iCloud Drive and OneDrive · Research guidance. Instructions are based on publisher guidance; a UK IPTV account was not tested on this platform.
Define which space is the problem
A device can be low on local storage while its cloud account still has room. A cloud account can also have a quota issue while a laptop has space. Those are different conditions. Before deleting a file, identify whether the intended result is removing one downloaded copy or removing the synchronised item itself.
Local availability has its own controls
Apple documents Remove Download for iCloud Drive, while Microsoft describes Files On-Demand for keeping a OneDrive item online without its local content occupying the same storage. These are not general authorisations to delete a needed original. Read the exact app and context-menu label instead of assuming any remove action has local-only scope.
Deletion can have a wider consequence
Apple says deleting an iCloud Drive file on iCloud.com also deletes it from devices with iCloud Drive enabled. Microsoft likewise distinguishes deleting a OneDrive item from reducing its local availability and notes consequences for shared items. A file visible on several devices may represent synchronised access to one item, not several independent backup copies.
Choose deliberately and verify
For a legitimate file you need retained, preserve an appropriate original or backup before making destructive changes. If you only need local space, use the publisher’s documented local-copy feature and confirm the result on a harmless item first. Do not promise permanent recovery or complete removal everywhere from the disappearance of one icon in one folder.
Questions, answered
Does a visible synchronised copy always count as an independent backup?
No. Synchronisation can propagate deletion.
Should local space cleanup automatically use Delete?
No. First inspect the documented local-copy controls.