How do I store things in iCloud and not iPhone?

With iCloud, you can choose what content you want to store directly on your iPhone versus keeping it solely in the cloud. This allows you to save space on your device while still having access to your files, photos, emails and more through iCloud.

What is iCloud?

iCloud is Apple’s cloud storage service that comes built-in with every iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other Apple devices. iCloud provides each user with 5GB of free storage to backup and sync content across devices. You can purchase additional iCloud storage if needed.

Some key things iCloud can do:

  • Sync photos, videos, documents across devices
  • Back up your iPhone, iPad and Mac
  • Sync email, contacts, calendars across devices
  • Find your lost or stolen Apple device with Find My
  • Share photos with friends and family
  • Store files and folders in iCloud Drive

With iCloud, all your content is safely stored in the cloud. This means you can access your data from any device by signing into your iCloud account.

How does iCloud work?

iCloud automatically syncs data between your devices using WiFi and cellular data. For example, when you take a photo on your iPhone, that photo is automatically sent to the cloud and synced across any other devices signed into your iCloud account.

You can configure iCloud settings on each device to choose what does and does not get synced. For example, you may want your contacts and calendars synced across all devices, but only want your photos to be stored in the cloud and not take up space on your MacBook.

Managing iCloud content on your iPhone

On your iPhone, you can customize how each app uses iCloud in the Settings menu. Here are the steps:

  1. Open the Settings app
  2. Tap on your Apple ID banner at the top of the screen
  3. Tap on iCloud
  4. You will now see a list of apps that can use iCloud. Tap on each app to configure its iCloud settings.

For example, for Photos you can choose to optimize your iPhone storage. This stores full resolution photos and videos in iCloud, while smaller versions are kept on your iPhone to save space. You can tap on a photo to download the full version from iCloud when needed.

Turn off iCloud for specific apps

If you don’t want a certain app’s data saved in iCloud, toggle Off the iCloud switch in the app’s settings.

Some examples where you may want to disable iCloud:

  • Photos – Store photos only in the cloud and not on your iPhone
  • Mail – If you don’t want past emails synced across devices
  • Contacts – Manage contacts separately on each device
  • Calendars – Keep calendars private to each device

Location of iCloud content

When you save content to iCloud, where is it actually stored?

Apple says that most iCloud data is stored in cloud servers located in the United States and China. However, they may store data on servers in other countries depending on factors like the location of users accessing iCloud.

Apple uses end-to-end encryption to secure data stored in iCloud. This means even Apple cannot access your iCloud data, as only you have the encryption keys to unlock and view your content.

Using iCloud Drive

In addition to syncing app data, you can also manually store files in iCloud using the iCloud Drive app.

iCloud Drive works similar to other cloud storage providers like Dropbox and Google Drive. You can store documents, photos, videos and other files in iCloud Drive and access them across devices.

To manage iCloud Drive on your iPhone:

  1. Open the iCloud Drive app
  2. Create folders to organize your files
  3. Tap the + icon to upload files to iCloud
  4. Tap files and folders to download them to your iPhone

Items you store in iCloud Drive will not take up space on your iPhone. This provides a way to offload files and free up storage on your device.

Access iCloud Drive files on other devices

Any files stored in iCloud Drive can be accessed from these locations:

  • Mac – iCloud Drive app in the Dock
  • Windows PC – iCloud app for Windows
  • iCloud.com – Log into iCloud.com in any web browser
  • Other iOS devices – iCloud Drive app

Using Optimized iPhone Storage

The “Optimized iPhone Storage” option in Settings provides an easy way to offload apps and data to iCloud.

When enabled, your iPhone will automatically manage your storage space. It does this by:

  • Storing full resolution photos/videos in iCloud
  • Only keeping lower resolution versions of photos/videos stored locally on your iPhone
  • Automatically offloading unused apps to iCloud while keeping app data

This frees up storage space on your iPhone without you needing to manually manage content.

To enable Optimized iPhone Storage:

  1. Go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud
  2. Tap on Manage Storage
  3. Turn on Optimized iPhone Storage

You can tap “Review Offloaded Apps” to see and reinstall any apps that have been offloaded from your iPhone to iCloud.

Using the Files app

The Files app provides an interface to manage documents and media stored in iCloud Drive. Think of it as a central file browser for all your iCloud content.

Within the Files app you can:

  • View all files stored in iCloud Drive
  • View files stored locally on your iPhone
  • Organize files into folders
  • Search for files
  • Access third party storage like Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, etc.
  • Tag files and organize with favorites

If you need to manage your iCloud Drive files directly, the Files app provides an easy way to do it without having to go through each separate app.

Recovering deleted iCloud files

Have you accidentally deleted an important photo or document stored in iCloud?

Thankfully, with iCloud you have 30 days to recover deleted data:

  1. On your iPhone, open the Photos app or iCloud Drive app
  2. Tap the Delete icon in the bottom toolbar
  3. Tap “Recently Deleted”
  4. Find your deleted items and tap “Recover” to restore them

After 30 days, deleted iCloud items will be permanently removed. So make sure to recover anything important within a month.

Backing up your iPhone to iCloud

One of the key features of iCloud is automatically backing up your iPhone.

When enabled, iCloud will backup your iPhone daily when connected to WiFi, power, and have the screen locked. This includes:

  • App data
  • Apple Watch backups
  • Device settings
  • Home screen and app organization
  • Messages
  • Purchased music, movies, TV shows, apps and books
  • Ringtones
  • Photos and videos (unless you enable iCloud Photo Library)

Having regular iCloud backups protects you against data loss if your iPhone is damaged or lost.

Set up iCloud Backup

To setup iCloud backups:

  1. Go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud
  2. Tap on iCloud Backup
  3. Turn on iCloud Backup

Your iPhone will now automatically backup to iCloud as long as conditions are met (e.g. WiFi, power, screen locked).

What’s not included in iCloud Backup?

Some content is not included in an iCloud backup. This includes:

  • Content from iCloud Drive
  • iCloud email, contacts, calendars
  • Already purchased iTunes media
  • Touch ID and Face ID settings
  • Apple Pay information and settings

This data remains safely stored in iCloud and is synced across your devices. Your iCloud backup contains only device-specific data.

Manage Storage

Your iCloud account starts with 5GB of free space. This is shared by iCloud backups, iCloud Drive, Photos, Mail, etc.

If you’re getting storage full notifications, you can either:

  • Upgrade your iCloud storage plan for more space
  • Reduce the number of backups stored in iCloud
  • Disable apps from syncing data to iCloud

Older backups and photos can be manually deleted from iCloud.com if you need to free up space.

Other iCloud features

Here are some other useful iCloud features to be aware of:

iCloud Keychain

Securely store and sync passwords across devices. You can also generate secure new passwords.

Find My iPhone

Locate lost or stolen devices. Remotely lock, erase or play a sound. Requires Location Services enabled.

iCloud Photo Sharing

Create shared albums of photos/videos to collaborate with others. Useful for sharing with family and friends.

iCloud Family Sharing

Share purchases, photos, calendars and more with family members. Up to six members can share content.

iCloud Private Relay

Hide your IP address and location when browsing Safari for increased privacy and security.

Conclusion

The key takeaways around managing iCloud storage on your iPhone are:

  • You can choose what content is stored directly on your device vs kept in the cloud only.
  • Configure iCloud settings for each app in Settings > Your Name > iCloud.
  • Use iCloud Drive to store documents and media files in the cloud.
  • Enable Optimized iPhone Storage to automatically offload apps/data.
  • Manage backups, photos and files directly at iCloud.com if needed.

Learning how to best leverage iCloud for your storage needs takes some time. But once set up properly, iCloud provides an easy way to keep all your data safe, up to date and available across all devices.

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