How to Stop Automatic Backup to iCloud on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Like Google Drive on Android, iCloud saves all your data from your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. You can take a backup and save storage space on your Apple device and access it from anywhere by logging in to your Apple account. Since the default iCloud storage is just 5GB, you can choose to upgrade your storage plan.

But if you mostly use the internal storage of your Apple device, you would surely want to turn off your iCloud automatic backup to save up on the data and constant syncing in the background. In this post, we will share the steps to stop automatic backup to iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Stop Automatic iCloud Backup on iPhone

Let us begin with the steps to stop your iPhone from backing up data to your iCloud account. You can always choose to clear your iCloud storage if it gets full. But to prevent that, it is better to stop backing up your data, especially the one that is temporarily needed.

Step 1: Open Settings on your iPhone.

Step 2: Tap on your profile name at the top.

Step 3: Tap on iCloud.

Step 4: Scroll down and select iCloud Backup.

Step 5: Turn off the toggle next to ‘Back Up This iPhone’ to disable automatic backup.

Step 6: Tap on Turn Off at the bottom to confirm.

You can also choose to disable ‘Back Up Over Mobile Data.’

Turn Off App Backup to iCloud on iPhone

You can also prevent specific app backups to iCloud on your iPhone. This applies to messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram whose backups are needed when you switch to a new device or log in again to your account.

Step 1: Open Settings on your iPhone.

Step 2: Tap on your profile name at the top.

Step 3: Tap on iCloud.

Step 4: Tap on Show All.

Step 5: Scroll down to see all the apps using iCloud for data backup. You can tap the toggle next to the app to disable its backup.

You can follow the same steps if you are an iPad user. Want to reclaim some iCloud storage? Read our guide to delete photos from iCloud but not from your iPhone.

Stop Automatic iCloud Backup on iPad

If you are an iPad user, here’s how to stop iCloud backup without deleting everything.

Step 1: Open Settings on your iPad.

Step 2: Tap on your profile name in the top-left corner.

Step 3: Scroll down and tap on iCloud on the right menu.

Step 4: Tap on iCloud Backup.

Step 5: Tap the toggle next to Back Up This iPad to disable the feature.

Stop Automatic iCloud Backup on Mac

As a Mac user, you can choose to go for an external hard drive for storing your data. But the lack of USB ports might force you to keep using iCloud for quick access. Here’s how you can prevent automatic backup to iCloud on your Mac.

Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar keyboard shortcut to open Spotlight Search, type System Settings, and press Return.

Step 2: Click on your profile name at the top-left corner.

Step 3: Click on iCloud from the right menu.

Step 4: Select iCloud Drive.

Step 5: Turn off the toggle next to iCloud Drive to stop the backup. Then click on Done.

Turn Off App Backup to iCloud on Mac

Here’s how you can disable specific app data backup to iCloud on your Mac.

Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar keyboard shortcut to open Spotlight Search, type System Settings, and press Return.

Step 2: Click on your profile name at the top-left corner.

Step 3: Click on iCloud from the right menu.

Step 4: Click on Show All.

Step 5: Click the toggle next to the app whose data backup needs to be stopped.

You can also read our post if you are facing any errors while connecting to iCloud on your Mac.

Save iCloud Storage

These steps will help you save your iCloud storage by stopping automatic backup on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. You can access iCloud if you are using a Windows PC. Along with native apps, Apple has also introduced iCloud Photos integration into the default photos app on Windows 11. You can also use iCloud Photos with Microsoft Photos on your Windows 11 computer.