iCloud storage full? Start with your largest photos and videos.

1. Check whether Photos is the problem

Open System Settings on your Mac, select your name, then iCloud. Look at the storage breakdown before changing anything. If backups, Drive or Messages use most of the space, compressing a few photos may not make much difference.

You can also remove unwanted media using Apple Photos without buying an app. Save separate copies of anything you want to keep: deleting from an iCloud Photos library affects your other synced devices. Apple’s storage guide explains the built-in options.

2. Find large items you would actually compress

In Lens Pro, open the Photos library tools and let the library load. Use the size sort to bring the largest items with available sizes to the top. Filter to videos or photos if that makes the list easier to review. Some sizes may be unavailable; an unknown size is not zero.

Look for long clips or oversized exports that you would be happy to keep in a smaller form. Keep originals when their full quality matters to you. Identifying a large item alone does not free any space.

3. Start with one or two backed-up items

Before replacing a keeper, export an unmodified original from Photos and store it somewhere separate from the synced library, such as an external drive. Select a small test batch in Lens, choose the compression quality and read the confirmation carefully.

After confirmation, Lens creates a smaller replacement in Photos and deletes the selected original. This changes the library; it is more than exporting an extra file. Changes sync through iCloud Photos when enabled. Lens skips Live Photos, paired resources and animated images, and only replaces a supported item when a smaller result is produced.

4. Compare the saved result, not just an estimate

Inspect fine detail, text and gradients in a photo; play a video to check motion and detail. Compression can affect quality. To compare actual file sizes, export the replacement as an unmodified original and compare it with your retained source. A pre-compression estimate is not a measured saving.

Exact bytes: photo 2,453,268 → 773,684; video 154,853,581 → 2,046,357. We exported each replacement resource from Photos using Lens’s Open original and compared it with the retained input. The photo was AI-generated; the video is a synthetic pan made from it. These samples, especially ProRes-to-HEVC, do not predict savings from your camera files. We did not measure an iCloud quota reduction; Photos sync was paused.

5. Check iCloud after the library syncs

Let Photos finish syncing, then inspect iCloud storage again. File-size reduction and account-storage reduction are different measurements. If your usage has not changed, check sync status before assuming the space was reclaimed.

Apple says items in Recently Deleted do not count towards iCloud storage. You do not need to empty that album for this reason. Recovery is not guaranteed: Apple says items deleted while over your storage limit can be removed immediately. Keep your independent originals. Read Apple’s deletion and recovery guidance.

Will this lower my iCloud bill?

Only if the space you recover lets you avoid an upgrade, or your total usage fits a smaller plan and you choose to downgrade. Lens does not change your subscription. Include the cost of Lens when deciding whether you would save money.

Do not downgrade below your total storage needs. Apple says syncing and backups can stop when usage exceeds the new plan. Check Apple’s downgrade guidance.

Need to show someone how?

You can also record a walkthrough, trim the extra bits and send a smaller video. Or record one window while you keep working in another app. You can now also record part of a window with the 1.2.1 region selector. Keep the source window open and playing, and your Mac awake.