Solving the error “iCloud Copy Failed - Not Enough Space. What to do if your iCloud storage is full

From this material you will learn what to do if you run out of space in iCloud and how to buy more.

As every iPhone owner knows, iCloud makes a backup from the phone and stores photos, video files and other information within the service. At the same time, all content is reliably protected, and if necessary, you can update it on any iOS device.

But if suddenly the iCloud space fills up and there is no free space left in the system, backup will become impossible. Newly created pictures and other files will not be added to the library. iCloud-enabled software will no longer function. And the user will also not be able to send a message to the e-mail of this service.

How to clear iCloud storage on iPhone 5S - read our instructions.

There are 2 main approaches to accomplish this task:

• Switch to a paid plan.
• Clean the system by erasing unnecessary backup versions, photographs, messages, and the like.

Few people want to switch to the paid version of the service, so we will dwell in detail on the second method and tell you how to clear some space. Before the procedure, you must first check the availability of free space in the service. On gadgets like iPhone 5, iPhone 6 and the like, this is done as follows:

Freeing up more free space

• Back up or copy your iCloud data.
• Delete backup versions that were made a long time ago and are no longer relevant.
• Erase photos and videos from videos.
• Remove other unnecessary files.
• Get rid of email messages.

Shrinking your iCloud library

This section of the service uses it to share content on all Apple gadgets. This applies to photographs, videos and other things. Surely, among the variety of information stored on your device, there is a lot of unnecessary information. For example, these may be photo frames of poor quality or identical photos. Such junk can be easily removed from the photo application in absolutely any iOS gadget.

In addition, we can competently manage space in iCloud using the storage optimization function. This option is available in the device settings. When actively using it, the photo application automatically clears space, replacing photographs and videos with modified versions in the form of copies. Basic versions of photos in full format are saved in the cloud, and if necessary, the user can always upload them to the device’s memory.

Photos and videos that have been deleted are moved to the Recently Deleted Content album. From here they can be returned back within a month after removal. But if you want, you can permanently erase these files faster, without waiting 30 days. To do this, we need to click on the select button and decide on the elements that we want to delete. Then you need to confirm your decision by clicking on the delete button.

If after this there is no free space left in iCloud, all deleted photos and videos will be permanently deleted. Moreover, their copies will not be saved anywhere, including in an album with recently deleted photographs.

Below we will once again describe step by step the algorithm for deleting various content from the iCloud media library. In addition, we will tell you how to do this on the resource of the service itself.

Method to delete photos on iPhone

To perform uninstallation, follow these steps:

• Launch the photo program and click on the icon of the same name (located at the very bottom of the display).
• Click the select button and mark the images to be deleted.
• Confirm your decision by clicking on the appropriate button.

Deleting photo content from iCloud.com

To clear space from unnecessary photos via a cloud service, you need to follow these steps:

• Go to the iCloud resource on the global network.
• Open the photo application and enter the photo selection section.
• Mark photo frames and video clips that we want to erase.
• Click on the delete button.

Another way to reduce your media library

Even if you don't use the service's media library, the files in your camera roll section are still moved to iCloud backup. To check this copy on mobile devices with OS version 8 and older, you need to go to the storage settings, and then to the storage management section. But if your device runs on an iOS version younger than 8, go to the storage and copies section. And then select the name of your gadget.

To significantly reduce the volume of a copy of your media library, save photos and videos from videos to a laptop or PC. After these steps, make a backup yourself.

If you want to keep photos and videos on your iOS device, turn off the media library. This is done through the backup settings. Again, additional space can be purchased.

You can also permanently get rid of photos that you definitely will never need. To do this, go to the photo application and decide on the photo you want to delete. Then confirm your decision by clicking the delete button.

To delete content in this program, you need to:

• Enter iCloud settings, and then go to the storage section.
• Click the icon for the program that uses iCloud Drive.
• Check all that are required.
• Either click the edit button, or just swipe left.

Clearing storage by deleting letters from mail

You can also clear iCloud space by deleting messages from your e-mail account in this service. But if you want to save these messages, you can transfer them from your iPhone to your laptop or PC.

Deleting emails is very easy, especially if your Apple device has access to e-mail from iCloud. To carry out the procedure you need:

• Swipe any message to the left.
• Click on the cart.
• Erase all messages or one at a time by clicking on the changes button, and then on the section for deleting all selected content.

As you know, Apple gives each registered user (when creating an Apple ID) 5 GB of disk space in the iCloud cloud for free, but many iDevice owners fill up the storage in a matter of weeks and then face the problem of creating backups, copying important data, etc. It is noteworthy that in 99% of cases this situation is a consequence of incorrect synchronization settings.

Free space on iPhone or iPad is not the same as free space on iCloud

Unfortunately, many users, seeing the message “Cannot create a backup for this iPhone because there is not enough free space in iCloud” on the screen, not understanding its meaning, begin to delete everything, freeing up the iOS device’s storage.

• Free space on iPhone or iPad- remaining storage space on the iOS device (internal memory). Everything that is downloaded to the device is stored here (software, applications + cache, downloaded and created photos and videos, etc.).

• Free space in iCloud- remaining space in iCloud cloud storage. Basically, the iCloud cloud is designed to create automatic backups, as well as to synchronize personal data.

Why did iCloud run out of memory?

Of course, 5 GB by modern standards is, to put it mildly, not very much. However, often even this memory is filled with data that is not at all what the user really needs. Typically, the lion's share of disk space is consumed by backup copies that most people don't need, as well as photos and media files, which are saved twice.

How does this happen? When the iCloud Backup option is enabled, the device, when connected to a power source and Wi-Fi, automatically copies the entire media library to the cloud, and then additionally creates a backup copy, which also includes all media files.

Why did we call iCloud backups unnecessary for most users? Because first of all, users are interested in restoring contacts, notes and photos. To save contacts, notes and photos in the Apple cloud It is not necessary to use automatic iCloud backup. Here you should understand the difference between the concepts: iCloud Backup and Synchronization with iCloud. We talked about this in detail in this material.

How to check how much free space is left in iCloud?

It’s quite easy to check this - go to Settings → Apple ID (your first and last name) → iCloud → Storage. The chart that appears will visually represent iCloud storage, including the amount used and sorting by type of content.

How to free up space on iCloud?

By following the path Settings → Apple ID (your first and last name) → iCloud → Storage management, you will probably see the “heaviest” sections “Backups” or “Photos” at the top of the list. They are the ones that clog up space in iCloud. Delete unnecessary files to free up space in Apple's cloud storage.

In addition, you should turn off future automatic backups to iCloud (either completely or selectively).

To completely disable iCloud backups, go to Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Backup and turn off iCloud Backup.

The optimal option for most users is to manually specify files when creating backups (selectively prohibiting copying of Media Library data).

You can do this as follows:

1. Go to Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Storage management → Backups;

2. Select the desired device;

3. Move the “checkbox” opposite the “Media Library” item (and other applications if desired) to the passive position;

4. In the same menu, click the “Delete copy” button to clear the cloud;

5. Return to Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → iCloud Backup and create a new copy without the voracious photos and media files.

How to view data (photos, videos, files) stored in iCloud?

You can view the data stored in iCloud (and, if you wish, delete it) using the web version of the Apple cloud service located at icloud.com (you need to log in from a computer). The main sources of the “heaviness” of the occupied volume are data from the Mail, Photos and iCloud Drive web applications. They can be removed if desired.

How to increase iCloud storage? Is this paid?

You can change your iCloud storage plan by going to Settings → Apple ID (your first and last name) → iCloud → Manage storage → Change storage plan.

Current iCloud storage plans and costs:

What about iCloud Drive?

Another feature that many would like to get rid of is syncing application data to iCloud Drive. For most users, the need to use this data occurs less frequently than the appearance of Halley's Comet. Therefore (if you do not use the Files application on iOS), we can safely recommend completely or selectively disabling this automatic procedure in the Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → iCloud Drive menu.

How to properly use iCloud space?

• First of all, you need to understand the difference between the concepts: iCloud Backup and Synchronization with iCloud.

• For Apple ID owners with the basic starting iCloud storage size of 5GB, we recommend turning off Backups completely.

In addition, it would be a good idea to cancel synchronization of the Photos library - just set the “checkbox” opposite the “Photos” item to the Off position along the path Settings → Apple ID → iCloud.

• To synchronize photos or videos with iCloud, buy more space (prices and tariffs are listed above) or use third-party free cloud services Google Photos or Yandex.Disk.

Based on materials from yablyk

Many articles have been written and many videos have been made on the topic of how terrible life is with a 16 GB iPhone. Let's learn to survive in harsh conditions together and try to clear the memory in your smartphone without deleting everything. Here are some simple tips to make life easier for 16GB iPhone owners.

Some statistics

First you need to find out how much memory is occupied by data. To do this, go to Settings - General - Storage and iCloud. The number under the word “storage” shows how much space is occupied, and the number one line below shows the total amount of available memory.

Then we click on the Manage button, after which we see how much memory the applications occupy. The largest and heaviest programs come first, then the smallest programs. Therefore, first you need to clean the list, removing everything unnecessary, your captain.

In addition, some memory is freed up after installing system updates, when new versions of iOS are released, and the device is forced to reboot.

Another option is to clear the cache manually. You need to hold down the Home and Power buttons for 10 seconds until the apple logo appears, which means the phone restarts.

Go to the cloud

By default, Apple allocates 5 GB of iCloud cloud storage to each user. Alas, if you bought the entire line, you won’t get more space in the cloud, it’s unfair. 50 GB in iCloud costs 59 rubles, 200 GB - 149 rubles, royal 1 TB - 599 rubles.

If you go to Settings - Photos - iCloud and turn on the Media Library item, then the pictures will be sent to cloud storage. Moreover, if you check the box next to the “optimize storage on iPhone” item, then the high-resolution originals will be stored in iCloud, and “light” copies will remain on the phone.

Alternatively, you can upload videos and photos to other “clouds”; many large companies offer them: Dropbox and Google, Mail.ru and Yandex. The disadvantages of this solution include the need to pay a monthly subscription fee if you choose a large cloud. But then you don’t have to worry about space at all, the main thing is to regularly upload data to the storage.

Apple also has such a thing as Photo Stream, when the smartphone collects data from all equipment and collects it into one library of 1000 pictures. Thus, whether you like it or not, part of the memory goes to this data. I don’t like the quality of this service, I don’t use it, and I advise you to do the same. At the same time, you get extra space.

Keep an eye on offline mode

With a ton of streaming services, it's easy to fill up your phone's memory with useless data. Already listened to podcasts, forgotten albums and saved pages for reading in Safari lie there. For example, I have accumulated over 700 MB of data in one browser, which I will apparently never read. You can check this by going to Settings - General - Storage and iCloud - Storage - Manage - Safari.

In general, streaming music greatly simplifies life, you can always listen to something new, the service has little effect on the operating time of the device, and you don’t have to worry about the amount of memory for storing songs.

Although Apple itself has recently started deleting saved songs in Apple Music. This is already overkill and chaos.

Delete messages and cache

Active correspondence in iMessage leads to the fact that messages with text, video and pictures grow to unimaginable proportions. Here is my accumulated 1.2 GB, which can be deleted and get space for a 2-hour movie.

By default, messages are stored indefinitely, but if you go to Settings - Messages - Message History, you change the settings to 1 year or 30 days. The smartphone itself will delete the messages when the time comes. Or, as an option, you can manually erase correspondence with a chatty interlocutor.

In addition, remember that the more actively you use the browser, the more data the system stores. What to do? That's right, clear the cache through Settings - General - Storage and iCloud - Manage - Safari - Website data - Edit.

The standard Mail application fills up the memory with various data over time, but to clear the cache you will have to delete the account and then set it up again.

Hack for the brave

If you see that there is very little memory in your smartphone, and you are too lazy to clean it, you can try this trick. You open a video store on iTunes and rent the movie. Please note that the video size must be larger than the free space on your phone. So try downloading something “heavy” like Lord of the Rings.

Also make sure that you need authorization via Touch ID or password to purchase. So, you rent a movie, the device warns you that there is not enough free space. At this time, the smartphone erases the cache, trying to remove useless data. The operation can be repeated several times; users say that they get 500 MB at a time, or even more.

A method for the lazy

On the Internet you can find a lot of applications that will help clear the memory on your device with one click of a button. They help when you don’t want to delve into instructions, learning all the intricacies of your device. But applications cost money, unlike the above methods, which will help free up memory with minimal cash outlay.

Any iOS user is given only 5 GB of iCloud storage space. Is it a lot or a little? It's hard to say. Everything is individual. Whether this volume is enough for you depends on how actively you use this service, whether you synchronize information between devices, etc. If so, then most likely a message stating that there is not enough free space in iCloud will one day appear on the display of your gadget.

What to do then? You can purchase additional space. But first, we recommend that you try clearing the storage. By the way, this can be done in different ways. We will talk about them further.

What is iCloud?

Every owner of an Apple device can use iCloud online storage. It was first introduced back in 2011 as part of iOS 5 and the iPhone 4s model. First as a beta version, and a couple of months later as a full-fledged service. Today, iCloud storage is simply indispensable for iPhone, iPad or Mac users. After all, with it you can:

1. Save various data, photos and videos to the cloud.
2. Create backups.
3. Synchronize settings, bookmarks, address book, calendars, photos, messages, etc. between Apple devices.
4. Manage MacOS from another computer.
5. Make purchases (everything you download using iTunes or AppStore will be automatically saved to the cloud).
6. Find a gadget on a special interactive map, block it remotely, and much more. etc.

However, all such operations gradually reduce the space that is allocated to each user in iCloud. Moreover, its default volume is only 5 GB. Therefore, you need to periodically clean out the storage. You can free up space in iCloud from accumulated garbage and unnecessary files from your iPhone, iPad or Mac. All that remains is to find out how to do it.

For reference! Apple allows you to increase your iCloud storage up to 2 TB. True, it's not free. For this you will have to pay almost 1.5 thousand rubles per month. If you decide to expand your cloud storage to 50 GB, then you will be charged only 59 rubles monthly.

Deleting backups

So, for example, quite a long time ago you bought an iPhone 6, 7 or iPhone SE to replace your fourth iPhone and use this convenient phone with great pleasure. But then one day, when trying to save a backup in the cloud, the iOS device issues a warning about the backup failure. This means your cloud storage is almost full. Therefore, you should do the following:

1. Open “Settings”.
2. Next, select “Basic”.
3. Find and click on “iCloud Storage”.
4. We go down and click “Manage”.
5. After which, statistics of devices connected to iCloud and the number of occupied MB or GB will be displayed. Moreover, backup copies usually come first, so you don’t have to scroll down.
6. We select the device (if there are several of them) whose backup we will “sacrifice”. In our case, it's an old iPhone 4S that you haven't used for a long time. Then tap on “Delete”.
7. If necessary, confirm the action by tapping “Turn off and delete”.

Setting up backup

Many programs and applications that a user installs on an iPhone or iPad not only save their files to the device’s memory, but also add them to a backup copy on iCloud. So there is another way to clear the storage (and protect it from unnecessary information). Let's talk about it using iOS 8 as an example (iPhone 5, iPhone 6, iPad 2, iPad Air, etc.):

1. Go to “Settings”. Next, select “iCloud”.
2. Click on the “Storage” section. Then to the menu of the same name.
3. As a next step, click on the device with which we will work.
4. Go to the “Backup Options” section. Here we pay attention to the list of programs. At the same time, we disable archiving of those applications that are not needed.

Working with the media library

In addition to backup copies, cloud storage stores photos, videos, their processed versions, etc. Naturally, all this data takes up a certain space. Therefore, iCloud cleaning may be based on working with media files.

Moreover, it is not at all necessary to delete them. If you need to free up very little space, then try compressing them. This is done using the special “Storage Optimization” function. It is available in the device settings.

If there is still not enough space, then do the following:

1. Go to the Photos application.
2. Click on “Photo” at the very bottom of the screen.
3. We look through all the displayed photos and videos. Specify one or more media files that need to be deleted.
4. Click on the cart.
5. In this case, all photos and videos can be downloaded to your computer in advance.

By the way, I would like to note that iCloud is trying its best to save media files. And on all connected devices. The function is convenient, but very expensive. Therefore, we recommend doing this (iOS 7 and higher):

1. Open “Settings”.
2. Next, go to “Photos”.
3. Using special sliders, disable “iCloud Photo Library” and “Upload to My Photo Stream”.
4. If you are using a device running iOS 11 or higher, then additionally select “Keep original” instead of “Storage optimization”.

Delete documents and other files

The problem of an overflowing iCloud storage lies not only in a bunch of photos and unnecessary backups. There is another reason. This is the "Other Documents" section. A variety of files are moved here. Moreover, most of them are absolutely unnecessary. Therefore, to clean iCloud:

1. Open “Settings”.
2. Scroll down and tap on the “iCloud” section.
3. Let's go to the "Storage".
4. Here we find the item “Documents and data” or “Other documents” (depending on the OS version).
5. We delete unnecessary files. To do this, use the “Change” button in the upper right corner.
6. Don't forget to confirm each action in the pop-up window.
7. Too long? Then you can erase all data altogether by scrolling to the very end of the menu and selecting the appropriate item.
8. Once you're done, click "Done."

Clearing iCloud storage by deleting mail

The history of personal email correspondence can also take up space in iCloud. Many? Usually, no. After all, letters and text messages weigh very little. But “heavy” attachment files can be attached to them. So it’s best not to be lazy and clean out your mailbox. However, do not forget that if you use iCloud mail together with another email client, then you will need to delete letters here too.

Disable iCloud Drive

The iCloud Drive feature, which appeared in the next iOS upgrade, provides the ability to store and synchronize data from almost any application via the cloud. Of course it's convenient. But virtual storage stores all your correspondence in instant messengers, downloaded content, and much more. etc., which in principle is not particularly necessary. Therefore, experienced users recommend disabling iCloud Drive. To do this:

1. Again, go to “Settings”.
2. Select Apple ID.
3. Find the “iCloud” item and move the special switch to the right.

If you don't want to disable iCloud Drive completely, you can simply mark those applications that should not store their data in the cloud.

That's all! Now you know how to clean out iCloud storage, and that you can do it in different ways. Try it and you will succeed!

Apple iCloud is free storage for everyone who has an iPad or iPhone. The main task of iCloud is to provide users of Apple products with a single storage for all data - applications, photos, books, documents, Safari bookmarks, etc.

How does this work? Suppose you took a photo on your iPad, it will immediately appear in the storage, and through it on your iPhone or laptop (Apple company). This happens without your participation; other devices themselves “take” it for themselves. All you need is to be connected to the Internet.

Basic questions about iCloud

• Where and how to download and install iCloud? There is no need to download iCloud, the service is already built into your system.
• Registration in iCloud. There is no need to register separately for iCloud. To log in you need to use your Apple ID - login and password.
• How much space is available in iCloud? Each user receives 5 GB for free. This size is reserved for storing mail, application data, settings, etc. Please note: iCloud will store a maximum of 1000 photos from the last 30 days.

If 5 GB is not enough for you, then for an additional fee you can purchase more memory. The money will be debited from your Apple account.

How to set up iCloud on iPad

1. You need to go to the Settings application.
2. Find iCloud in the list on the left.
3. Mark the main applications that will synchronize their data.
4. If you go to the Storage and copies section, you will see how much of the 5 GB available to you you have already used.
5. Click on Storage and then on your device. You will see all the programs you have installed that send their data to iCloud. By default this is all programs. You can disable sending data for programs that are not particularly necessary so that they do not take up valuable storage space.

How does automatic copying work?

Automatically. Without your participation. You don't need to do anything. It is only important to meet a few conditions:

• The iPad is connected to power (charging).
• Locked (that is, you are not working on it, it is in sleep mode).
• Connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Typically, this happens when you leave your iPad charging at home (where there is a Wi-Fi network familiar to it). Moreover, if all three conditions have not coincided for a long time, your iPad will remind you that a backup copy has not been created for a long time.

Useful iCloud features or restoring from a backup

You may need recovery if:

• You accidentally deleted some very valuable data - for example, a photo.
• You set a password for your iPad or a parental control password and forgot it (you can restore the copy made before entering the password).

What data will be recovered

The following materials are saved in iCloud backup:

• iTunes purchased music, movies, TV shows, apps, and books (with restrictions).
• photos, videos from the album Camera Roll.
• settings.
• Application data (such as games, notes, etc.).
• view of the main screen and the order of applications.
• iMessage, text messages (SMS messages) and MMS messages.

Not saved:

• Music, movies, and TV shows not purchased from the iTunes Store.
• audiobooks.
• photos that were downloaded from your computer.

Changes you made after creating a backup will disappear during recovery. Therefore, before restoring a backup, save everything you need on your computer.

How to restore data from a backup

1. Connect the iPad using a cable to the computer.
2. Open iTunes.
3. Open the page of your iPad (you need to click the iPad icon in the upper right corner).
4. Click on the Restore button.
5. Confirm the action by clicking Restore again.
6. Once the recovery is complete, a reboot will occur. Then the screen will ask you whether to set up your device as new or restore from a backup, select Recover from iCloud backup.
7. Enter your Apple ID and password.
8. A list of the three most recent backups will appear. Select the one you need and click Restore from backup.
9. After restarting the device, the data on it will be restored.