No matter how many iOS or macOS devices you own, Apple offers just 5GB of free storage to iCloud users – a paltry amount given what rivals offer. But there are ways you can avoid paying for more storage space, or at least limit how much extra you pay. Further reading: Here are easy-to-follow tips on how to put some of the biggest iCloud data-consuming features on a diet and save money on iCloud storage. Apple No matter how many iPhones, iPads or Macs you buy, Apple only provides 5GB of free iCloud storage. Why do you need to manage iCloud storage?
Jun 19, 2018 - For example, if you use iPhoto to manage your pictures and delete them. Onto that 64 GB MacBook Air, that extra storage space can be useful. How to free up storage space on your Mac Store in iCloud. Desktop and Documents. Store all files in these two locations in iCloud Drive. Optimize Storage. Click the Optimize button, then choose from these options. Empty Trash Automatically. Empty Trash Automatically permanently deletes files..
Apple has made a seemingly essential element for all its products, from Macs to iPads, iPhones and even Apple TV. There are four principal elements to the service.
These include:. iCloud Backup: It’s used for all the iPad, iPhone and iPod backups you’ve made without using iTunes. iCloud Drive: This is for all your documents (including Mac Desktop and Downloads data) and data from third-party apps on Macs and iOS devices that store data in the cloud.
iCloud Mail: Naturally, this is storage for all the emails and attachments you’ve ever received through your iCloud account. iCloud Photo Library: This is storage for all the pictures and videos you’ve ever taken.
That’s an extensive list of items to squeeze inside Apple’s ever-so-tiny 5GB free allocation. To get the most out of it, you may want to regularly check how much storage you’re already using and take steps to migrate some of those storage tasks to non-Apple products and services. How much does iCloud storage cost? Apple offers four storage options: 5GB (free); 50GB (99 cents/month); 200GB ($2.99/month); and 2TB ($9.99/month). How much storage are you using? It’s easy to figure out how much iCloud storage you are using. In iOS: Tap the top (Apple ID) section in Settings.
Then tap iCloud. You should see a chart detailing how you are using iCloud storage. Tap Manage Storage to reach a page listing every item storing data in your iCloud (it also tells you how much data each item uses there). You can also delete stored data for each app or service, but don’t do so until you have first backed up that information elsewhere.
Apple In macOS: Access System PreferencesiCloudand choose the ' Manage.' Option at the bottom right of the window. Apple In both cases you’ll see how much storage you’re using, what items are using it (for example, Photos, Docs, Mail or Backup), and where to enable and disable online storage for various applications and Apple services. How to manage iCloud Backup If you back up iOS device(s) to iCloud, you'll soon hit problems if you try to stay under the 5GB storage limit. To reduce the amount of iCloud storage consumed by iCloud backups, and delete existing backups you may have created from iCloud.
You don’t actually have to back your devices up to iCloud, though it is convenient; you can use a Mac or PC running iTunes instead. Just connect your device to your computer, launch iTunes (if it doesn’t launch automatically) and click the Device icon that appears to the left of the iTunes window beside the category menu. Apple iCloud storage can easily be managed in iOS. Select 'Backup' to review older backups and delete those no longer needed.
Once you’ve done that, select Summary and then choose This Computer where you see Automatically Backup. You’ll need to check the Encrypt (device name) backup item in order to keep Health and HomeKit data, and will need to create a password for this. In the future, your iOS device(s) will automatically be backed up to your computer when it is connected, and you won’t need to store those backups on your frugal iCloud account. Once that’s set up, you can remove older device backups from iCloud. On iOS: Tap Settings and navigate to iCloudManage Storage and choose Backup.
Here you can review your backups and select those you wish to delete. When you tap the red Delete Backupoption, you’ll be asked if you are certain of the decision. Advice: Be sure to keep the most recent backup.
To comment on this story, visit. On a Mac: Open System PreferencesiCloud and choose the ' Manage.' In the next pane, choose Backups and delete those you don’t need in the same way as on iOS. How to put iCloud Drive on a diet Both Macs and iOS devices use iCloud to store app data and important files. Recent Macs can use iCloud to automatically sync and store contents of both the Desktop and the Downloads folder. Once these items are made available there, you can access them from any other Apple device, so long as you are logged in using the same Apple ID. You can also access those items online using a web browser.
This is a useful feature, but if you want to limit your iCloud data, y.