You're probably here because that annoying "iCloud Storage is Full" notification just popped up for the fiftieth time today. It always happens at the worst possible moment, usually when you're trying to snap a photo of something cool or download a work attachment. Honestly, Apple's 5GB of free storage is a joke in 2026. It’s barely enough to hold a few high-res videos and a backup of your settings. So, how can I check my iCloud storage without losing my mind? It’s actually pretty simple, but the real trick is understanding what all those colorful bars actually mean.
Finding the Storage Menu on Your iPhone or iPad
Most people live on their iPhones, so that's the easiest place to start. You don't need a computer. Just grab your phone. Open Settings. That’s the grey gear icon you probably have buried in a folder somewhere. Tap your name at the very top—that’s your Apple ID, your digital home base.
Once you’re in there, look for iCloud. Tap it. Right at the top, you’ll see a horizontal bar. This is the "Account Storage" graph. It’s color-coded. Photos are usually one color, Backups another, and "Docs" or "Mail" take up the rest. If the bar is almost entirely filled with one color, you’ve found your culprit. Usually, it's Photos. It’s almost always Photos.
Click on Manage Account Storage or Manage Storage. This is where the real data lives. It lists every single app using your cloud space, ranked from the biggest space-hog to the smallest. You might see "Backups" at the top taking up 15GB. Why? Because you probably have old backups from an iPhone 12 you traded in three years ago still sitting there. Delete those. They’re useless.
Checking iCloud Storage on a Mac
Maybe you're sitting at your desk and it’s easier to use your MacBook. The process is slightly different but follows the same logic. Click the Apple Menu (the little logo in the top left corner). Go to System Settings (or System Preferences if you’re running an older macOS).
Click your name. Select iCloud.
Just like on the phone, you’ll see the storage breakdown. Click Manage... and you’ll get a pop-up window. This view is actually better for clearing out iCloud Drive files. If you’ve been saving giant PDF presentations or video projects to your desktop and you have "Desktop & Documents" syncing turned on, your 50GB plan will vanish in a week.
The Web Method: iCloud.com
What if your phone is dead and you’re using a library computer or a friend’s PC? You can still check. Go to iCloud.com. Sign in with your Apple ID. You’ll probably need to do the two-factor authentication dance, so have a trusted device nearby.
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Once you’re in, scroll down to the bottom or look at the tiles. There’s a storage section that gives you the same breakdown. It’s a bit more "read-only" in some aspects, but it’s the fastest way to see if your Mail is what’s actually clogging the pipes.
Why Your Storage Disappears So Fast
Apple’s default settings are aggressive. Every time you take a "Live Photo," you’re not just taking a picture; you’re recording a mini-video. If you have 4K video recording turned on at 60fps, a five-minute video of your dog can easily eat up a gigabyte.
Then there are the "Ghost Backups."
When you back up your iPhone, it saves everything. App data, messages, system settings. If you use WhatsApp, your chat backup (including all those "Good Morning" GIFs from your aunt) is likely being backed up inside your iPhone backup. That’s double-dipping. You’re backing up the app, and then the app is backing up its own data. It’s a mess.
The Message Hoarding Problem
We don't talk enough about iMessage. If you’ve had an iPhone for five years and never deleted a thread, you likely have gigabytes of "Top Conversations" sitting in iCloud. Videos people sent you in 2021 are still there, taking up premium digital real estate. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages. Look at "Review Large Attachments." Prepare to be horrified by how much space that one funny video from three years ago is taking up.
Understanding the Tiers
If you're tired of checking and deleting, you're probably looking at the paid plans. Apple calls it iCloud+.
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- 50GB: Good for one person who just wants their photos safe.
- 200GB: The sweet spot for families or people with lots of videos.
- 2TB and up: Professional territory.
Apple also bundles these into Apple One, which includes Music and TV+. If you’re already paying for those separately, the "free" storage upgrade you get by switching to the bundle actually makes financial sense.
Actionable Steps to Reclaim Space
Don't just look at the bar and sigh. Fix it.
First, cull the backups. If you see a backup for a device you no longer own, delete it immediately. That's instant storage.
Second, optimize your photos. Go to Settings > Photos and make sure Optimize iPhone Storage is checked. This keeps the tiny versions on your phone and the big ones in the cloud. It doesn’t save iCloud space, but it keeps your phone from complaining. To actually save iCloud space, you’ll need to move photos to a physical hard drive or a service like Google Photos (which also has limits now, unfortunately).
Third, clear the "Recently Deleted" folder. When you delete photos, they aren't gone. They sit in a digital purgatory for 30 days. They still count against your storage until you go into the Photos app, find the "Recently Deleted" album, and hit "Delete All."
Finally, check your "Shared with You" and Shared Albums. While Shared Albums don't technically count against your storage quota (a rare act of kindness from Apple), the cached versions on your device can make things feel sluggish.
Check your storage once a month. It’s like cleaning a literal closet; if you let it go for a year, it’s a weekend project. If you do it for five minutes once a month, it’s a breeze. Stop letting that notification ruin your day and take control of your digital junk drawer.