How to Delete Old Backups on iCloud Without Losing Your Data

Wondering how to delete old backups on iCloud? Go to Settings, tap your name, select iCloud, tap Manage Account Storage, then Backups, choose the device backup you want to remove, and tap Turn Off and Delete from iCloud.

Takes under a minute. Every method across iPhone, Mac, and browser is covered below.

How to Delete Old Backups on iCloud: Quick Answer for iPhone and iPad

On iOS 16 and later: Settings → your name → iCloud → Manage Account Storage → Backups → tap the device name → Turn Off and Delete from iCloud → confirm.

This removes the backup from iCloud immediately. It also disables automatic iCloud backups for that device. You can switch them back on at any time from the same iCloud settings screen.

What Actually Happens When You Delete an iCloud Backup

This is where most people pause, for good reason. It helps to know exactly what you are removing before you confirm.

Does Deleting an iCloud Backup Remove Data From Your Phone?

No. Your photos, contacts, messages, and apps stay exactly as they are on your device. What gets deleted is only the stored copy of that data sitting in iCloud.

The live device is completely unaffected. In practice, people who discover this for the first time are often relieved because they assumed deleting the backup meant losing their photos.

Which Backups Are Safe to Delete?

Backups from devices you no longer use are the safest to remove. Old phones, traded-in tablets, or devices that were erased and sold still have backups sitting in your iCloud account.

They don't disappear automatically. Beyond old devices, older backups from your current phone are also safe to remove if a more recent one exists. The one backup worth keeping: the most recent backup of any device you actively use.

Can a Deleted iCloud Backup Be Recovered?

No. A manually deleted backup is permanent. There is no undo option. iCloud does retain backups for up to 180 days after you stop using iCloud Backup for a device, but once you manually delete one, it is gone immediately.

Check the backup date shown in the list before confirming deletion. Teams that manage shared Apple accounts commonly report this as the step most people overlook before they confirm.

How to Delete Old iCloud Backups: All Three Methods

Method 1: How to Delete Old Backups on iCloud via iPhone or iPad Settings

Steps for iOS 16 and later:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap your name at the top
3. Tap iCloud
4. Tap Manage Account Storage
5. Tap Backups
6. Tap the name of the device backup you want to delete
7. Tap Turn Off and Delete from iCloud
8. Tap Turn Off and Delete to confirm

On iOS 15 or earlier, step 4 reads Manage Storage instead of Manage Account Storage. The rest is identical.

Method 2: On a Mac

1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner
2. Choose System Settings
3. Click your name
4. Click iCloud
5. Click Manage
6. Select Backups from the left panel
7. Click the backup you want to remove
8. Click the minus icon to delete
9. Click Delete to confirm

To remove all backups for a device and turn off backups entirely, select Delete at the confirmation prompt.

Method 3: Via iCloud.com in a Browser

Useful when your Apple device is not nearby, or if you're on a Windows PC:

1. Go to iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID
2. Click your name or profile icon in the top-right corner
3. Select iCloud Settings
4. Under Backups, locate the device backup you want to remove
5. Click Delete and confirm

The iCloud.com interface is updated periodically, so label positions may shift slightly. The path through account settings to backups stays consistent.

Deleting Backups From Devices You No Longer Own

Old device backups do not delete themselves. When you sell, trade in, or lose a phone, its backup stays in your iCloud account indefinitely until you remove it manually.

Those old device backups appear in the same backup list as your current phone. You delete them using the exact same steps. Just tap the name of the old device in the list and follow through with the deletion.

This is often where the largest recoverable storage is hiding. A backup from a phone replaced two or three years ago can be 3 GB to 5 GB or more, according to TechCrunch, which has covered how quickly iCloud storage tiers fill up across devices.

Removing one or two of these tends to free up more space than adjusting app-level settings.

In practice, most people who run low on iCloud storage find at least one old device backup still sitting in their account from a previous upgrade cycle.

How to Reduce Backup Size Without Deleting the Whole Backup

If keeping the backup is important but the size is the problem, you can control which apps are included.

Turn Off Specific App Backups

1. Go to Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud
2. Tap Manage Account Storage
3. Tap Backups
4. Select your current device
5. Under Choose Data to Back Up, toggle off apps you don't need in the backup

Turning off an app removes its data from the backup right away. Apps with large local data, such as games with downloaded content, streaming apps, or messaging apps with heavy media libraries, can take up significant backup space without adding much value in a restore scenario.

What Cannot Be Turned Off in a Backup

Some system-level data is always included in an iCloud backup and cannot be toggled off. As noted in the Wikipedia overview of iCloud, iCloud stores a broad range of device data, including settings and configuration that sync across the Apple ecosystem.

Device settings, core app configurations, and Home Screen layout fall into this persistent category. You can reduce backup size but cannot reduce it to zero through app toggling alone.

Troubleshooting: When the Backup Won't Delete

"This Backup Cannot Be Deleted at This Time"

This error appears when the backup is currently being used to restore another device. The restore process has to finish before the backup becomes available for deletion.

Wait until the restore completes, then try again. This is a known limitation rather than a bug, and it resolves on its own once the restore is done.

Storage Bar Not Updating After Deletion

iCloud storage totals don't always refresh the moment a backup is deleted. Give it a few minutes, then pull down to refresh the storage screen or close and reopen Settings.

In practice, the storage bar can take anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes to reflect the change. If it still shows the old figure after five minutes, signing out of iCloud and back in usually forces a refresh.

Wrapping Up

Deleting old iCloud backups is safe, quick, and straightforward. The key point to remember: removing a backup does not touch any data on your active device.

Start with old device backups since those typically free up the most storage in the least steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will deleting an iCloud backup turn off automatic backups permanently?

Yes, for that specific device. Deleting a backup also disables automatic iCloud backups for it. You can re-enable backups by going to Settings, tapping your name, then iCloud, and switching iCloud Backup back on.

Can I delete a backup for a phone I no longer have?

Yes. Old device backups remain in your iCloud account after the device is gone. They show up in the backup list and can be deleted the same way as any current device backup.

How much storage will I recover after deleting a backup?

The exact size is shown next to each backup in the list. A typical iPhone backup ranges from 1 GB to 5 GB or more, depending on how much content is included.

Can I create a new backup immediately after deleting the old one?

Yes. Re-enable iCloud Backup in Settings, then tap Back Up Now. A fresh backup starts right away.

What happens to an iCloud backup if I just stop using it without deleting?

iCloud keeps inactive backups for 180 days, then deletes them automatically. No manual action is needed if you are comfortable waiting that out.