First off, getting free iCloud storage honestly isn’t a thing Apple offers. You get the 5GB for free—that’s it. However, you CAN make better use of what you already have or find creative ways to not rely on iCloud as much. Here’s how:
Analyze what’s eating your space: Go to Settings > [Your Name]… Answer from Vrijheidsvogel on forum.network-inventory-advisor.com
Apple Support
support.apple.com › en-us › 108922
Manage your iCloud storage on your Apple device - Apple Support
You can easily manage your storage to make space or upgrade to iCloud+ on your Apple device. When you set up iCloud, you automatically get 5 GB of storage for free. You can use that space for your iCloud backups, to keep your photos and videos stored in iCloud Photos, to keep your files up ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/apple › here's how icloud's free storage and upgrades compare to the competition
r/apple on Reddit: Here's how iCloud's free storage and upgrades compare to the competition
April 14, 2024 - The phone is a phone.. you’re paying for a phone. Cloud storage services are cloud services. If you want ‘free’ iCloud storage with your purchase, you’re going to just have to pay more for the phone in the first place. Do you understand how business works?
Videos
How to Get Unlimited iCloud Storage on iPhone for FREE !
07:08
How To Use iCloud Photos for FREE with UNLIMITED Storage! - YouTube
06:31
iCloud Storage Full AGAIN? Here’s How I Backup iPhone Videos ...
09:57
How To Free Up A TON of your iCloud Storage!! - YouTube
12:04
iPhone Storage Full? Do This Before Paying for More iCloud Storage ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/ios › my iphone storage said that it was full so i bought more icloud storage but it still says that it’s full
r/ios on Reddit: My iphone storage said that it was full so i bought more icloud storage but it still says that it’s full
July 3, 2022 -
The title basically explains it. Every single time i open the camera app to take a picture or try to download a new app something pops up saying that i don’t have enough storage. I have an iphone 11 pro max
Quora
quora.com › How-do-I-upgrade-iCloud-storage-capacity-free
How to upgrade iCloud storage capacity free - Quora
Answer (1 of 10): Aside from the obvious answer of adding storage space, 50gb for a dollar a month, or 2000gb for $10 is a decent deal. anyway, the best things to look at are outdated backups. These usually take up a good deal of space, and sometimes are redundant or unnecessary. If you have a b...
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
8 Tricks to FREE UP iCloud Storage (Without Deleting Photos)
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-best-way-to-avoid-paying-Apple-for-extra-iCloud-storage
What is the best way to avoid paying Apple for extra iCloud storage? - Quora
Answer (1 of 9): The best thing that has worked for me is download google photos because as for me and most others lots of their iCloud storage is consumed by photos and videos so once you download google photos you have to allow it to access your photos and even few minutes it updates or seconds...
Apple
support.apple.com › en-ca › 108047
iCloud+ plans and pricing - Apple Support (CA)
When you sign up for iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of free storage. If you need more space in iCloud, you can upgrade to 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 - Spending a few minutes cleaning out your storage space from time to time can free up space, help you stay on top of the clutter, and save you from having to pay for more storage. If you're still having space issues, then you should definitely now read how to upgrade iCloud storage on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Find out how to clear the cache on Mac and how to clear RAM on iPhone — these are both great first steps if your Mac or iPhone is behaving a little sluggish. Sign up to get the BEST of Tom's Guide direct to your inbox.
Apple
support.apple.com › en-ca › 104980
Get temporary iCloud storage when you buy a new iPhone or iPad - Apple Support (CA)
Find out if you’re eligible, then learn how to create a temporary backup. If you buy a new iPhone or iPad and don't have enough iCloud storage to back up your current device using iCloud Backup, you're eligible to get temporary iCloud storage.
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 - But that allotment can also fill up, presenting you with the decision you thought you'd kicked down the road when you first turned to the cloud: either remove inessential files or pony up more money to expand the storage available to you. Both approaches are valid and depend on how much time, effort or money you want to put in. ... Before you start randomly dumping everything overboard when you find yourself short on iCloud space, try these strategies -- some of which aren't obvious -- to expand or recover your cloud storage. I've organized them roughly by how to free up the most space, such as removing large photo and video files to start.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/icloud › what's a good strategy for freeing up icloud space?
r/iCloud on Reddit: What's a good strategy for freeing up iCloud space?
January 28, 2023 -
I've hit the limit on my 50 GB plan and I'm looking to free up some space.
Like most people, it's almost entirely photos & videos taking up the space. The simplest strategy would be to do like the pre-iCloud days and just mass offload the oldest stuff. But the main reason I'm subscribed to iCloud+ is that I love having access on my phone to all my photos and not just my recent ones.
A good-sounding strategy I've read is to go through your photos & videos and delete similar photos and clip videos down to just the parts you want to keep. The problem is this is very labor-intensive & time-consuming and results in only tiny incremental gains. I've calculated that to free up even a single GB of space would require deleting 17 minutes of video or 500 photos. It's like picking away at a giant ice block with a toothpick.
So what are people's strategies for managing their iCloud storage?
P.S. I could of course just upgrade to the next tier of iCloud+ but that's just paying to kick the problem further down the road. It feels prudent that I should adopt some strategy to reduce my space use regardless.
Top answer 1 of 9
5
There are no secret, magic strategies to deal with this problem. You either delete stuff to make room or you buy more space.
2 of 9
2
Consider looking into a NAS hard drive for a one time $$ investment and make your own cloud storage . I have both a Buffalo and a WD and although the features are quite similar in integrating with iOS devices I think the Buffalo has more of a power-user in mind and the WD is more family friendly. When your iCloud fills up just delete the oldest photos as they will already be sync’d on the NAS. And although not quite as seamless to access remotely as Apple made iCloud to be it’s not a deal breaker. As an added bonus it works just like any other hard drive for desktop or laptop devices to access for file storage and even TimeMachine backups. If I recall when my wife bought me the WD MyCloud it was about $199 for a single drive 4TB and that was a few years ago. The Buffalo offers single as well as multiple drive setups for raid redundancy or greater storage space albeit at a few more bucks. Storage is cheap and redundant storage is priceless.
MobileTrans
mobiletrans.wondershare.com › iphone-tips › get-more-icloud-storage-on-iphone.html
[100% Working] How to Get More iCloud Storage on iPhone in 2025
August 20, 2025 - However, it is not enough room for all of your data, you may need to purchase more iCloud storage space. Moreover, you can also get more iCloud storage on iPhone by deleting some unwanted files.
JustAnswer
justanswer.com › mac-computers › nbsqm-need-icloud-storage-free-iphone.html
How to Get Free iCloud Storage: Expert Tips and Solutions
I'm afraid you will not be able to get iCloud storage for free.
MultCloud
multcloud.com › multcloud tutorials › how to increase icloud storage on iphone, mac, windows
How to Increase iCloud Storage on iPhone, Mac, Windows
February 27, 2024 - How to increase iCloud storage for free without paying? You can find the ways to increase iCloud storage to 200GB of free cloud space, and show you how to upgrade iCloud storage to get more cloud space permanently.
Tenorshare
tenorshare.com › home › tenorshare icarefone › how to get icloud storage for free: easy & legit ways
[Tricks & Tips] How to Get iCloud Storage for Free
March 26, 2025 - Those with paid plans can choose to switch or keep their own. The greatest answer for how to get more iCloud storage without paying is to free up space.iCloud fills up quickly with backups, photos, messages, and emails.
CNET
cnet.com › tech › mobile › phones › get more icloud storage for free using this iphone setting
Apple Added a Trick To iOS 15 That Gives Your iPhone More iCloud Storage for Free
July 13, 2022 - With iOS 15, you can use free temporary ... Holland/CNET · iOS 15 includes a setting that lets you borrow more iCloud storage temporarily for free when transferring data from an old iPhone to a new one....
Wondershare
drfone.wondershare.com › icloud-storage-is-full.html
iCloud Storage is Full? Check These 14 Simple Hacks to Fix.
Click Next, enter in your Apple ID and fill in the payment information. Download and open iCloud for Windows on your PC. Click Storage > Change Storage Plan . Choose the plan you'd like to upgrade to.