My iCloud is 200GB and I'm basically full. A very large chunk of it is my messages. What are my options with these? I really hate to delete messages as I've needed them in the with business related and legal issues, etc. Is there a way to compress them? I've REALLY REALLY hated apple for their decision to not change the storage options. $2/month seemed fair but they've never moved the goalposts since. They've done nothing but make camera photos larger in size, added things like motion, 4k video. They sell a premium product but they really don't give you a solid middle ground. Trying to figure out if I have any options to compress old messages or something. Anyway to clear out the account and store them elsewhere. I don't want to delete things if I don't have to but wouldn't mind clearing it out to say the past couple years and storing the rest elsewhere.
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iCloud maxed out, what to do?
- Thread starter FlyingTexan
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You pretty much have to bite the bullet and go to the 2TB plan.
Trust me on this. When I hit 200GB I started playing the "delete stuff" game, and I kept having to delete things only to be bothered by it being full again a couple weeks later.
It's worth a few more bucks a month to keep your data safe and not have to worry about storage again for a very, very long time.
Trust me on this. When I hit 200GB I started playing the "delete stuff" game, and I kept having to delete things only to be bothered by it being full again a couple weeks later.
It's worth a few more bucks a month to keep your data safe and not have to worry about storage again for a very, very long time.
Quite harsh to take a stab at Apple cuz your storage needs has grown throughout the years.
If you don't want the higher resolution on videos then lower it from 4K to 1080 or go even lower.
If you don't want live videos turn it off, that will cut down the use of storage.
Turn on lowquality mode in messages, that will save you some.
One option is to store things offline, backup things to a laptop.
You can always split things up, save some in google drive up to the limit where you have to start to pay and keep doing it for all free services, a pain but it saves you a few dollars a month.
If you don't want the higher resolution on videos then lower it from 4K to 1080 or go even lower.
If you don't want live videos turn it off, that will cut down the use of storage.
Turn on lowquality mode in messages, that will save you some.
One option is to store things offline, backup things to a laptop.
You can always split things up, save some in google drive up to the limit where you have to start to pay and keep doing it for all free services, a pain but it saves you a few dollars a month.
If retaining messages is a legal requirement besides increasing your storage you might want to make some backups in case something disappears from iCloud.
How to use local backups to keep iMessages out of iCloud backups | AppleInsider
When you use Apple's iOS iCloud Backup, your iPhone or iPad backs up your iMessages data, but it's not a very useful backup because it's hard to search. Here's how to turn it off and save years of messages taking up space.
appleinsider.com
I agree but have long felt that they need something between 200Gb and 2TB, a factor of ten.
Yea, I agree on that one, either raise them all a little bit to lets say 500gb and increase the price a little or add a 1TB option.
I can see how its nice to have the factor of ten for simplicity, but still, its a fairly large jump.
I’m awaiting the next jump to 2PB; I’ve already got over 20TB worth of photos and videos, mostly on HDDs attached to the iMac. And the 3-tier backup strategy isn’t even possible so I curate that which is multiply backed up.
If it were me, I'd use iMazing or some other similar tool to transfer old messages to my computer and then delete anything older than one year from iCloud.
For Photos, you could transfer photos/videos that you don't need all the time to your computer and/or external storage and then remove them from iCloud, especially for large videos. If you still want large videos on all your devices, then transcode them to a smaller size and put that in iCloud instead. You'll still have the originals backed up elsewhere. (You should have them backed up anyway...iCloud storage is not a backup.)
Screenshots can also take up a lot of space. I've had some screenshots be 10MB+ PNGs before, especially ones taken from my iPad. I created a shortcut to convert all my screenshots in my photo library to JPEGs, and that helped cut down the size. They retained all the metadata and show up in the same place as before, as if nothing happened.
For Photos, you could transfer photos/videos that you don't need all the time to your computer and/or external storage and then remove them from iCloud, especially for large videos. If you still want large videos on all your devices, then transcode them to a smaller size and put that in iCloud instead. You'll still have the originals backed up elsewhere. (You should have them backed up anyway...iCloud storage is not a backup.)
Screenshots can also take up a lot of space. I've had some screenshots be 10MB+ PNGs before, especially ones taken from my iPad. I created a shortcut to convert all my screenshots in my photo library to JPEGs, and that helped cut down the size. They retained all the metadata and show up in the same place as before, as if nothing happened.
I was in your shoes last year. Really wish Apple would offer some kind of middle ground plan, such as 500GB-1TB. I had no choice but to upgrade to 2TB. It's annoying, but basically the cost of a Starbucks latte once a month. 🤷🏻♂️
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
OP, you can store messages conversations as PDFs by using your Mac, then delete the texts. Text messages just about should NEVER be a "forever" (growing) archive. Print as PDF and purge, purge, purge by just deleting the texts. Start new text messages when needed, have the conversation, then delete them when finished.
Similarly, get your iCloud photos into Photos on the Mac. Make some Photo albums of photos you really would like to have on your iDevices, sync those albums so they are in the local storage on the device(s). Then quit storing photos in iCloud. That will basically free up the other gigantic "hog" eating up all that cloud space.
While adopting the classic strategy of storing data libraries on your computer, you'll use Finder for the synching and Finder will give you a great option to back up your device to the Mac too instead of eating 3.2GB of iCloud storage for that. Use that option and turn off backing up to iCloud.
Do all 3 and you can stop paying for iCloud because what is left will easily fit in the free 5GB Apple provides, you'll still have immediate access to favorite photos (the albums you've made) and you'll have solid "paper trail" evidence of texting exchanges in PDF files. Oh, and you'll save some money too by not renting hard drive storage in the sky.
Another option if you just can't bear to be without a cloud is to get yourself a NAS drive and own your own cloud. Synology is one good choice. You can then store all the photos you want on it instead of renting space from Apple. You could store those text message PDF Files on it for quick "cloud" access if needed. And you could use Synology "Time Machine" direct support to back up your whole Mac too, including the backup of the iDevice(s) you use.
Else, pay up for the next tier... but your approaches will eventually fill it too... and the next tier and the next tier. A better option might be to evolve your approaches to wean yourself off so much demand for cloud storage. That's how everyone did it before the cloud and it still works just fine.
Similarly, get your iCloud photos into Photos on the Mac. Make some Photo albums of photos you really would like to have on your iDevices, sync those albums so they are in the local storage on the device(s). Then quit storing photos in iCloud. That will basically free up the other gigantic "hog" eating up all that cloud space.
While adopting the classic strategy of storing data libraries on your computer, you'll use Finder for the synching and Finder will give you a great option to back up your device to the Mac too instead of eating 3.2GB of iCloud storage for that. Use that option and turn off backing up to iCloud.
Do all 3 and you can stop paying for iCloud because what is left will easily fit in the free 5GB Apple provides, you'll still have immediate access to favorite photos (the albums you've made) and you'll have solid "paper trail" evidence of texting exchanges in PDF files. Oh, and you'll save some money too by not renting hard drive storage in the sky.
Another option if you just can't bear to be without a cloud is to get yourself a NAS drive and own your own cloud. Synology is one good choice. You can then store all the photos you want on it instead of renting space from Apple. You could store those text message PDF Files on it for quick "cloud" access if needed. And you could use Synology "Time Machine" direct support to back up your whole Mac too, including the backup of the iDevice(s) you use.
Else, pay up for the next tier... but your approaches will eventually fill it too... and the next tier and the next tier. A better option might be to evolve your approaches to wean yourself off so much demand for cloud storage. That's how everyone did it before the cloud and it still works just fine.
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Delete stuff you don't need off your iPhone. Especially photos, videos, and gifs. It could be in Notes, Messages, emails, or anywhere else.
I generally keep copies of everything indefinitely. In mail I will delete spam and some messages that are time limited. An app required that I provide them with a receipt for a test flight program. Found the receipt in my mail - received in 2015!.
You mean using Microsoft 365?
Well, I have the family plan, so it's 1TB online MS OneDrive storage for six people.
MS OneDrive can be used to backup any computer. E.g. Works for both Windows and Mac.
I use both Windows and Mac so this is a useful feature.
I store all my photos in MS OneDrive because I don't want to lock myself into Apple ecosystem.
Also I can search for photos more easily using the folder system, and manage the photos as files,
not like how Apple separates photos and files.
I always move my photos from phone to OneDrive at the end of each month.
iCloud is good if all your devices are Apple.
For me, Microsoft 365 provides way more value for money than iCloud. The computer backup is incredibly useful.
We also, but the plan licenses you to 6 accounts EACH with a 1TB storage capacity for a total of 6TB. That’s a reasonably large amount of storage for the money let alone the use of the Office components for about a Benjamin a year.
That's an awesome amount of storage. But I'm using the 2TB iCloud plan with family sharing and that's proven to be quite enough space for us, and personally the less Microsoft I can have in my life, the better. We don't have any Android or PC devices around, so it's all Apple stuff.
This, particularly the Office part.
Another option for photos is Amazon Photos. I have their basic plan of 100GB for $20/year. Same as MS.
If/when I need more that 100GB for photos, will probably go MS so that I can get Office desktop in the deal (don‘t use it or need it right now, but what the hey).
Lord, this is why I save the photos and videos I want to keep, sent and received via iMessage to my camera roll every month (at least) and delete every attachment from the messaging app
share that shortcut?If it were me, I'd use iMazing or some other similar tool to transfer old messages to my computer and then delete anything older than one year from iCloud.
For Photos, you could transfer photos/videos that you don't need all the time to your computer and/or external storage and then remove them from iCloud, especially for large videos. If you still want large videos on all your devices, then transcode them to a smaller size and put that in iCloud instead. You'll still have the originals backed up elsewhere. (You should have them backed up anyway...iCloud storage is not a backup.)
Screenshots can also take up a lot of space. I've had some screenshots be 10MB+ PNGs before, especially ones taken from my iPad. I created a shortcut to convert all my screenshots in my photo library to JPEGs, and that helped cut down the size. They retained all the metadata and show up in the same place as before, as if nothing happened.
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Apple has had the same storage options for a VERY long time and hasn't changed pricing or options. Storage has gotten increasingly cheaper yet no change. Storage requirements have grown, by their own hand, and no changes. Why isn't there a storage option to match those of the devices they sell? Why no 500GB and 1TB plans? Why can't I have a simple option like to download my own texts from 5+ yrs ago to increase usage? Why can't they allow an optimization of messages? There's many simple options that others do that Apple doesn't implement because they want to force you into a corner. I take way less photos than most. I've just been an apple customer for a long time.
Its not a legal requirement but I was sued once and had allegations brought against me once where having the messages made quick work of it.If retaining messages is a legal requirement besides increasing your storage you might want to make some backups in case something disappears from iCloud.
How to use local backups to keep iMessages out of iCloud backups | AppleInsider
When you use Apple's iOS iCloud Backup, your iPhone or iPad backs up your iMessages data, but it's not a very useful backup because it's hard to search. Here's how to turn it off and save years of messages taking up space.