How to Stop Paying
for iCloud Storage
Apple charges generate-pages.sh.99/mo for 50 GB, .99/mo for 200 GB, or .99/mo for 2 TB of iCloud storage. That is 2 to 20 per year. Here is how to stop paying and downgrade to the free 5 GB plan.
The math
Most people pay $2.99/month for 200 GB. That is $36/year. Over 5 years, that is $180 — for storing files you probably do not even remember. The free 5 GB plan is enough once you clean up.
The 5-step process
- Audit your storage — Check what is actually using space. Most of it is old backups, synced junk, and photos you can store locally.
- Download photos locally — Photos > Settings > iCloud > "Download Originals to this Mac".
- Delete old backups — System Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Manage > Backups. Delete backups for old devices.
- Clean iCloud Drive — Delete node_modules, .git, archives, and other junk from iCloud-synced folders.
- Downgrade — System Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Manage Plan > Downgrade to free 5 GB.
Will I lose my data?
No, if you follow the steps in order. The key is to move everything locally before you downgrade. Once your usage is under 5 GB, the downgrade is safe. Apple gives you 30 days after downgrading before it starts deleting excess data.
Skip the manual work
iCloud Cleaner does all of this automatically in about 5 minutes. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Buy iCloud Cleaner — $4.99
14-day money-back guarantee