You can remove any device backup stored in iCloud by going into your iOS Settings app and selecting iCloud, Storage & Backup and then Manage Storage. This will display a list of all of the device backups stored in iCloud, with the device you’re currently using listed at the top and indicated as such. Selecting any backup by tapping on it will display the backup size, date and time the backup was last made, and a “Delete Backup” button at the bottom. Selecting the backup for the device you’re using will display additional options for configuring what to back up, but if you scroll down the “Delete Backup” button can still be found at the bottom of the list.
While removing this backup will not affect anything on your device, it will leave you without a backup until another one is made, so it’s a good idea to not delete your old backup until you’re in a position to make backup from your new device. As long as you’re on a Wi-Fi network, you can make an iCloud Backup on demand at any time simply by tapping the “Back Up Now” button at the bottom of the iCloud Storage & Backup screen.
It’s a good idea to do this manually immediately after you delete your old iCloud backup to ensure that you have a current backup of your data just in case. Once you’ve made this initial backup, your device will continue to be backed up to iCloud automatically one every 24 hours as long as your device is plugged in and connected to a Wi-Fi network.
Note that you can also make an on-demand backup to your computer using iTunes at any time, even if you normally use iCloud for automatic backups. Simply connect your iPhone to your Mac or Windows PC and click the “Back Up Now” button on the Summary screen for your device. This will make an extra, one-time backup to your computer and can be useful as an extra precaution if you’re really concerned about not having a current backup, especially if you’re having problems backing up to iCloud or don’t have a Wi-Fi connection readily available to make an iCloud backup.
The photos on the iOS device are never only stored in the backup. What would be stored in the backup are deleted pictures that you no longer have in the camera roll / albums.
Rather than delete the entire backup to make space in iCloud, you can choose to just not back up your camera roll until such time as you can get all the camera roll photos backed up elsewhere.
See my answer on How can I delete pictures off Photo Stream to free up iCloud storage space? for details.
Things get more complicated on iOS 8/9 with the advent of the Photos library stored in iCloud. You'd want to upload a picture from your phone showing the iCloud usage:
Settings > iCloud > Storage > Manage Storage
If you have an iCloud Photo Library at the top like I do above, then go to Settings > iCloud > Photos to check if your photos on that phone are part of the cloud. The steps there to make space are more involved than just deleting a backup or configuring the camera roll to not get baked up to iCloud.
"Hi, I want to know how can I delete an iCloud backup and what happens when I delete iCloud backup? Can anyone help me please?"
No matter what is the reason behind the decision of iCloud backup deletion, for example, you wish to clear up storage space or you no longer need the backup, before you move on to delete, we would like you to know what will happen if you delete your iCloud backup. We will also provide you some important information on how to manage your iCloud backup better.
- 1. How to Delete an iCloud Backup
- 2. What Happens When I Delete iCloud Backup
- 3. How to Selectively Save Data You Need from an iCloud Backup before Deleting It
- 4. Selectively Restore iCloud Backup & Merge with the Data on iPhone
1. What Happens When I Delete iCloud Backup
First of all, if you delete your iCloud backup, the data you have backed up to iCloud will be erased. That means you will not be able to recover data from iCloud backup if set up your iPhone from the start or you lose any important data on your iPhone. Of course you can use third-party tool such as iMyFone D-Back, to recover data directly from your iPhone, but not everything can be recovered. No recovery tool can guarantee that. Therefore, if you have important data in the backup, do not delete it, you can try to export the data and then delete it.
Secondly, when you delete your iCloud backup, the data you synced to iCloud.com or with other iOS devices will not be influenced. Some people worry about the data they have synced to iCloud will be erased. Actually, the data you sync using iCloud and the data you backup to iCloud are different. They will not influence each other.
Thirdly, when you delete your iCloud backup, you iCloud storage will be released, but your iPhone storage will not be changed.
2. How to Delete an iCloud Backup
There are 3 ways to delete an iCloud backup. Please check the detailed steps below.
Delete iCloud Backup using iOS Device:
- Open 'Settings' and tap on your name or Apple ID.
- Now, hit on 'iCloud' and head to 'Manage Storage'.
- Tap 'Backup' followed by the device's name you no longer need backup of.
- Finally, hit on 'Delete Backup' and you're done.
Delete iCloud Backup via Mac:
- Open your Mac and select Apple menu.
- Pick out 'System Preferences' from the menu and hit on 'iCloud'.
- Go to 'Manage' now and click 'Backups' from left.
- Pick out the iOS device from right and click on the one you don't need backup of. At last, hit on 'Delete'.
Delete iCloud Backup via Windows PC:
- Start with opening iCloud for Windows. Now click on 'Storage'.
- Look for 'Backups' on the left side and choose one iOS device from the right side.
- Finally, hit on 'Delete' and your iCloud backup will be deleted.
3. How to Selectively Save Data You Need from an iCloud Backup before Deleting It
To save the important data in your iCloud backup before deletion, you can export it using a reliable data exporter tool. In such case, we recommend you iMyFone iTransor which is an outstanding iOS data exporter and holds the capability to export over 18 data types easily from iCloud/iTunes backup, iPhone/iPad/iPod touch as well.
It is completely compatible with the latest iOS models and iOS version including iOS 15/14/13. Let us see the tutorial to export data from your iCloud backup.
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How to Export Data from iCloud Backup via iMyFone iTransor
Step 1 – Download iCloud Backup
Download iMyFone iTransor on your computer and install it. Click 'Acquire Backup from Device & iCloud', and then 'Download iCloud Backup'. Then enter your iCloud details.
The program will show all the iCloud backups in your iCloud account. Choose the iCloud backup that you want to delete and save data from, then click 'Next'. You can download all the backups one by one.
Step 2 – Export Data from iCloud Backup
Click 'Export from Device & Backup' option at the left panel. Choose 'Export From Backup' option. You will see the backup list detected by iMyFone iTransor.
Choose the iCloud backup that you want to save data from and click 'Next'. After picking out those you wish to export, click 'Scan'.
After the scanning, the program will allow you to preview your data. Choose the items you want and hit on 'Export' at the end. This will get your desired data exported from iCloud backup. Now you can delete the backup from your iPhone or on your computer.
4. Selectively Restore iCloud Backup & Merge with the Data on iPhone
If you wish to restore some data to your iPhone from your iCloud backup and merge the data with the corresponding app data on your iPhone, iMyFone iTransor can help you too. This tool offers its users the flexibility to backup and restore your iOS data fully or selectively. You can backup and restore only WhatsApp, WeChat, Messages, Contacts instead of all the data on your device. You can also simply restore these data types from your iCloud or iTunes backups via this tool and merge the data together. It offers free trial version, so you can just click the button below to selectively restore iPhone from iCloud backup and have a try!