How do I clear 20,000+ messages stored in Messages in iCloud

I do want to keep using Messages in iCloud — but when I turn it back on, it immediately restores 20,000+ messages from years ago, even though my phone is set to keep messages for only 30 days and it’s the only device signed into my Apple ID. I’ve already done “Disable & Delete,” cleared Recently Deleted, and iCloud Storage shows almost no Messages data, yet it still restores an old archive — so something server-side is clearly being retained. Is the best approach to leave Messages in iCloud OFF for 30+ days so the deletion fully completes on Apple’s servers, and then turn syncing back on? Or is it better to contact Apple Support and request a manual purge of the server archive? Just trying to prevent years-old conversations from continuously reappearing when syncing is enabled. 🙏

Hi, I'm having an issue with Messages in iCloud restoring years of old messages, even though I have deleted everything and only have one device logged in.

I wanted to completely clear my iMessage history from iCloud. Here’s what I did:

I went to https://account.apple.com

→ Devices and removed / signed out of every device.

I now only have one device on my Apple ID (my iPhone).

On the iPhone, I went to Settings → iCloud → Messages → Turn Off & Delete from iCloud.

I also deleted all conversations in Messages and emptied Recently Deleted.

In Settings → iCloud → Manage Storage → Messages, it now shows 0 messages and only about ~32MB total.

So, at this point it appears everything is deleted.

But the issue:

As soon as I turn Messages in iCloud back on (Use on this iPhone → ON), it starts syncing and 20,000+ messages return, including messages that are years old.

This is also happening even though my phone is set to:

Settings → Messages → Keep Messages → 30 Days.

So it seems Messages in iCloud is restoring an old server copy, ignoring my device retention setting.

Screenshots show:

Only 1 device on my Apple ID

iCloud says no messages stored

Recently Deleted is empty

Turning Messages in iCloud back on immediately restores 20,000+ messages

My Question

How do I fully and permanently purge Messages in iCloud so that when I turn Messages sync back on, it does not restore years of old messages?

Do I need to keep Messages in iCloud off for the full 30-day deletion window, or is there a server-side copy that needs to be cleared by Apple Support?

I want to avoid old conversations resurfacing, especially ones that are no longer relevant and should remain deleted.

Any guidance on how to reset or force-clear Messages in iCloud would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Here is exactly what I did:

I went to https://account.apple.com

→ Devices and removed / signed out of every device.

Right now I have only one device logged into my Apple ID (my current iPhone).

On my iPhone, I went to

Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Messages → Turn Off & Delete from iCloud.

I deleted all message threads on my phone.

I opened Messages → Recently Deleted and emptied it completely.

In Settings → iCloud → Manage Storage → Messages, it shows almost no data, around ~23–32MB total (not 20,000 messages worth).

So at this point it appears the messages are deleted.

The Problem:

As soon as I re-enable Messages in iCloud (Settings → iCloud → Messages → Use on this iPhone → ON), it immediately begins syncing and shows:

In iCloud: 20,426 messages

And I see old messages from years ago, even though:

I only have one device on the Apple ID

I deleted all messages locally

Recently Deleted is empty

iCloud storage says no messages are stored

My setting is Keep Messages → 30 Days, but it’s restoring messages far older than that

It seems like iCloud is restoring an old server archive from somewhere, even though there should be nothing left to sync.

Screenshots (summary of what I’m seeing):

iCloud Devices list → just my iPhone

Manage Storage → Messages shows minimal usage

Messages in iCloud → as soon as I turn it on → 20,426 messages syncing

My Question

How do I truly and permanently delete the iCloud Messages history so that it does not come back when I re-enable Messages in iCloud?

Do I need to:

Leave Messages in iCloud turned OFF for 30 days for the deletion to actually finalize?

or

Is there a server-side cache that Apple Support has to clear manually?

I would like to avoid old messages resurfacing again, especially ones that should no longer exist.

Thank you in advance — any clarification on how iCloud’s deletion timing works or how to force a permanent reset would be greatly appreciated.