing files, photos, books, notes etc. I've deleted most of what I don't need and it STILL didn't free up any space 😭 I need a solution other than deleting.
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5gb is the free amount they give you. It’s a suitable amount of space for simple things like synching contacts and such, but it’s completely inadequate for doing any kind of real backup, unless you have practically no data. If you want to use iCloud as a full backup solution, you generally need to pay for upgraded storage. I’ll add on that files and notes take up practically no space. One short video can take up more space than 100 notes and documents. If you’re really looking to clear space, you gotta delete large data items like photos and videos.
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Go into settings and tap your name, then tap on icloud > saved to icloud. Scroll down and toggle off anything you don't want backed up. Apps have data that may be included in your backups, making them bigger than the 3.6 gig space you have available in icloud. Alternatively, you can buy more icloud storage. It's nice if you have family members to share it with. I have 4 people sharing 200gigs for $2.99 a month. The convenience is worth it for me.
IONOS
ionos.ca › digital guide › server › tools › how to clear icloud storage
How to clear iCloud storage and free up space
November 4, 2022 - To free up your storage space or remove outdated backups you can simply delete iCloud backups. Read on to find out how to delete old backups on iCloud, on your iPhone, Mac, or Windows.
MacPaw
macpaw.com › how to › optimization › disk space
Why is iCloud storage full? Here's how to check & manage it
1 month ago - With iCloud Photo Library turned on, the photos you delete on your iPhone will also be removed from the cloud, so you’ll easily free up some iCloud space.
CopyTrans
copytrans.net › blog › apple-icloud-storage-is-full-7-tips-on-how-to-clear-icloud-storage
Don’t Buy More iCloud! 7 Smart Ways to Free Up Space Fast
October 21, 2025 - Now erase all photos from iCloud to create even more iCloud storage space. If you don’t want the new photos to be uploaded to iCloud, you can disable your iCloud Photo Library. If the iCloud Photo Library is still enabled on your iPhone, your ...
IONOS
ionos.ca › digital guide › online marketing › social media › how to free up space on iphone
How to free up space on your iPhone - IONOS CA
September 8, 2023 - Select an app from the list under iPhone Storage. Choose whether to delete the app or offload it. Offloaded apps will be displayed on your home screen with a cloud symbol. Outsourcing large files isn’t the only way to free up storage space. You can also optimize photo storage under Settings > Apple ID profile picture > iCloud > Photos.
Gbyte
gbyte.com › home › blog › device tips › icloud tips
Free Up iCloud Storage: Delete These 7 Things Taking Up Space
September 29, 2025 - Tap FaceTime, then choose Delete Data from iCloud. If you want to keep FaceTime videos, export them to your Photos app before deleting. Also, check Recently Deleted to permanently remove them, otherwise storage won’t be fully freed.
CNET
cnet.com › tech › computing › computer accessories › storage › running out of icloud storage? here are 9 strategies to open up more space
Running Out of iCloud Storage? Here are 9 Strategies to Open Up More Space - CNET
September 21, 2024 - Identifying unneeded pictures can be time consuming, but it can make a difference in freeing up storage space. To make things easier, use the Photos app to find and remove duplicates in your library. On the iPhone or iPad, scroll to the Utilities ...