If I Delete iCloud Backup, Will I Lose Everything? For all Apple users, the company offers up to 5 GB of free usable iCloud space. But this may not be enough for a few users. In these cases, they may need to remove some old files or clear out their previously-stored iCloud data. If you are one of those, you may doubt If I delete an iCloud backup, will I lose everything.
While the doubt may be logical and needs to be cleared out before you clear it, before that, you may need to know what actually happens when you delete your backup. Read through this article to get an idea and answer all your relevant questions. Further, here we have also looked into how to save data in alternative sources too.
Quick view
What happens when you delete your backup?
Deleting a file in backup evidently removes it and creates some empty space, But to understand this better, you may need to check out some insights to understand exactly what happens when you delete your backup:
- Deleting your backup erases all the previously stored backup content on iCloud. So once deleted, you can not retain this data when you want to reset your phone from scratch later.
- Phone backup is different from data at iCloud.com. How? When you are deleting content on the phone, for sure, all the content gets deleted. But due to the synchronization that it has, the data from iCloud soon gets reflected in the device.
- If you are deleting iCloud backups, then all the data synchronized gets cleared. But the files on connected devices like phones or Mac are unaffected.
If I delete an iCloud backup, will I lose everything?
If you want to delete an iCloud backup from your device and doubt about If I delete an iCloud backup, will I lose everything? There can be two dimensions to this question. Firstly if you have one device connected to iCloud or are concerned about the data of that one device only, then the answer is: Yes, you will lose everything.
But, if you are using multiple devices connected to the same iCloud, then you will lose only that data that is related to the device you are using. Data from other devices are not affected.
Consequently, even if you think that by clearing out data, you will lose them, you may prefer to store these files and data in alternative places to secure them beforehand.
How to save data before deleting iCloud backup?
If you fear If I delete an iCloud backup, will I lose everything while clearing your iCloud backup? It is often a fair idea to backup these contents in some other place. This way, you can secure the content for later use if needed. Here are a few methods you can opt for.
METHOD 1: Use an alternative Drive
Since the data is lost when cleared from the iCloud, it can be a good idea to opt for another reliable and free drive and backup. This way, you can still access the data even after deleting your iCloud backup. Let us here check out how you can transfer iCloud files to Google Drive using a Mac or any other PC:
- Step 1: Open two windows on your PC.
- Step 2: Navigate to iCloud in one window and Google Drive in another.
- Step 3: Click the top-most file of the iCloud Drive Folder.
- Step 4: Press and hold the shift key not and click the bottom-most file in the iCloud Drive Folder.
- Step 5: Now, all the files are selected. Now, click and drag files to the google drive window.
METHOD 2: Store on a PC or an HDD
If you are not a great fan of cloud drives, you can choose an HDD or PC to store data. The process of downloading content from iCloud to a PC is not complicated. Here is how you can do it:
- Step 1: Download the iCloud app for your pc and install it.
- Step 2: Open the software and then enter your Apple credentials to log in to your account. Otherwise, you can directly visit iCloud.com and log in to it.
- Step 3: Hold the command key (MAC)/ ShiftKey (Windows) and click on multiple files to download. You may choose to download all the files.
- Step 4: Choose the location if needed, and then click on Download and sit back till all of these are copied to the desired destination.
METHOD 3: Use an alternative Apple account
If you want your drive to be free, an alternative can be that you can use another account and use it. Since there is no restriction for a person to use more than one account, opting for an alternative account may be a fair idea for you. After you create a new apple account, here is how you can synchronize your device to this new account:
- Step 1: Launch the Settings app on your phone.
- Step 2: Tap on the iCloud and then tap on Sign out. By doing this, you can exit the existing account.
- Step 3: Get back to the settings screen; you will see there is no account displayed. Now, enter an address or phone number associated with a different Apple ID and sign in to the device.
- Step 4: Enter the password to continue.
- Step 5: If you want to merge other utilities like Contacts, Calendars, and Bookmarks.
Concluding Thoughts
That’s all! Now we hope you are clear about your queries. If I delete an iCloud backup, will I lose everything? Evidently, you will lose data that is backed up from your device. Note that the data in the phone is unaffected; the same is the case with data of other devices as well. In this scenario, you can choose to have an additional source of backup to secure crucial data.
In this expedition, you may choose to look into alternatives like google drive backup, HDD backup, or look into using another apple ID effortlessly.