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How to Delete Things from iCloud: Ultimate Guide

James Davis

Jul 12, 2024 • Filed to: Manage Device Data • Proven solutions

Apple provides its iOS users with a smart way to secure their data, and with iCloud, you can upload any of your files as per your needs in no time. But there’s only 5 GB of free storage, so you must be a tad complacent, as iCloud might run out of space before you even realize it. That is why it’s important to learn how to delete things from iCloud so you don’t stress out when saving important files and documents.

how to delete things from icloud

If you want to learn the same, you’re at the right place. This guide teaches you simple yet effective ways to delete most things, including apps, books, contacts, and documents, from iCloud. So, without further ado, let’s dig in!

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Part 1. How to Delete Apps from iCloud

If you’re on a mission to clean up your Apple device to make space on iCloud, it’s good to start with the apps. The apps, amongst other files, take most of the space, and each app, with its backups and data files, sits on your iCloud, not letting you save important stuff. But you don’t need to knuckle down to clean up the much-needed space; just follow the steps:

  • Step 1: Start by uninstalling the app from the device. You usually do this on your Mac by dragging the application to the trash can. On your iPhone, long-press an app icon until it starts shaking and a menu pops up. From there, click on “Remove app.”
  • Step 2: To delete the backed-up data on iCloud, find and click on “System Preferences” followed by “Apple ID” in the top right corner.
  • Step 3: On the popped-up menu, click “iCloud” followed by “Manage.”

    • log in to icloud

  • Step 4: In the next box that pops up, click the app you’ve uninstalled and then “Delete all data.”

    • delete all data

    Part 2. How to Delete Books from iCloud

    Now that you’ve learned how to delete apps from iCloud, books are the next big thing you must get to if you’re out there clearing a chunk of space. As much as books bring joy to us, more of them can be a touch frustrating, as they take up much space on your devices. You must follow the steps to delete them permanently from iCloud:

  • Step 1: Open the “Books” app on your iOS device (iPhone/Mac/iPad), and tap the “Library” tab on the bottom panel to access your book collection.

    • access the library

  • Step 2: Search for the book taking up too much space on iCloud and press it for a few seconds until a menu pops up on your screen.
  • Step 3: Tap on the “Remove” option from the menu, and then tap OK to confirm your action.

    • remove the book

    That’s it, that simple it’s to remove a book from your iCloud, but if deleting one doesn’t free up the much-needed space, follow the steps in order:

  • Step 1: On your iOS device (Mac/iPhone/iPad), access the Books app and find your collection in the “Library” section of the welcome dashboard.
  • Step 2: Select the books you’ve read before or are taking up too much space, and tap “Delete” to clear it up.

    • Part 3. How to Delete Contacts from iCloud

    Whenever you add a new contact, it automatically gets synced to the iCloud, which is handy, as it stays safe irrespective of what happens to the device. But it can be a nuisance if you have a lot of contacts, especially if it compromises the space for a lot of important things, personal or professional. So here’s how to delete contacts from iCloud:

  • Step 1: Visit iCloud from your Mac and sign into your iCloud account using valid user credentials.
  • Step 2: Find the “Contacts” icon on the homepage and tap on it to access all the contacts saved on your iCloud. To delete a contact, select the needed and tap “Delete” on your keyboard, or you can delete a few at a time by clicking “CTRL” on your keyboard, selecting the contacts, and pressing “Delete.”

    • select the contacts

  • Step 3: Then, iCloud might prompt confirmation, so click “Delete” to free up space for more important things.

    • Part 4. How to Delete Documents from iCloud

    As with the contacts, the documents you save on your hard drive end up cluttering your iCloud via auto-syncing and leave less space for other things. Here’s how to delete documents from iCloud:

  • Step 1: Access the iCloud by signing in using your Apple ID and opening your iCloud drive.
  • Step 2: The new window lists the synced-up files, where choose the ones to delete and click the “Delete” icon on the top right panel. Confirm the deletion if prompted.

    • delete documents

    Part 5. How to Recover Deleted Things from iPhone

    If your iOS device is bugged/damaged for some reason, resulting in the deletion of most data, or you mistakenly remove any, it can cause distress. But worry not, as long as you have a computer, a stable internet connection, and one of the best data recovery apps- Wondershare’s Dr. Fone. It works with most iOS versions and supports recovery of most data like texts, messages, contacts, audio, video, and others. Follow the steps to restore data on your iOS device:

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  • Step 1: Download and install Dr. Fone software on your computer, and click on Toolbox> Data Recovery to start the recovery process.
  • Step 2: Select iOS as a phone system and select “Recover data from iOS device” from the next screen.

    • start with the recovery process

  • Step 3: Plug-in your iOS device (iPad/iPhone) to the computer and wait for it to detect. As detection is complete, select the type of files you want to recover, and once done, tap on the “Start scan” option.

    • scan your ios device

  • Step 4: It takes some time to scan the data, and once done, it provides a preview of the data available to recover. Following this, tap on the requisite files and continue to tap on the “Restore to Device” tab at the bottom.

    • select the files to recover

  • Step 5: Then, a new window pops up asking for the location where you want to save the restored data. Select it and proceed by tapping on the “Continue” button. Wait for a few seconds for the data to recover.

    • restore the deleted files

    Conclusion

    Now you know how to delete things from iCloud that aren’t needed anymore and make space for important things on your device. But while doing that, you might end up deleting other things as well and end up being overwhelmed. Don’t be, as Dr. Fone - Data Recovery (iOS) provides effortless ways to retrieve your lost data and deliver a sense of security and joy at the same time.

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    James Davis

    staff Editor

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