iCloud iOS backup says not enough space

Question

iCloud iOS backup says not enough space

I'm trying to backup my iPhone to iCloud via wifi. Currently I'm using 28.7 MB of 5GB total, so I have plenty of space. I'm not backing up Photos or Mail, the two largest items. However, when I go into iCloud backups and hit Backup Now, it eventually tells me, after a loooooong time calculating the time remaining, that I don't have enough space.

No detail is provided, such as how much space my backups require or what is taking up how much space.

Any suggestions how I can get this backup to work? I'm loathe to throw money at Apple for a larger iCloud account when I don't believe I need one.

iPhone XS

Posted on Nov 9, 2019 11:15 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

judysings

Community Specialist

Nov 13, 2019 5:08 PM in response to pablocruz2323

Good afternoon pablocruz2323,

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities!

I understand you are seeing a prompt that there is not enough space in iCloud storage to complete a backup. To determine the space needed for a backup please review the following info:

If you can't back up to iCloud or restore from iCloud backup failed

"If an alert says that there's not enough iCloud storage

A message appears when you need more iCloud storage to back up (the available space on your iOS or iPadOS device is different than your available space in iCloud). Before proceeding, you need to know your Next Backup Size and how much iCloud storage you have available.

Here's how to find your Next Backup Size:

On iOS 11 or later and iPadOS: Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups. Tap the device you're using.
On iOS 10.3: Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Storage > Manage Storage. Tap the device you're using.

After you check to see how much iCloud Storage you have, try these steps to complete your backup: