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Delete Old iPhone Backups from iCloud

Old device backups are one of the biggest hidden consumers of iCloud storage. If you have ever upgraded to a new iPhone, your old device's backup is probably still sitting in iCloud, silently eating 5-15 GB of your storage. Here is how to find them, which ones are safe to delete, and how to shrink your current backup size.

By DB Labs  ·  March 2, 2026  ·  8 min read

How to Delete Old iCloud Backups

Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Backups. You will see a list of every device backup in your iCloud account. Tap any backup for an old device you no longer own, then tap Delete Backup and confirm. This is completely safe for devices you no longer use -- deleting the backup does not affect your current iPhone or your iCloud Photos. Most people find 5-15 GB of old backups they can safely remove.

Why Old Backups Are Eating Your iCloud Storage

Every time you set up a new iPhone and sign in with your Apple ID, iCloud begins backing up that device automatically. The problem is that old backups never delete themselves. When you trade in your iPhone 12 for an iPhone 15, the iPhone 12 backup remains in your iCloud account indefinitely.

Over the course of several iPhone upgrades, you can accumulate multiple old backups:

  • iPhone 11 backup: 8 GB
  • iPhone 12 backup: 10 GB
  • iPhone 13 backup: 12 GB
  • iPad backup: 5 GB

That is 35 GB of iCloud storage consumed by backups for devices you no longer own. Combined with your current device backup, this can easily push a 50 GB iCloud plan to its limit -- and Apple's free 5 GB tier is exhausted almost immediately.

How iCloud backups differ from iCloud Photos

This is a critical distinction that many people misunderstand:

  • iCloud Backup saves a snapshot of your device: app data, settings, messages, home screen layout, and -- only if iCloud Photos is OFF -- your camera roll photos.
  • iCloud Photos continuously syncs your photo library to iCloud as a separate service. Photos stored in iCloud Photos are not duplicated in your iCloud Backup.

If you use iCloud Photos (most people do), deleting an old backup will not affect your photo library in any way. Your photos live in iCloud Photos independently of any backup.

How to Find Old Device Backups

1 Open Settings

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.

2 Tap your name at the top

Tap your name and Apple ID at the very top of the Settings screen. This opens your Apple ID settings.

3 Go to iCloud

Tap iCloud. You will see an overview of your iCloud storage usage at the top, with a color-coded bar showing how your storage is distributed across categories.

4 Tap Manage Account Storage

Tap Manage Account Storage (on older iOS versions, this may say "Manage Storage"). This shows a detailed breakdown of what is using your iCloud storage.

5 Tap Backups

Tap Backups. You will now see a list of every device backup stored in your iCloud account. Each entry shows the device name, backup size, and last backup date. Look for devices you no longer own -- these are the backups you can safely delete.

Which Backups Are Safe to Delete?

Here is a simple decision framework:

Backup Type Safe to Delete? Notes
Old device you no longer own Yes No reason to keep a backup for a device you traded in or sold
Old device stored in a drawer Probably yes If you do not plan to use it again, delete the backup. If you might, keep it.
Current iPhone backup Be careful Deleting turns off iCloud Backup for your current device. Only do this if you back up via computer instead.
iPad you still use No Keep backups for devices you actively use
Before deleting: If you are unsure whether a backup contains important data (like old messages or app data you might want), consider that once deleted, the backup cannot be recovered. However, if you have iCloud Photos enabled, your photos are safe regardless. The most common data people worry about -- photos and messages -- are typically synced via iCloud Photos and iCloud Messages independently of backups.

How to Delete an Old Backup

Once you have identified an old backup to remove:

  1. From the Backups list, tap the backup you want to delete
  2. You will see a details screen showing what is included in the backup and its total size
  3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Delete Backup
  4. A confirmation dialog appears -- tap Turn Off & Delete
  5. The backup is immediately removed and the storage is freed

The freed storage shows up in your iCloud account within a few minutes. You can verify by going back to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and checking the storage bar at the top.

How to Reduce Your Current Backup Size

After deleting old device backups, you may also want to shrink the size of your current device's backup. iCloud backups can grow to 10-20 GB or more because they include app data from every app on your phone. Much of this data is not essential to back up.

Exclude large apps from your backup

  1. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Backups
  2. Tap your current device
  3. You will see a list of apps with toggles, sorted by how much backup space they use
  4. Toggle off apps that do not need cloud backup

Common apps that consume backup space unnecessarily:

  • Podcast apps -- downloaded episodes can be re-downloaded anytime (often 2-5 GB)
  • Streaming apps (Netflix, Spotify, YouTube) -- downloaded offline content will be re-downloaded after restore
  • Games -- many modern games sync progress via Game Center or their own cloud. Large game data files (1-3 GB each) may not need to be in your iCloud backup
  • Navigation apps (Google Maps, Waze) -- offline maps can be re-downloaded
  • News and reading apps -- cached articles will re-download automatically
Biggest win: Check for messaging apps like WhatsApp. WhatsApp backs up chat history (including all photos and videos shared in chats) to your iCloud backup. This alone can be 5-10 GB or more. WhatsApp has its own backup system -- you do not necessarily need it duplicated in your iCloud device backup as well.

Understanding iCloud Storage Breakdown

When you look at your iCloud storage in Settings, the main categories are:

  • Photos -- your iCloud Photos library (usually the largest item)
  • Backups -- device backups for all your Apple devices
  • iCloud Drive -- files stored in iCloud Drive, including Desktop & Documents from a Mac
  • Messages -- if Messages in iCloud is enabled, your message history and attachments
  • Other apps -- individual app data synced via iCloud (Notes, Voice Memos, etc.)

For most people, Photos and Backups are the two largest categories. Cleaning up old backups is often the fastest way to reclaim iCloud space because it requires no decisions about individual files -- you simply delete backups for devices you no longer use.

What Happens If Your iCloud Storage Is Full

When iCloud storage is full, several things stop working:

  • iCloud Backup stops. Your device can no longer back up automatically, which means you lose the safety net of nightly backups.
  • iCloud Photos stops syncing. New photos taken on your iPhone are not uploaded to iCloud until space is freed. This means photos could be lost if your device is damaged.
  • iCloud Drive stops syncing. Documents and files stop uploading, which can disrupt workflows if you rely on iCloud Drive across devices.
  • Messages in iCloud stops syncing. New messages are stored locally only and may not appear on your other devices.

Apple will send you email notifications when your iCloud storage is nearly full and when it reaches capacity. Deleting old backups is the quickest remedy because the storage is freed immediately.

iCloud Storage Plans (2026 Pricing)

If cleaning up backups is not enough, here are the current iCloud storage plans:

Plan Price Best For
5 GB (free) Free Almost no one -- fills up immediately with backups and a few photos
50 GB $0.99/month Light users with a small photo library and one device
200 GB $2.99/month Most individuals -- handles a moderate photo library and device backups comfortably
2 TB $9.99/month Families sharing storage, heavy photo/video users, Mac Desktop & Documents sync
6 TB $29.99/month Professional photographers and videographers, large families
12 TB $59.99/month Heavy professional use across multiple devices

Before upgrading your plan, make sure you have cleaned out old backups and unnecessary data. Many people discover that deleting old backups gives them enough space on their current plan without upgrading.

Reduce Your Backup Size by Cleaning Your Camera Roll

Fewer photos means smaller backups. Use Swype Photo Cleaner to quickly review and delete photos you no longer need. Swipe left to delete, right to keep -- then your next backup will be significantly smaller.

Free · iPhone · iOS 16+ · 100% on-device, zero uploads

Download on theApp Store

Free · iPhone · iOS 16+

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete old iPhone backups from iCloud?

Yes. You can safely delete iCloud backups for devices you no longer own or use. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Backups. Tap the backup you want to delete, then tap Delete Backup and confirm. This frees up the storage immediately. For devices you no longer have, there is no risk -- the backup was only useful for restoring that specific device. For your current device, deleting the backup also turns off iCloud Backup, so only do that if you have an alternative backup method.

Will deleting an iCloud backup delete my photos?

No -- as long as you use iCloud Photos. iCloud Backup and iCloud Photos are completely separate systems. Your photo library stored in iCloud Photos is unaffected when you delete any iCloud backup. However, if you do not use iCloud Photos, your camera roll photos may be part of the iCloud backup. In that case, deleting the backup removes that stored copy (though photos on your current device remain). Most people use iCloud Photos, so deleting old backups has zero impact on their photo library.

How do I find old device backups in iCloud?

Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Backups. This screen lists every device backup stored in your iCloud account, including backups from old iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches you may have used years ago. Each entry shows the device name, total backup size, and the date of the last backup. Look for device names you do not recognize or devices you know you no longer own -- those backups are safe to remove.

Why is my iCloud backup so large?

iCloud backups include app data, device settings, messages, health data, and home screen layout. The biggest storage consumers are usually messaging apps (WhatsApp, iMessage with lots of media), offline media (podcasts, downloaded videos, music), and game save data. You can see exactly which apps are contributing to your backup size by going to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Backups > [Your Device]. Toggle off apps that store large amounts of data you can easily re-download, like streaming and podcast apps.