What To Do When Your iCloud Storage Gets Full

This method is good for ensuring that your apps and settings have enough space to backup in iCloud, but it will stop iCloud from backing up your photos. You can keep the photos on your phone, and you can back them up without iCloud using one of the methods listed in Step 1 here.

iCloud is great for that first time you turn on a new iDevice; it downloads apps and applies all your settings so you don’t have to. But that free 5GB of iCloud storage gets full pretty quickly, and it will tell you it’s full with periodic popups (featured above). Most of the time, your Camera Roll takes up most of those 5GB. You’ll probably find every photo you took with your iDevices since iCloud came with iOS 5 back in 2011. That’s because all those photos were backed up on your iCloud, and every photo you take encroaches on that free 5GB backup limit.

To keep iCloud storage free, follow these steps:

I. Backup Photos

1. Complete either of the backup methods listed in Section I from this how to to save all of your photos to then return to this one and complete the following steps.

II. Turn Off Camera Roll iCloud Backups

1. Find and tap Settings.

2. Tap iCloud on the left.

3. Tap Storage & Backup on the bottom right.

4. Tap Manage Storage towards the top right.

5. Tap on the device that says “This iPad/iPhone.”

6. Check Camera Roll. You’ll see a list of the top five iCloud storage hogs, and Camera Roll will be first if it’s taking up the most space.

7. Slide the Camera Roll button to the left so it is no longer green.

II. Turn Off Photo Stream

Now that your Camera Roll isn’t backing up anymore, you should have plenty of iCloud storage space. But it will fill up again as any picture you take with your iPad/iPhone might still be saved onto your Photo Stream album, which is stored on iCloud. Photo Stream is a separate photo album that shares photos with all of your iDevices. So, for example, you can see a photo you took with your iPhone on your iPad. So let’s turn off Photo Stream. Don’t worry, you’ve backed up your photos (if you followed Step I!), so you won’t lose them forever.

1. Go to Settings.

2. Scroll down to Photos & Camera on the left.

3. Slide the My Photo Stream button (very first option) to the left so it is no longer green.

4. Tap Delete. Don’t worry, any photo in your Photo Stream was backed up if you followed Step I.

Now, enjoy a world where that “Not Enough Storage” popup doesn’t haunt you from time to time.