How to Cancel iCloud+ Storage (2026 Guide) — Downgrade Without Losing Your Photos

Updated 2026-02-15 · 5 min read

iCloud+ costs $0.99-12.99/month for extra storage beyond Apple's measly free 5GB. The most popular plan is 200GB at $2.99/month ($35.88/year). It's one of the cheapest subscriptions people have — which is exactly why it flies under the radar. But if you're paying for storage you're not fully using, or if Google Photos offers more for less, here's how to downgrade.

Step 1: Check Your Usage

1. Go to Settings → your name → iCloud
2. See the colored bar showing your storage usage
3. Tap Manage Account Storage for a detailed breakdown
4. Note: Photos is almost always the biggest category

Step 2: Download Your Photos First

Before downgrading, get your photos off iCloud:

• Option A: Google Photos — Install Google Photos, enable backup. Free for 15GB (with your Google account), $1.99/mo for 100GB. Photos upload automatically
• Option B: Download to Mac — Open Photos app → Preferences → iCloud → Download Originals. Wait for all photos to download
• Option C: Download to PC — Go to icloud.com/photos, select all, download
• Option D: External drive — Connect a USB drive to your Mac, drag photos from the Photos library

Step 3: Downgrade or Cancel iCloud+

On iPhone/iPad

1. Go to Settings → tap your name → iCloud
2. Tap Manage Account Storage
3. Tap Change Storage Plan
4. Select Downgrade Options
5. Choose the free 5GB plan (or a smaller paid plan)
6. Enter your Apple ID password to confirm

On Mac

1. Apple menu → System Settings → your name → iCloud
2. Click Manage
3. Click Change Storage Plan
4. Click Downgrade Options
5. Select the free plan

iCloud+ Plans (2026)

iCloud+ vs Google One vs Dropbox

Google gives 3x more free storage (15GB vs 5GB). If you're on the 50GB iCloud plan just for photos, Google Photos with 15GB free might be enough — especially with Google's AI-powered storage saver compression.

The Apple One Bundle Check

If you subscribe to Apple One ($19.95-34.95/mo), iCloud+ storage is already included (50GB-2TB depending on plan). Canceling iCloud+ separately doesn't save you money if it's bundled in Apple One. Check Settings → your name → Subscriptions to see if you have Apple One.