How to Delete Old Backups on iCloud: A Complete Guide for iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Here's how to delete old backups on iCloud: open Settings > [name] > iCloud > Storage > Backups, select the device, then tap Turn Off and Delete from iCloud. That's the short version — what happens next matters more, and it's covered below.

Quick Answer: Delete an Old iCloud Backup in 4 Steps

1. Open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud.
2. Tap Storage (or Manage Account Storage on older iOS versions), then tap Backups.
3. Tap the device whose backup you want removed.
4. Tap Turn Off and Delete from iCloud, then confirm.

In practice, this is the path most people land on eventually anyway, usually after poking around Settings looking for a "clear storage" button that doesn't exist.

Quick Reference Table by Device

Before You Delete an Old iCloud Backup

What Deleting a Backup Actually Does

Here's the part most guides skip past too quickly: deleting a backup doesn't just remove that one snapshot. It also turns off iCloud Backup for that device entirely. So if you delete the backup for your current iPhone thinking you're just clearing an old version, you've actually switched off future backups too. You can turn it back on afterward, but it's worth knowing going in.

There's also a retention detail that's easy to miss — once you disable or stop using iCloud Backup for a device, Apple keeps that backup around for 180 days before it's gone for good. In practice, this gives you a bit of a buffer if you change your mind, but it's not indefinite, and it's not something to rely on as a safety net.

When It's Safe to Delete a Backup

Generally, deleting is low-risk if the backup belongs to:

• A device you no longer own
• An old phone or tablet sitting in a drawer somewhere
• An outdated backup of your current device, since replaced by a newer one

One thing that trips people up: if a backup is currently being used to restore a device, you won't be able to delete it. iOS won't allow it — the option stays greyed out until the restore finishes.

Check Backup Size and Date Before Deleting

Before deleting anything, glance at the size and last-backup date next to each device in the Backups screen. In practice, this is the easiest way to tell "old" from "recent" without guessing — a backup dated two years ago from a device name you don't recognize is a fairly safe bet.

How to Delete Old Backups on iCloud (iPhone and iPad)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
2. Tap iCloud, then Storage (or Manage Account Storage).
3. Tap Backups.
4. Tap the device whose backup you want to remove.
5. Tap Turn Off and Delete from iCloud, then tap it again to confirm.

What Happens After You Delete

The backup disappears from iCloud right away, and backup gets turned off for that device. You can switch it back on later from the same screen. What's worth flagging — because it's easy to assume otherwise — is that there's no "Recently Deleted" folder for backups the way there is for photos or files. Once it's gone, it's gone. No 30-day grace period to change your mind.

How to Delete Old iCloud Backups on Mac

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Click the Apple menu, then choose System Settings.
2. Click your name, then click iCloud.
3. Click Manage, then select Backups.
4. Select the backup you want to remove and click the remove (minus) button.
5. Confirm by choosing Delete when prompted.

In practice, the Mac version of this screen is arguably the clearest of the three — each backup sits next to its own remove button, so there's less risk of tapping the wrong device by accident.

How to Delete Old iCloud Backups on iCloud.com or Windows

Using a Windows PC

iCloud for Windows, which Apple brought to the platform through the Microsoft Store back in 2019 according to Wikipedia, includes its own storage management panel, and it generally follows the same logic — find the device, remove its backup. Apple's own documentation doesn't lay out an identical step list for Windows, so if the layout looks slightly different on your machine, that's expected rather than a sign something's broken.

Limitations of iCloud.com for Backup Deletion

Unlike photos or iCloud Drive files, there isn't a confirmed way to delete a device backup directly from a browser at iCloud.com. Backup management, as far as documented, stays on the device itself — iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Can't Select Individual Backups

A common complaint is not being able to pick and choose parts of a backup to delete — say, just the photos portion. That's not how it works. iCloud backups are managed as a single unit per device. Keep the whole backup or delete the whole thing; there's no partial option built in.

Delete Option Greyed Out or Backup Won't Delete

If the delete button isn't responding, the likely cause is that the backup is currently in use — usually because a device restore is in progress using that exact backup. Wait for the restore to finish, then try again.

Deleted the Wrong Backup

There's no undo here. As mentioned earlier, backups don't get the 30-day recovery window that photos and Drive files do. If the wrong one gets deleted, the only real option is restoring from whatever alternative backup exists — which is exactly why keeping a separate local backup before any cleanup isn't a bad habit.

Reducing iCloud Backup Size Without Deleting It Entirely

If the actual goal is freeing up space rather than removing history altogether, the whole backup doesn't need to go. Under Settings > iCloud > Storage > Backups, tap the device, and a list of included apps appears. Turning off backup for apps that don't matter — games with re-downloadable data, for instance — shrinks the backup without wiping it out. Upgrading to a larger iCloud+ tier is the other option; Apple's paid plans now scale up to 12TB, according to TechCrunch, which is worth knowing if deleting backups only buys a little time. In practice, a handful of core apps can't be turned off, which is expected; iOS keeps essential system data protected regardless.

Conclusion

Deleting old iCloud backups is simple once the option is found, but retention timing, restore locks, and the lack of an undo matter more than the steps themselves. Check the date and size first, and the wrong backup rarely gets deleted by accident.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to delete old backups on iCloud?

Go to Settings > [name] > iCloud > Storage > Backups, select the device, then tap Turn Off and Delete from iCloud.

Is it safe to delete old iCloud backups?

Generally yes, especially for devices no longer used or owned. Just confirm it isn't the only backup for a device still relied on.

What happens if I delete an iCloud backup by mistake?

There's no recovery option for backups once deleted — no 30-day grace period like Photos gets.

How long does iCloud keep a backup after backups are turned off?

Around 180 days after iCloud Backup is disabled or stopped for that device.

Does deleting a backup free up storage immediately?

Yes, the freed space is generally reflected right away in the iCloud storage total.