How to Store Photos in iCloud and Free Up Space on Your iPhone
How to Store Photos in iCloud and Free Up Space on Your iPhone
Running out of storage on your iPhone while still having available iCloud space is a classic Apple mystery: “I pay for cloud storage… so why is my phone yelling at me?”
If you’re using an iPhone 15 Pro or any recent model, you probably don’t need a new phone. In most cases, the issue is photo storage settings—not device capacity.
This guide shows you how to properly store photos in iCloud and free up space on your iPhone without accidentally deleting your entire camera roll.
Why This Happens
Your iPhone storage and iCloud storage are two completely separate systems:
- iPhone storage – physical storage on your device
- iCloud storage – cloud storage linked to your Apple ID
If your phone keeps full-resolution photos locally, it can run out of space even if iCloud has room available.
The solution is enabling iCloud Photos and turning on storage optimization.
Step 1: Turn On iCloud Photos
- Open Settings
- Tap your Apple ID
- Tap iCloud
- Tap Photos
- Turn on Sync this iPhone
Your photos and videos will begin uploading to iCloud.
Step 2: Turn On Optimize iPhone Storage
- Go to Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Photos
- Select Optimize iPhone Storage
This keeps full-resolution originals in iCloud while storing smaller versions on your device. When needed, full-resolution versions download automatically.
Step 3: Check iCloud Storage
- Open Settings
- Tap Apple ID
- Tap iCloud
If iCloud storage is nearly full, you may need to upgrade your plan or remove unused backups.
Step 4: Check What’s Using iPhone Storage
- Open Settings
- Tap General
- Tap iPhone Storage
This screen shows exactly what’s consuming space. Photos and videos are usually the main culprit.
Important: Deleting Photos
- Deleting a photo on your iPhone deletes it from iCloud if syncing is enabled.
- Deleted items stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days before permanent removal.
If you’re unsure, back up your photos to a computer or external drive before mass deleting.
Do You Need a New Phone?
In most cases, no.
- Enable Sync this iPhone
- Select Optimize iPhone Storage
- Make sure iCloud has enough space
That usually fixes it.
Need Help?
If you’d rather not risk deleting 10 years of photos while experimenting with settings, that’s what we’re here for.
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Author: Scott Pam
