How to Free Up Storage on Your iPad

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Clear out photos, files, and apps from your iPad to create more space
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Running out of space on your iPad? As you use your iPad, files and apps will eventually accumulate, leaving you with less free space for new content. Taking a few minutes to clear out the cruft can give you plenty of space for new apps and media, as well as improve your iPad's performance. This wikiHow teaches you how to view and manage the storage on your iPad, with tips from Apple repair specialist Josef Storzi.

Managing iPad Storage: What You Need to Know

  • To review your iPad’s storage and see what’s taking up the most space, go to Settings > General > iPad Storage .
  • In the iPad Storage menu, you can delete or offload apps and view recommendations for freeing up space.
  • Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud to review and manage your iCloud storage.
  • Free up extra space by deleting unwanted photos, music, and text conversations.
Method 1
Method 1 of 6:

Managing iPad Storage

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  1. It's the gear icon on your Home Screen or in your App Library. [1]
  2. It's in the left panel.
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  3. It's near the top of the menu.
  4. This is where you'll see an image that represents the data using storage space on your iPad.
    • At the top you'll see the amount used on your iPad, as well as the total amount of space.
    • The colored bars represent system files, media, apps, and other data.
    • In earlier versions of iPadOS, you might see a big chunk of data labeled “Other.” This is now called “System Data.”
  5. You may see a "Recommendations" section below the general storage information that gives you ideas for freeing up space, such as turning on iCloud Photos or offloading unused apps. The amount of space you'll save using these recommendations appears in the description below each recommendation.
    • If there are multiple recommendations, you may need to tap SHOW ALL to see all of them.
    • Tap on a recommended solution to see more information. Depending on what’s being recommended, you may need to toggle on a space-saving feature or review and delete files from a list.
  6. Below the recommendations (if you have any), you'll see a list of apps on your iPad. The apps are listed in order, starting with the app that takes up the most space to the one taking up the least space.
  7. The first section, App Size, tells you the amount of space consumed by the app itself. The Documents & Data section tells you how much space is consumed by data and documents used by the app.
    • For example, if you're using the Apple Podcasts app, you will see the size of the Podcasts app itself, as well as the amount of space consumed by downloaded podcasts.
  8. Depending on the app you're looking at, you may see a list of files or options for viewing, backing up, or deleting data from the app. This is common for apps made by Apple, such as Podcasts and Photos.
    • For some apps, such as the Podcasts app, you can tap Edit above the list of saved files (e.g., podcast episodes) to delete ones you don't need. Just tap the red-and-white minus sign to delete each file.
    • Some apps, like Messages, will give you an even more detailed breakdown of what’s taking up the most space. For example, in the DOCUMENTS section for the Messages app, you’ll see a list that includes “Top Conversations,” “Photos,” “Videos,” “GIFs and Stickers,” and “Other.”
  9. If you want to delete an app that's using a lot of storage space, tap Delete App . But you also have an alternative—selecting Offload App will temporarily delete the app while keeping the app's data on your iPad.
    • In most cases, the apps aren't what's taking up space—it's usually the data saved by the app. That means offloading apps will usually not free up as much data as deleting the app, which also deletes its data.
  10. According to Storzi, if you see a huge block of space in storage taken up by “Other” or “System Data,” that might mean that your iPad isn’t clearing out temporary cached files the way it’s supposed to. You can try restarting or updating your iPad, but if neither of those things help, you may need to reset and restore it.
    • Back up your iPad before you start. You can do this with iCloud if you have enough storage in your iCloud account, or back it up to your computer using Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows). [2]
    • To reset your iPad, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad , then tap Erase All Content and Settings . Follow the prompts to finish resetting your iPad.
    • You’ll be given the opportunity to restore from a backup during the setup process after the reset is complete.
    EXPERT TIP

    Josef Storzi

    Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist
    Josef Storzi is an Apple and Mobile Phone Repair Specialist and the Owner of Imobile LA, a mobile phone repair company based in Los Angeles, California. Josef specializes in repairing screens, charging ports, batteries, water damage, speakers, and microphones on all mobile phone brands including Apple, Samsung, LG, Nokia, and Sony. He also specializes in tablet, laptop, and computer repairs as well as the pros and cons of recent mobile software updates.
    Josef Storzi
    Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist

    Restoring your iPad from a backup won't bring back old problems. Contrary to popular belief, Finder/iTunes and iCloud backups do not restore all software issues to the device. Many of the critical operating system files are reset while your data is maintained.

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Method 2
Method 2 of 6:

Managing iCloud Storage

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  1. It's the gear icon on your Home Screen or in your App Library. Your iCloud storage is different from the storage used on your actual iPad. If you back up your files to iCloud, including your photo library, your iCloud storage can fill up.
  2. It's at the top of the screen on the left. [3]
  3. This displays information about your iCloud storage.
  4. You’ll see a simplified graphic showing how much of your storage is being used and how much is still available.
    • Tap the storage bar to see a more detailed image that represents the type of data taking up space in iCloud.
    • The colored bars represent types of data, such as Messages (including images and videos you send and receive through iMessage), photos, backups, and files saved to iCloud Drive.
  5. In the main iCloud menu, scroll down and tap See All next to Saved to iCloud . If you see a green toggle switchnext to an app or service (or the word “On”), it is actively syncing data to your iCloud account. If the switch is gray/Off, its data is only stored on your iPad.
    • Some apps, like Photos, Messages, and iCloud Drive, offer additional storage management and syncing options if you tap on them.
  6. Tapping the storage bar at the top of the main iCloud menu will take you to the Manage Storage screen. If you want to upgrade or change your plan, tap Change Storage Plan to view your options.
  7. This page gives you a more detailed breakdown of the data saved to your iCloud account by app/service. The apps and services are listed in order, beginning with the app or service consuming the most amount of iCloud space.
    • You can also look at the graph at the top of the screen to see how much total storage space you have and how much of it is currently in use.
  8. When you tap the name of an app, such as iCloud Drive , you'll usually see the option to delete its documents and data, and/or the option to disable it. The options you'll see vary by app.
  9. If you see an option like this, you can tap to delete its files from iCloud. Only do this if you have access to the files elsewhere.
    • If you select iCloud Drive , you can browse for and delete specific folders rather than all data on the drive.
    • If you select Messages , you can disable and delete messages in iCloud—however, your iPad will no longer save messages to iCloud—just your iPad. If that bothers you, tap Top Conversations to see which conversations are taking up the most space, and delete that conversation or its media.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 6:

Managing Your iCloud Photo Library

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  1. It's the gear icon on your home screen or in your app library.
    • iCloud Photos automatically uploads and stores all of your photos and videos on your iCloud Drive, making them instantly available on any of your iCloud devices. What this means is that every device that has iCloud Photos turned on will download and store a copy of each photo onto its local storage. That means that if you have iCloud Photos enabled on your Mac and your iPad, photos from your Mac will also be synced to your iPad, and vice-versa.
    • According to Storzi, turning off iCloud Photos is a good way to free up space on your iPad that’s being taken up by synced photos and videos. Before you turn it off, however, make sure you have the photos and videos you want backed up somewhere else if you don’t have room for them on your iPad. [4]
  2. It's at the top of the Settings menu.
  3. It's in the second group of settings.
  4. It’s one of the first options under the Saved to iCloud header.
    • If you are not currently backing up photos to iCloud, you'll see the word "Off" next to Photos.
  5. Tap the toggle switch next to Sync this iPad to disable or enable iCloud Photos.
    • If you turn iCloud Photos off, your photos and videos will not be backed up. However, if you're running short on iCloud space, you can always turn this off to prevent your iCloud photos from syncing to your iPad.
    • Turning iCloud Photos on will download any photos in your iCloud account (including those synced from your Mac or iPhone) to your iPad, as well as sync new photos and videos to iCloud.
  6. You'll see this option if iCloud Photos is enabled. This will make the iPad download optimized versions of the photos in iCloud to reduce the amount of local storage needed. The full-sized photos and videos will be offloaded to the cloud, so you can still access them at any time. [5]
    • Optimized versions of your photos and videos take up about half as much space as full-quality versions.
  7. You’ll see this option near the top of the iCloud Photos menu. Tap it to see a detailed breakdown of how many photos and videos you have in storage, and how much of your total iCloud storage space they are taking up. From here you can also:
    • Tap Review Your Photos & Videos to see some quick options for clearing out space. For example, in this menu you can merge duplicate photos or weed out unwanted screenshots and videos.
    • Select Turn Off and Delete Photos to turn off iCloud Photos across all devices. Note that this will permanently delete all your photos from iCloud if you don’t download them within 30 days!
      • You can select Undo Delete from the same menu if you change your mind before 30 days are up.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 6:

Deleting Photos and Videos

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  1. If you want to delete photos and videos from your iPad, you can do so in the Photos app.
    • If you're using iCloud Photos, deleting photos and videos from your iPad will also delete them from iCloud.
  2. It’s at the top of the menu bar on the left side of the screen.
    • If you don’t see the sidebar, swipe in from the left side of your screen or tap the icon at the top left corner that looks like a window with a sidebar.
  3. It's at the top-right corner. You will now see "Select Items" on the bottom.
  4. When you select a photo for deletion, a blue-and-white checkmark will appear at its bottom-right corner.
  5. It's at the bottom-right corner.
  6. This moves the photos (and videos, if you selected any) to the Recently Deleted folder, where they will remain for 30 days. Since your photos and videos are still in that folder, you haven't freed up space on your iPad yet.
  7. It's under "Utilities."
    • You may be prompted to use Touch ID or enter your passcode to unlock this album.
  8. It's at the top-right corner.
  9. It's at the bottom-right. A confirmation will appear.
    • If you don’t see this option immediately, you might need to tap ••• at the bottom right corner of the screen to see it.
  10. Once the selected items are deleted, you'll have recovered space on your iPad.
    • If you have iCloud Photos enabled, you’ll see Delete From All Devices instead.
  11. If you have duplicate images saved to your iPad, you can save a lot of space by merging them. Scroll down in the sidebar to Utilities and tap Duplicates . Then, tap Merge > Merge [number] Items . [6]
    • If you don’t see this option, this either means that you don’t have any duplicates or you are using an outdated version of iPadOS that doesn’t have this feature.
    • When you merge photos and videos, you may be given the option to only merge exact duplicates or to merge all duplicates and delete the smaller/lower-quality versions of each item.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 6:

Deleting Music, Movies, and Shows

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  1. It's the gray gear icon on your home screen or in your app library.
  2. It's toward the top of the menu.
  3. It’s one of the first options in the General menu.
  4. If you don’t see it, you might need to tap See All at the bottom of the list of apps. You can also find it quickly by tapping the search icon at the top-right and typing "Music."
  5. It's right above your list of downloaded music.
    • You can select an individual song, album, artist, or playlist to delete.
    • You’ll only see this option if you’ve actually downloaded music to your iPad.
  6. A confirmation will appear.
  7. This removes the selected music from your iPad.
  8. Do this if you want to delete movies and shows you've downloaded from Apple TV downloads. [7]
  9. This option only appears if you have downloaded content.
  10. A Delete button Will appear.
  11. This removes the video from your iPad and frees up space.
    • You can repeat these steps for Apple Podcasts and Apple Books as well.
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Method 6
Method 6 of 6:

Clearing Out Old Text Messages

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  1. If you use your iPad to send messages through iMessage, saved messages could be taking up a large amount of space. This is especially true if you send and receive a lot of images and video through the Messages app.
  2. If you don't want to delete an entire conversation, you can delete the photos and videos you've shared with the other person. It's pretty easy to do:
    • Tap the conversation containing the attachments (such as images and videos) you want to delete.
    • Tap the person's name at the top of the conversation.
    • Tap Sell All next to "Photos."
    • Tap Select and tap each photo or video you want to delete.
    • Tap Delete at the bottom to remove the selected attachments.
  3. It's at the top left corner of the screen. This makes it so you can delete multiple text messages at once.
  4. Now you'll be able to select multiple conversations.
  5. When you mark a conversation for deletion, a blue-and-white checkmark will appear on it.
    • When you delete a conversation, all of the messages and images in it will be erased. Be sure to copy down any important information and save pictures you want to keep to your Camera Roll.
  6. All of the selected conversations will be deleted.
    • Tap Done in the top left corner when you’re finished.
    • These messages will be stored for up to 40 days before they’re permanently deleted. To clear out that space right away, go back to the Edit menu and tap Show Recently Deleted . From there, you can select the deleted messages and either recover them or delete them permanently.
  7. If you don’t want to go through your individual conversations, you can also quickly and easily manage your Messages-related storage in the Settings app. Go to Settings > General > iPad Storage and tap Messages . From there, you can:
    • View recommendations for saving space under the RECOMMENDATIONS header. For example, you might see an option there to review and delete large attachments.
    • Review and delete data in each category under the DOCUMENTS header. Here, you can tap on categories like “Top Conversations,” “Photos,” and “GIFs and Stickers” and delete anything you no longer want.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    How do I clear out the "Other" section on my iPad?
    Josef Storzi
    Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist
    Josef Storzi is an Apple and Mobile Phone Repair Specialist and the Owner of Imobile LA, a mobile phone repair company based in Los Angeles, California. Josef specializes in repairing screens, charging ports, batteries, water damage, speakers, and microphones on all mobile phone brands including Apple, Samsung, LG, Nokia, and Sony. He also specializes in tablet, laptop, and computer repairs as well as the pros and cons of recent mobile software updates.
    Josef Storzi
    Apple & Mobile Phone Repair Specialist
    Expert Answer
    If you notice your storage is being taken up by a large section called "Other," this is an issue where appdata, cookies, and cache are taking too much storage and old files are not being cleaned by the operating system properly. In order to fix this, back up your device to either iCloud or iTunes. Then, reset your device completely and restore the backup you just mae.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 2
  • Question
    I have newspaper apps that take up a lot of memory. How can I reduce this without deleting the app?
    Community Answer
    You can delete the cache memory or else delete the data memory that is consumed by your app and start the app again. This won't delete the app but will open up some memory.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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  • Question
    I removed all pictures, videos and unwanted apps. It still says storage full, but I know it isn't. How do I reset storage?
    Community Answer
    Unfortunately, the only way to do that is completely reset your device. Make sure you back it up to keep the things you definitely want.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      References

      1. ↑ . https://support.apple.com/en-us/108429
      2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/back-up-ipad-ipad9a74df05xx/ipados
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/check-your-storage-usage-mm6e5a441fc7/icloud
      4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102179
      5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205703
      6. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/merge-duplicate-photos-ipadce1f3938/ipados
      7. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204343

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      1. Open Settings .
      2. Tap General .
      3. Tap iPad Storage .

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