Uploading to iCloud Paused: How to Quickly Resolve the Issue

Step-by-step tutorial for unpausing an iCloud upload on your iPhone or iPad

Wondering what "Uploading to iCloud Paused" means? This indicates that the automatic data upload to your iCloud storage has stopped for some reason. This can be due to running out of storage space, not enough iPhone or iPad battery, or an issue with the software. You're likely to see this error in the Messages app. You can get the upload going again by trying a few easy troubleshooting techniques. This wikiHow guide will show you how to fix a paused iCloud upload on your iPhone or iPad.

Things You Should Know

  • Check your remaining storage space on your iPhone or iPad by going to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
  • Try charging or restarting your device to start the upload again.
  • Make sure your iOS or iPadOS is up-to-date by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
Section 1 of 8:

Check Storage Space

  1. 1
    Open the Settings app. It's a gray gear icon on one of your home screen pages. You can easily access iCloud on your iPhone or iPad to check the remaining storage space.[1]
  2. 2
    Tap your name at the top of the Settings app. This will open a new page with account information.
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  3. 3
    Tap iCloud and check your storage space. At the top of the iCloud page, you'll see how much iCloud storage you're using. It will look like "2 GB of 5 GB Used." If you're getting close to the limit, you won't be able to upload more data to iCloud. You'll need to delete some existing data or upgrade your cloud storage plan.
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Section 2 of 8:

Check Internet Connection

  1. 1
    Check whether your Wi-Fi is working. Look in the top left corner of your iPhone or iPad screen. If there's a Wi-Fi icon with two bars radiating out of a point, you're connected to a working Wi-Fi. Otherwise, your Wi-Fi might be disconnected or down.
    • You can go to the Settings app and click Wi-Fi to see more information about your network or connect to a network.
  2. 2
    Check your internet speed. If your internet connection is slow, the iCloud upload may pause. You can use an internet speed test to check your connection:
    • Open the Safari app.
    • Go to https://www.speedtest.net/. This is a great free website for checking your internet speed.
    • Click GO and wait for the results. If your internet speed is unusually low (1 to 5 Mbps), your iCloud upload could pause.
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Section 3 of 8:

Charge Your Device

  1. Plug your iPhone or iPad in. iCloud uploads can pause if your device doesn't have enough charge! Connect your device to a power source to unpause the upload.
Section 4 of 8:

Restart Your Device

  1. Turn your iPhone or iPad off and on again. This can resolve minor software issues causing the iCloud upload to pause.[2]
    • iPhones X and later: Press and hold a volume button and the lock button. Then drag the slider to turn off your device. Hold the lock button after your iPhone fully turns off to turn it back on.
    • iPhone 8/SE and earlier: Press and hold the lock button. Then drag the slider to turn off your device. Hold the lock button after your iPhone fully turns off to turn it back on.
    • iPad without a Home button: Press and hold a volume button and the top button. Then drag the slider to turn off your device.
    • iPad with a Home button: Press and hold the top button. Then drag the slider to turn off your device.
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Section 5 of 8:

Turn iCloud Messages off and on

  1. 1
    Open the Settings app. It's a gray gear icon on one of your home screen pages. Turning iCloud Messages sync off and on again can resolve minor software issues pausing the upload. This method is great if the iCloud upload error message appears in the Messages app.
  2. 2
    Tap your name at the top of the Settings app. This will open a new page with account information.
  3. 3
    Tap iCloud.
  4. 4
    Tap Messages. This is under the "Apps Using iCloud" section of the iCloud page. You may need to tap Show All to see this option.
  5. 5
    Tap the toggle next to "Sync this iPhone." The toggle will move to the left and turn gray, indicating that the sync is off.
  6. 6
    Tap the toggle again next to "Sync this iPhone." The toggle will move to the right and turn green, indicating that the sync is on. You can check whether this has restarted the iCloud sync upload by opening the Messages app.
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Section 6 of 8:

Turn iCloud Photos off and on

  1. 1
    Open the Settings app. It's a gray gear icon on one of your home screen pages. Turning iCloud Photos sync off and on again can resolve minor software issues pausing the upload.
  2. 2
    Tap your name at the top of the Settings app. This will open a new page with account information.
  3. 3
    Tap iCloud.
  4. 4
    Tap Photos. This is under the "Apps Using iCloud" section of the iCloud page.
  5. 5
    Tap the toggle next to "Sync this iPhone" twice. This will turn off iCloud Photos for your iPhone and then turn it back on.
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Section 7 of 8:

Update iOS

  1. 1
    Open the Settings app. It's a gray gear icon on one of your home screen pages. Updating iOS, the operating system on your iPhone, can resolve minor software issues pausing the upload.
    • On iPad, the operating system is called iPadOS.
  2. 2
    Tap General.
  3. 3
    Tap Software Update.
  4. 4
    Tap Download and Install. If there's a new update to install, the version information and this button will appear on the "Software Update" page. Updating your device may take around 10 to 15 minutes.
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Section 8 of 8:

Sign out of iCloud

  1. 1
    Open the Settings app. It's a gray gear icon on one of your home screen pages. Signing out of iCloud and signing back in can resolve a paused upload.
    • This method completely removes the iCloud data on your device. Only use this if nothing else has worked.
  2. 2
    Tap your name at the top of the Settings app. This will open a new page with account information.
  3. 3
    Tap Sign Out. It's at the bottom of the profile page.
  4. 4
    Enter your password. You can reset your iCloud password if needed.
  5. 5
    Select the information you want to keep on the device. You can keep a copy of your Contacts and Keychain data.
  6. 6
    Tap Sign Out then Sign Out. This will sign you out of iCloud on your device and remove all iCloud information from your device.
  7. 7
    Sign back into iCloud. To sign in to iCloud on your iPhone or iPad:
    • Open the Settings app.
    • Tap Sign in to your iPhone at the top of the Settings app.
    • Follow the prompts to enter your Apple ID and password to sign in.
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References

  1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/check-your-icloud-storage-on-any-device-mm039c13d410/icloud
  2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201559

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time.
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Co-authors: 2
Updated: March 24, 2023
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Categories: IPhone
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