How to Selectively Backup iPhone and iPad Data to iCloud 1

How to Selectively Backup iPhone and iPad Data to iCloud

iCloud is a great tool for iPhone and iPad users to back up their most important data without fear of losing anything. However, if you are part of users with the free 5GB iCloud plan, you already know how quickly this limited storage can run out. We need to cut corners from time to time to manage this limited space. Some of the data iCloud stores is app data to make sure you have a stable backup. However, this also takes up unnecessary space in your plan. So, if you are part of iCloud users who want to free up some space, let us help you by showing you how to selectively backup data to iCloud.

Selectively Backup iCloud Data

While you can choose to backup only certain app data to your iCloud and complete the process with that, this guide goes into more detail to give you some tips and tricks for more space. Feel free to see them at a glance using the table below.

What Data Does iCloud Store

Before you learn how to clear iCloud selective app data, here is a quick info guide that will let you know exactly what the cloud service is storing. iCloud backs up a lot of data of your iPhone, iPad and other connected devices. The scope of backed up data ranges from something as simple as your app data to device settings and even your visual voicemail password. Here is a full list of what an iCloud backup includes:

  • application data
  • Apple Watch backups
  • Device settings
  • Home screen and application organization
  • iMessage, text (SMS) and MMS messages
  • Photos and videos on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch2
  • Purchase history from Apple services such as music, movies, TV shows, apps, and your books3
  • Ringtones
  • Visual Voicemail password (requires SIM card used during backup)

Depending on your settings, the list of iCloud data can be more or less.

Backing Up Apps to iCloud Selectively

Now that you know more about what data iCloud stores, here is how you can choose which app data to back up to that data for your iPhone and iPad. The steps remain the same for both iPhone and iPad, so follow these and get to it:

one. Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

2nd. Name/Apple ID Banner.

apple id banner iphone

3. Find and tap iCloud.

icloud button backup

4. Here you can see your current iCloud storage allocation. Faucet Manage Storage under and you will be directed to another menu.

manage storage button

5. Tap Backups from the list that appears.

iphone backup icloud

6. Under Backups Find and tap your iPhone or iPad in the menu.

list of backups saved in icloud

Here you can see the complete list of apps whose data is backed up to iCloud of your iPhone or iPad and take up valuable space. you can touch Show All Apps To see the entire list

7. Identify the app that is taking the most iCloud data, and green slider so it looks next to you.

list of apps that back up data to icloud

8. You will receive a confirmation message. Tap . close and To delete Press the button to delete a particular app and free up some of your iCloud storage.

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turn off icloud backup and delete

And that’s how easy it is. You can repeat the above steps to selectively turn off app data for any app in iCloud. However, it’s important to note that turning off this app data doesn’t mean the app won’t return when you restore it from your iPad. However, its data will not thus save your iCloud space.

Other Tips for Freeing Up iCloud Storage

While app data is one of the ways to unnecessarily consume your iCloud storage, there are other factors that come into the mix. If you want to manage your iCloud storage quota even more, follow these tips and tricks to do so:

1. Completely Erase iPhone/iPad Backup

Your iCloud account also includes device backups of your iPhone or iPad so you can easily restore your data if your device is lost. However, if you think you don’t need regular backups, you can easily clear them from your iCloud account for now and save some space.

To delete your iCloud backup from an iPhone or iPad, all you have to do is iCloud backup settings and tap Delete Support below the list of apps we set above. Deleting this iCloud backup will free up a large amount of space on your account. However, keep in mind that you will lose this backup forever and future backup will also be disabled.

2. Disable and Delete iCloud Photos

Apple iCloud is also responsible for storing your precious memories in the form of photos and videos. This is mostly done to optimize the storage on your iPhone and iPad so that heavy media files are safe in the cloud and your phone runs faster. However, this takes up quite a bit of space on the iCloud account. If you want to clear valuable cloud storage, you can disable and delete photos or any to manage.

Disable iCloud Photos

Disabling iCloud Photos ensures that your future photos are not automatically uploaded to your cloud account, thus saving space. But that means your iPhone or iPad will slowly start to fill up with your media. If you want to stop future iCloud photo uploads, follow these steps:

one. Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

settings app iphone

2nd. Name/Apple ID Banner.

Apple ID banner

3. Find and tap iCloud.

iCloud Button

4. Tap Photos from the list.

photos button

5. green slider Next to iCloud Photos and you’re done!

disable icloud photos toggle

This will stop all future uploads from iPhone or iPad to your cloud account. But photos and videos optimized for your device will also be removed. You can view the full version of your media in your iCloud account, since they’re already there. However, if you want to delete iCloud data completely, you can download that media to the device itself. Just tap for it Download Photos and Videos.

Delete iCloud Photos

Deleting photos from your cloud account is the fastest way to get back the space your media takes up. However, keep in mind that once you delete them, you only have 30 days to download your media before they are lost forever. With that in mind, let’s delete iCloud photos.

one. Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

settings app iphone

2nd. Name/Apple ID Banner.

Apple ID banner

3. Find and tap iCloud.

iCloud Button

4. Tap Manage Storage.

manage storage icloud

5. Tap Photos and you will be redirected to another menu.

photos iCloud

6. tap Disable and Delete After reading, tap to get the confirmation message. in any case keep going and you’re done.

disable and delete photos from icloud

Deleting all these media will help you free up space for your iCloud account.

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3. Clean up your iCloud Drive

iCloud drive is where all your other data is stored including your documents, PDF files and other application files. You may have stored this data in your iCloud account at one time or another. Depending on how big the data is it can span GBS. If you like to store your Drive data but want to start fresh, you can easily delete the pre-loaded files and folders. But keep in mind that if you do, this will delete all your files and folders and cannot be recovered.

docs delete icloud backup

To delete your Drive data, all you have to do is go to: Settings>Apple ID>iCloud>Manage Storage and Select iCloud Drive. From here you can tap Delete Documents and Data and confirm the operation. This will do the trick and give you more space in your iCloud account.

4. Clear Other App Data from iCloud

Apart from the app data we cleared above, iCloud also hosts some other app data that you can find on the first screen. This app data depends on the types of apps you have and can range from MB to GB. Deleting this other app data will easily free up more space on your iPhone and iPad. However, as always, your app data is lost and cannot be recovered. You can delete other app data by going to: Manage Storage from you iCloud settings on the device and you will see the whole list.

5. Back Up Your iPhone and iPad Using a Computer

If you are an Apple device user who insists that your data should be backed up carefully, you can get iCloud without using it at all. Apple, iPhone and iPad users’ data Match or a windows computer easily. As part of the process, you will need to establish a physical connection with a cable.

During macOS 10.15 and later users can use finder Windows and older macOS users will need iTunes to backup their device data to keep their iPhone and iPad’s data safe. If you want a detailed process, you can visit Apple’s official website (visit) to safely backup your iPhone and iPad.

6. Be Careful of Everything You Upload

It’s easy to set everything up to be backed up online and forget about it. But this habit is also the fastest way to fill your cloud storage quota. As a general rule, try to make sure that anything you upload to your iCloud account is actually useful and not just a waste of space. You can easily assess the importance of a file by comparing it to the limited 5GB quota you have for a clear answer.

7. If Everything Fails, Upgrade

At the end of the day, if all of the above methods worked but you still need more space, we recommend getting a paid cloud plan for more quota. No matter where you live, Apply offers a number of paid plans for its storage service with many additional benefits. In fact, it’s time to choose iCloud+, which has lots of new features like Mail Privacy Protection and Private Transfer that you can use. Give it a try and you may just love it.

Selectively Backup iPhone and iPad Data to iCloud

We hope you now know how to back up selective app data to your iCloud and learned more about how to keep it more organized in general. If you are a new iCloud user from Google, you can easily transfer Google Photos to iCloud without worry. Alternatively, if you really want to step away from the Apple service, here’s how to easily import iCloud Photos to Google Photos. Have any questions? Leave them in the comments below!