How to Delete Old iCloud Device Backups to Free Up Space

Apple provides 5GB of free iCloud storage with every Apple ID. If you own an iPhone and an iPad, that tiny allocation will fill up almost immediately, resulting in annoying “iCloud Storage is Full” pop-ups on your devices every day. One of the biggest culprits of wasted space is old, outdated device backups. When you upgrade to a new iPhone, Apple does not automatically delete the massive backup of your old phone. To reclaim your storage space and stop the annoying alerts, you must manually delete those obsolete backups.

How to Delete Old Backups from an iPhone or iPad

You can manage all of your iCloud storage directly from the Settings app on any connected iOS device.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap on your Apple ID banner at the very top of the screen (the one with your name and profile picture).
3. Tap on iCloud.
4. Look at the colorful storage bar chart at the top, then tap the Manage Account Storage button right beneath it.
5. You will see a list of all apps and services using your cloud space. Tap on Backups.
6. You will now see a list of every device currently backed up to your iCloud account. Look closely at the device names. You might see a backup for “John’s iPhone 12” even though you are currently holding an iPhone 15.
7. Tap on the old device backup that you no longer need.
8. Scroll to the very bottom of the screen and tap the red Turn Off & Delete from iCloud button.
9. A warning prompt will appear. Tap Turn Off & Delete to confirm.

The backup data will be instantly erased from Apple’s servers, permanently freeing up gigabytes of storage space for your current devices.

How to Delete Old Backups from a Mac

If your iPhone is broken or unavailable, you can also manage your iCloud backups directly from your macOS desktop.

1. Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of your Mac’s screen.
2. Select System Settings… (or System Preferences on older versions of macOS).
3. Click on your Apple ID profile at the top of the left-hand sidebar.
4. Click on iCloud on the right side of the screen.
5. Click the Manage… button located next to the storage bar chart.
6. A new window will appear listing all your synced apps. Scroll down the left sidebar and select Backups.
7. Select the old, unneeded device backup from the right-hand pane.
8. Click the – (minus) button at the bottom of the window to delete the backup.
9. Click Delete on the confirmation pop-up.