The iCloud is an Apple software created for storing and computing data for its users. Originally created by Apple Inc on October 12, 2011, the iCloud currently has more than 850 million users worldwide. This service allows iOS users to keep important data like photos, documents, files, and other personal information safely.
With iCloud, you can also send and receive data wirelessly to other users. In case of misplacement or theft of your iPhone, the iCloud backs up and manages all files and data in your iPhone. This prevents loss of data as your files can easily be retrieved when you get a new iPhone or iPad.
In cases where your backup storage is full, you may want to delete certain files that may not be useful anymore to free up space. Each iPhone or iPad user is given 5GB of space for backups. This may be very small compared to the amount of data you receive each day.
This guide covers all you need to know about deleting your iCloud backup and certain consequences and results for doing so.
Steps to Delete iCloud Backups
As said earlier, you might want to delete unnecessary files that are taking up space in your iCloud backup. Other times, your iCloud backup gets stuck and doesn’t entirely back up all important files. So, to delete your iCloud backup, you have to follow the steps below.
1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone’s home screen.
2. Tap on your Apple ID, which is your name, at the top of the Settings menu.
3. From the list of setting options, tap on iCloud.
4. Select Manage Storage.
5. Go to Backups.
The statistical representation of all files and how much space is taken is displayed here. It shows the sections of each file e.g. Photos, Documents, Videos, etc and the amount of space occupied respectively.
So you can tap on any data type, select the unnecessary files and delete them.
On your PC or Windows server, simply sign in to the iCloud website with your Apple ID.
After signing in, go to the Storage tab.
Select Backups. Then, click on any data type, select the unnecessary files and delete them.
What happens when I delete iCloud backup?
You may be indecisive about deleting your iCloud backups because you don’t know the implications or results of doing so.
When you delete your iCloud backup, it cannot be retrieved anymore. It would be permanently removed from your iPhone.
Also, note that once you delete any of these files in the iCloud backup on your iPhone, iCloud will stop the automatic backup process on your iPhone. This means that if you want to back up any data on your iPhone, you have to do it manually.
Alternatively, if you manually disable the automatic iCloud backup feature, iCloud will no longer back up new files. This would not affect old backed-up files.
You can manage the backed-up files under iCloud settings to know if certain files would be removed with the backup. Newly saved files before backup would not be deleted with the old iCloud backup. We wish that you have the answer to “What happens when I delete iCloud backup?”.
FAQs
No, it doesn’t. It only deletes the file from your iCloud drive on iCloud.com.
If you have multiple iOS devices connected to your iCloud, it would also delete the file across all your iOS devices.
No, you won’t. This is because it doesn’t affect the main data stored on your iPhone’s internal storage. You would only lose contacts that have been backed up on the iCloud. This also applies to other files like Photos, Videos, Emails, Notes etcetera.
Yes, it is. It wouldn’t affect the main data stored in your iPhone. The data backed up on your iCloud would only be deleted.
To delete your iCloud backup, follow the steps below.
1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone’s home screen.
2. Tap on your Apple ID, that is, your name at the top of the Settings menu.
3. From the list of setting options, tap on iCloud.
4. Select Manage Storage.
5. Go to Backups. Select the device name, then select Delete Backups.
It is necessary but not compulsory. You can choose to back up your files on your iPhone.
You can disable the automatic backup feature through the iCloud settings.