Regardless of how many iOS or macOS devices you own, Apple only provides 5GB of free iCloud storage, which is far less than many people require. So what can you do to reduce your iCloud storage requirements?
There are ways to either avoid paying for additional storage space or to pay only a minimal amount more.
Here are some simple guidelines on reducing the usage of some of the most resource-intensive iCloud features and lowering your iCloud storage costs.
Why is it Necessary to Manage your iCloud storage?
Apple has made iCloud storage a feature that appears to be required for all its products, from Macs to iPads, iPhones, and even Apple TV. The service is composed of four main components. These comprise:
- The iPad, iPhone, and iPod backups you’ve created without using iTunes are stored in iCloud backup.
- The data from third-party apps on Macs and iOS devices that store data in the cloud are stored in iCloud Drive, along with all your documents (including Mac Desktop and Downloads data).
- iCloud Mail: This is where you store all the emails and attachments
- All of your past photos and videos are stored in your iCloud Photo Library.
How can you Figure out how much iCloud storage you are using?
Finding out how much iCloud storage you are using is simple.
IOS: Open Settings and tap the (Apple ID) section at the top. Next, select iCloud. You ought to see a graph showing your iCloud storage usage. To access a page listing every item storing data in your iCloud, tap Manage Storage. You can delete stored data for each app or service but wait until you have backed up the data somewhere else.
In Mac OS: Go to System Preferences>iCloud and select “Manage.”
You can see how much storage you’re using in both scenarios. Which applications and Apple services are using it (such as Photos, Docs, Mail, or Backup).
What is the Price of iCloud Storage?
Apple offers four storage options: 5GB for free, 50GB for 99 cents per month, 200GB for $2.99 per month, and 2TB for $9.99 per month.
Managing iCloud backup
You’ll run into issues backing up iOS devices to iCloud if you try to stay under the 5GB storage limit. However, you can backup your iOS device(s) to a Mac or PC. Remove any previous iCloud backups you may have made to decrease the amount of storage that iCloud backups take up.
Although it is useful, you are not required to back up your devices to iCloud; instead, you can use a Mac or PC running iTunes. Connect your device to your computer, open iTunes, and select the Device option from the drop-down menu next to the category menu to the left of the iTunes window.
When you’ve finished, choose Summary, then This Computer, where Automatically Backup is listed.
Store your Files Somewhere else
Support for third-party online storage services like Box, Dropbox, and Microsoft One Drive is available on both macOS and iOS devices. Third-party services are also supported by Apple’s Files app for iOS. Install the appropriate storage app on your device, log in, and then use the Files app to access any data stored in those non-iCloud services. You are no anymore required to keep those files in iCloud. Additionally, you can reduce your reliance on iCloud by using Dropbox and OneDrive to save your photos and other images automatically.
Managing iCloud Photos
You should transfer your photos and images from your iOS devices to your computer to manage your iCloud storage. After importing the photos to your computer, remove them from your device.
How to Manage your iCloud mail
Deleting unnecessary emails is a great technique to lower your iCloud Mail storage requirements. Getting rid of unwanted attachments is an even better solution.
- Taking care of Mail attachments: A sizable portion of iCloud storage is typically consumed by mail. Therefore, Apple advises removing the contents of the Junk and Trash folders to make capacity.
- Locate attachments in Mail on a Mac: You can free up space by deleting communications you no longer need after you keep track of Mail messages with attachments.
- Use a different email provider: Utilising another free email account is another approach to reduce the amount of iCloud storage space needed by mail. These third-party email providers don’t use iCloud storage.
Utilize your Private Storage
You can avoid using third-party internet storage services if you design your private storage system. The PROMISE Apollo Personal Cloud Storage device is an example of a product that offers this. The device connects to your home router and gives you up to 10 trusted friends access to saved stuff.
Final Thoughts
Apple has designed iCloud to be a handy companion for all its products.
You now know what to do if you want to keep your data outside of Apple’s device or can’t afford to spend that much money on extra storage.
