How to Turn Off iCloud Completely or Disable iCloud Sync: Simple Guide

If you're wondering how you can disable iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Windows PC, it's easy to do. You can disable iCloud completely by signing out on your iPhone, iPad, or computer, or turn off iCloud for individual apps and services like iCloud Drive, Messages, and Photos. Keep in mind that disabling iCloud completely will also revoke your access to anything stored exclusively in iCloud until you sign back in. Read on to learn how to stop syncing photos, contacts, calendars, files, and other data to iCloud, and disable iCloud altogether, with helpful tips from Apple computer and phone specialist Gonzalo Martinez.

Quick Steps

Open your iPhone or iPad's Settings.
Tap your name.
Scroll down and tap Sign Out.
Confirm your Apple account password.
Tap Turn Off to disable Find My iPhone.
Choose data to keep and tap Sign Out.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Disable iCloud Completely on iPhone & iPad

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1
Open Settings
. To completely disable iCloud on your iPhone or iPad, you can sign out of your Apple account. This will disable all iCloud features, including iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive, iCloud Backup, iMessage, and iCloud Keychain (saved passwords).^{[1]
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- If you just want to disable certain iCloud features like iCloud Photos or iCloud Drive, see Turn Off iCloud Syncing for Apps on iPhone & iPad instead.
It's at the top of the screen.

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You'll find this option at the bottom of the page.
Type in the password that you use when logging into your Apple ID account.
It's at the bottom of the "Apple ID Password" box. Doing so disables "Find My iPhone" on the device under the current iCloud account.
To keep copies of any data stored in iCloud (e.g., contacts, calendars, etc.), tap the white "Off" switch to the right of the item(s) that you want to keep. The tapped switches will turn green.
Doing so confirms that you want to sign out and disables iCloud on your iPhone or iPad.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Turn Off iCloud Sync for Apps on iPhone & iPad

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1
Open your iPhone or iPad's Settings. If you want to disable an iCloud feature like iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive, Messages, backups, or any other app that syncs to iCloud, you can do so easily from here.
- Use this method if you want to stop syncing certain iCloud features on this device but not completely sign out of iCloud.
You'll see it at the top of Settings.
3
Tap iCloud. This gives you a quick overview of your iCloud storage, backup status, and some Apple services that are currently syncing to iCloud.
- Martinez notes that if you're concerned about how much space your data is taking up on iCloud, you can manage your storage here. Just tap Storage at the top to see a breakdown of what's taking up space, then select an app or service to find options for managing that space.^{[2]
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  Gonzalo Martinez
  Computer & Phone Repair Specialist
  
  Expert Interview}
- For example, you can tap Backups to see which devices are backed up, how much space each backup consumes, and even delete backups you no longer need.^{[3]
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  Gonzalo Martinez
  Computer & Phone Repair Specialist
  
  Expert Interview}
Now you'll see a list of all iCloud services you can sync with iCloud and whether each is turned on or off.
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Use the switches to turn iCloud on or off for each app. For example, to disable iCloud Photos, tap iCloud Photos, then tap the "Sync this iPhone" switch to turn it off. To disable iCloud Messages, tap Messages, then tap the "Use on this iPhone" switch.
- For example, if you don't want your Safari browsing history to show up on your Mac, you can stop syncing Safari to iCloud. "To disable this setting," Martinez explains, "switch the toggle setting on Safari from On to Off."^{[4]
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  Expert Source
  
  Gonzalo Martinez
  Computer & Phone Repair Specialist
  
  Expert Interview}

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Disable iCloud Completely on a Mac

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You'll find it in the Apple menu at the upper-left corner of the screen.
You'll see it in the upper-left corner of the window.^{[5]
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It's at the bottom of the right panel.
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Select data to keep and click Keep a Copy. Check the boxes next to the type of data you want to keep on your Mac, then click Keep a Copy to finish signing out of iCloud.
- If you're using macOS Ventura or earlier, you'll be asked if you want to keep your Safari passwords. If you do, click Keep on this Mac.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Turn Off iCloud Sync for Apps on a Mac

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You'll find it in the Apple menu at the upper-left corner of the screen.
You'll see it in the upper-left corner of the window.^{[6]
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Now you'll see a list of some apps and features that are currently syncing to iCloud, as well as the option to manage your iCloud storage.
4
Disable iCloud Drive. If you want to prevent this Mac from syncing files to your iCloud Drive, click Drive under "Saved to iCloud," then disable any iCloud Drive features.
- To stop syncing this Mac to iCloud completely, toggle off "Sync This Mac."
- Toggle off "Desktop & Documents Folders" to stop syncing the files you save to your Documents or your desktop to iCloud.
- Click Apps syncing to iCloud to see which Mac apps are currently syncing to iCloud, and use the switches to turn these apps on or off.
- Click Done when you're finished making changes.^{[7]
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5
Turn off iCloud for other apps and services. To see which other apps and services are using iCloud, click See all next to "Saved to iCloud." Then, select which app you want to stop syncing to iCloud, and use its corresponding switch or checkbox to turn off syncing.
- For example, to stop syncing iCloud Photos on this Mac, select Photos, then deselect Sync this Mac.
6
Disable iPhone Messages (iMessage). If you don't want to receive texts from your iPhone on your Mac, you can turn off iMessage in the Messages app. Here's how:
- Open the Messages app.
- Click the Messages menu and select Settings…
- Click the iMessage tab.
- Click Sign Out. This signs you out of iMessage so you won't see your texts on your Mac.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Disable iCloud on Windows

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To find it quickly, type icloud into the Windows search bar, then click iCloud in the search results.
It's at the upper-right corner of the window.^{[8]
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Click Sign Out. It's at the top of the window under "Apple Account." If you do not have any information synced to iCloud, this will instantly sign you out.
- If you were syncing any data, such as iCloud Photos, you will be asked if you want to delete the data from your PC. Click Delete from PC to confirm (this will not remove the data from iCloud).

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Question

How do I delete iCloud?

Community Answer

Follow the instructions that are listed in the article above.

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How do I disable iCloud automatic downloads on Windows 10?

Community Answer

You will need to uninstall all software on your computer related to Apple. That includes iCloud and iTunes.

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Warnings

When you sign out of iCloud, services like Apple Pay, iCloud Photos, and iMessage will not be available, and any cards saved to your Apple Wallet will be deleted.

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It's a good idea to back up any data to another location, such as your computer or an external drive, before disabling iCloud.

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