iCloud storage full? Keep your original photos on your own Mac or PC
What “iCloud storage full” actually stops
When you run out, Apple says your device won’t back up to iCloud and new photos and videos stop uploading to iCloud Photos. Nothing already in iCloud disappears, but anything new is only on the phone until you make room. Everyone gets 5 GB free, and photos and device backups share it.
Your three options
1. Clean up
Apple’s own suggestions: delete duplicates and large Messages attachments, shrink or remove old device backups, and check Recommended for You in iCloud settings. Worth doing first — but if most of the space is years of photos and 4K video you want to keep, cleaning only buys a little time.
2. Upgrade to a bigger plan
| iCloud+ plan | US, per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 50 GB | $0.99 | $11.88 |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | $35.88 |
| 2 TB | $9.99 | $119.88 |
| 6 TB | $29.99 | $359.88 |
| 12 TB | $59.99 | $719.88 |
The easiest choice, and the right one if you want every photo on every Apple device everywhere. The catch: it’s monthly, and a growing library keeps pushing you up a tier.
3. Move the originals to a device you already own
A Mac, a Windows PC with a big drive, or a spare Android phone can hold your library for no monthly fee. The old way is a cable and the Photos app — fine once, tedious every month, and hard to tell what was already copied. PixLaundry does this part over your home Wi-Fi and remembers what it sent, so next month only the new photos go.
A copy on one drive at home is not a backup by itself. Keep a second copy (an external drive, Time Machine, File History) — the classic rule is three copies, two kinds of storage, one somewhere else.
Step by step: originals to your Mac or PC
- Turn on the receiverInstall the free PixLaundry receiver on your Mac (macOS 13+), Windows 10/11 PC or spare Android phone. Pick a folder — an external drive is fine — and switch receiving on. It shows a 6-digit PIN.
- Pair the iPhoneInstall PixLaundry on the iPhone. Allow Full Access to Photos and Local Network. Tap the receiver in the list and enter the PIN. If it doesn’t appear, connect by the IP address shown on the receiver.
- Send everythingChoose Everything as the starting point and tap Send. If your iPhone uses Optimize iPhone Storage, the full originals live in iCloud — PixLaundry downloads each one in full before sending it, so you get the original, not the space-saving version. Each file is checked on both ends (SHA-256) as it lands.
- Let it runA big library takes a while. Keep the app open and the phone on the charger; if Wi-Fi drops, large videos pick up where they stopped. Run it again any time — only what’s missing is sent.
- Check the copiesOpen the folder on the computer. Look at a handful of photos and play a couple of long videos. The Mac receiver sorts by year and month.
- Then free up iCloudDelete on the iPhone what you no longer need in iCloud. With iCloud Photos on, this deletes from iCloud and all your Apple devices. Items wait in Recently Deleted for 30 days — empty it to get the space back now.
Next month: plug in, open the app, tap Send. Only new photos and videos go. With Pro, a Shortcuts automation can start it when you plug in at home.
What it costs
The receivers are free. On the iPhone, the free plan sends 50 items a day up to 100 MB each — enough to try it. For a whole library and long 4K videos, Pro is $9.99 once, not monthly. For comparison, a year of the 2 TB iCloud+ plan is $119.88.
Good to know
- Same Wi-Fi only. Transfers stay on your network and aren’t encrypted yet, so use your home Wi-Fi, not a public one.
- Keep the app open. iOS limits background work for every app; leave PixLaundry on screen during a big first transfer.
- Live Photos are sent as still photos for now.
- Edited photos are sent as they currently look.
- PixLaundry isn’t affiliated with Apple and doesn’t sell storage. If you want your library on every device, iCloud+ is the simpler answer.
FAQ
If I delete photos on my iPhone, are they deleted from iCloud?
Yes, when iCloud Photos is on. Apple says deleting on one device deletes on all devices signed in with the same Apple Account. They stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days.
My iPhone uses Optimize iPhone Storage. Can I still get the originals?
Yes. The full-resolution originals are kept in iCloud, and PixLaundry downloads each one before sending it, so the computer receives the full-quality file.
Is this a cloud service?
No. Files go directly between your devices on the same Wi-Fi — no account, no server in the middle. That also means the copy lives only where you put it, so keep a second backup of that drive.
Can I send to a spare Android phone instead of a computer?
Yes. Any Android 10+ phone works as a receiver and saves to its camera folder with the original dates. See the guide for an original Pixel.
Stop paying to store the past
The receiver is free. Try sending from your iPhone on the free plan first.
Coming soon · Join the beta · Other ways, compared
Sources
- Apple Support — If your iCloud storage is full
- Apple Support — iCloud+ plans and pricing
- Apple Support — Set up and use iCloud Photos
iPhone, iCloud and Mac are trademarks of Apple Inc. PixLaundry is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple. Prices as listed by Apple for the United States on 2026-10-28; check Apple’s page for your country.