Remove iCloud files and photos to free up space on your PC
You can remove files, photos, and videos downloaded from iCloud for Windows to free up space on your computer.
Note: This feature isn’t supported in iCloud for Windows version 7.
On your Windows computer, open File Explorer, then click iCloud Drive or iCloud Photos in the Navigation pane.
Right-click a file that you want to remove. For iCloud Drive, you can also select a folder that contains downloaded content.
You can see the download status of a file or folder in iCloud Drive or a photo or video in iCloud Photos next to the filename in File Explorer.
In the shortcut menu, choose “Free up space.”
Once the item has been removed, you see next to the filename in File Explorer. It’s still stored in iCloud, but is no longer downloaded to your PC.
Note: If the item was pinned, it will be unpinned.
You can set up Windows to manage file storage automatically. See the Windows support article Manage drive space with Storage Sense.
You can also remove items from iCloud to free up iCloud storage space. When you remove an item from iCloud, it’s removed from all your devices. See the Apple Support article Manage your iCloud storage.