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Clear out your iPhone’s storage so you have room for the things you really want.
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Is your iPhone giving you an "out of space" warning? Luckily, you can free up some space on your iPhone in a matter of minutes by getting rid of apps, data, and media that you don't use. This wikiHow article teaches you numerous ways to free up space on your iPhone.
Quick Steps
- Check what's taking up the most space in Settings > General > iPhone Storage .
- Follow any recommendations in the iPhone Storage menu to quickly clear space.
- Delete or offload apps you aren't using.
- Use iCloud or an alternative to store photos, videos, and other files online.
- Delete media, files, and text or voice messages you don't need.
Steps
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Open Settings. If you’re not sure what’s taking up the most space on your iPhone, you can get a sense of that by looking at the storage breakdown in your Settings app. To get started, tap the Settings icon on your Home Screen or in your App Library.
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Tap General . You’ll find this in the third group of options in the Settings menu.Advertisement
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Tap iPhone Storage . This menu will show you a breakdown of how storage is being used up on your phone. You’ll see a graphic rendering of your storage space with the different types of storage, such as Applications, Photos, Messages, and so on, color-coded by category. This can give you an idea of what you might need to offload or delete.
- Applications, photos, and videos tend to be some of the biggest space-eaters.
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Review any options in the Recommendations list. Under the breakdown of your iPhone’s storage usage, you might see a Recommendations header. Tap on any recommendations in the list for more details about how you can save space. [1] X Research source
- For example, you might see a recommendation to review downloaded videos and audio files. Tap the recommendation to see a list of files, then tap Edit at the top right corner of the list to select unwanted files and delete them.
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Check the app list and delete any you don’t want. Another handy feature of the storage menu is that it lists all your apps in order from biggest to smallest. Scroll through the list to find any that you no longer want. When you tap on an app, you’ll see an option to either delete the app and all associated data completely, or offload the app but save the data in case you want to reinstall it later.
- If you offload an app, you’ll still see the icon on your Home Screen with a cloud icon underneath it. Tap the app icon to reinstall it on your phone.
- To re-download deleted apps, you’ll need to find them in the App Store.
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Tap your name at the top of the Settings menu. You can save a ton of space on your device by utilizing iCloud storage. To set it up, start by going into the Settings app on your phone and tapping your Apple ID at the top of the menu.
- While you get 5GB of iCloud storage for free, you can also sign up for a monthly plan that includes a larger amount of storage. Depending on your needs, you can get anywhere from 50GB to 12TB for a monthly fee. [2] X Research source
- If you need to purchase more storage space, go to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Manage Your Plan . Select the storage plan that works best for you and follow the prompts to complete your upgrade.
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Tap iCloud . It’s near the top of the Apple ID menu.
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Select iCloud Drive > Sync this iPhone . In the iCloud Drive menu, toggle on Sync this iPhone . This setting will allow you to sync your iPhone with iCloud Drive so that you can share your files across multiple devices using the same Apple ID.
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Review apps using iCloud. Go back to the iCloud menu and look under the header called Apps Using iCloud . Here you can manage which apps sync with your iCloud account in order to free up space on your phone. Make sure you have apps like Photos and Messages , which tend to use up a lot of space, toggled on.
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Manage space in your iCloud storage. If your iCloud account is getting full, there are a few options for freeing up space: [3] X Research source
- In iOS 17 or later, look for a Recommended for You section in the iCloud menu. Tap it to view recommendations for freeing up space, such as deleting old backups from your iCloud storage.
- Tap Manage Account Storage at the top of the menu. At the very top of the iCloud menu, you’ll see a breakdown of your iCloud storage. When you tap the Manage Account Storage option underneath that, you’ll see options to change your storage plan or to review and edit data from individual apps that are syncing to the cloud.
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Consider iCloud alternatives. If you don’t want to use iCloud, there are plenty of alternatives. Some popular alternative options include Google Drive , DropBox , and Microsoft OneDrive .
- Many cloud storage services provide free and paid options, depending on the space you need.
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Open Settings. This app icon features some gears on a light grey background.
- Optimizing your photo settings will enable your photos to save in full quality on iCloud as well as a lower-resolution version on your phone. You can download the full-quality photos from iCloud as often as you'd like.
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Tap Photos . Scroll down through the Settings menu until you find the Photos app.
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Toggle on iCloud Photos . This setting will upload your photos and videos in iCloud so you can access them from any device that’s logged into the same Apple ID.
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Tap Optimize iPhone Storage . It's under the "iCloud" header. A blue checkmark will indicate if this feature is active. [4] X Research source
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Manage your photo storage from the iCloud settings menu. You can also adjust your iCloud photo storage settings by going to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Photos . [5] X Research source
- Make sure Sync this iPhone is toggled on. If you’re using iOS 15 or earlier, turn on iCloud Photos instead.
- To store full-resolution photos in iCloud, make sure Optimize iPhone Storage is checked. You can always download the higher-resolution images from iCloud if you need them.
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Find an app you don't use. This is an obvious method, but an often-overlooked one. Apps and their data can eat up gigabytes of space on your iPhone. So, if there are apps on your iPhone that you don’t use anymore, clearing them out can be a great way to free up space.
- If you'd like to see a list of your apps and when you last used them, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage . This menu will also display the apps in order of how much space they take up.
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Tap and hold your app's icon. To delete an app, locate it on your Home Screen or App Library. Tap and hold it until a menu pops open.
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Select Remove App . You’ll see this text in red at the bottom of the pop-up menu.
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Tap "Delete App", then "Delete" to confirm your choice. Once you tap Delete App , you’ll see a warning that deleting the app will also delete associated data. Tap Delete to confirm. [6] X Research source
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Repeat this process for every unwanted app on your iPhone. If you haven't used an app in over a month, consider deleting it.
- If there are apps that you don't use often but don't want to uninstall completely, you can offload them instead.
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Open Settings. This app icon features a few gears on a light grey background.
- You'll want to offload apps that you don't use frequently, but don't want to uninstall. These apps are temporarily removed from your iPhone, but you still have the associated documents and data.
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Tap General . This option is next to a gear icon and is in the third grouping of menu options.
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Tap iPhone Storage . It's in the fourth grouping of menu options.
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Tap the app you want to offload. You'll see more information about that app, such as the app size and how much space the documents and data are taking up.
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Tap Offload App . You’ll be prompted to tap Offload App again to confirm. The app will be uninstalled, but you will keep the documents and app data, so if you reinstall the app, you can start right where you left off.
- You can reinstall offloaded apps from the Settings > General > iPhone Storage menu or by tapping the app’s icon on your Home Screen.
- You can also tell the App Store to offload apps automatically. To do this, go to Settings > App Store and tap the switch next to "Offload Unused Apps" to turn it on.
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Tap the "Photos" app to open it. This is where all visual media from your camera roll, downloaded photos, and social media duplicates are stored; you'll be deleting unneeded photos and videos from here. [7] X Research source
- Just be aware that if your photos are synced with iCloud, deleting photos from your iPhone will also delete them from iCloud and all your other devices . If you’re storing your photos and videos in iCloud, delete only photos you don’t want anymore.
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Select the photos you'd like to delete . You can do this from your Camera Roll, which is a collection of all of your photos, videos, and the like. To select your photos: [8] X Research source
- Tap Library
at the bottom left corner of the screen. Select the All Photos
tab.
- You can also select Albums at the bottom of the screen, then open a specific album you’d like to edit.
- Tap "Select" in the top right corner of your screen.
- Tap each picture/video that you want to delete.
- You'll notice that social media apps such as Instagram and Snapchat tend to save duplicates of existing photos on your phone. Deleting these will clear up a fair amount of space without deleting the originals from your photo library.
- Tap Library
at the bottom left corner of the screen. Select the All Photos
tab.
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Tap the Trashcan icon in the lower-right corner. This will prompt a pop-up confirmation of your wish to delete your photos. [9] X Research source
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Tap "Delete [X number of] Photos". This will move your deleted photos to your "Recently Deleted" folder.
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Clear your "Recently Deleted" folder. When you delete photos, they move to the Recently Deleted folder in the "Albums" menu. To clear your Recently Deleted photos: [10] X Research source
- Tap "Albums" at the bottom of your screen.
- Tap the "Recently Deleted" folder. Depending on your iPhone’s privacy settings, you may need to unlock this folder with Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode.
- Tap "Select" in the top right corner.
- Tap "Delete All" in the lower left corner.
- Tap "Delete [X number of] Items".
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Delete duplicate photos and videos. If you have iOS 16 or later, it’s very simple to delete duplicate images from your iPhone. This is a great way to free up space without losing any pictures or videos you actually want. To delete your duplicates: [11] X Research source
- In the Photos app, tap Albums at the bottom of the screen.
- Select the Duplicates album. It will be at the bottom of the menu, under the Utilities header.
- Tap Merge next to any groups of duplicates you want to merge. This will keep the best version of the photo and delete the rest.
- You can also merge all the duplicates at once by tapping Select in the top right corner, tapping Select All , then tapping Merge [number of photos] at the bottom of the screen.
- The deleted copies will go to the Recently Deleted album, where they will be permanently deleted after 30 days. Go to the album and go to Select > … > Delete All to delete them right away.
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Delete any downloaded songs that you don't want. While individual songs don't take up a ton of room, deleting an unwanted album will definitely make a dent in your iPhone's used memory. To delete songs: [12] X Research source
- Open the Apple Music app.
- Find a song or album you would like to delete.
- Tap and hold the song's or album’s name.
- Tap the Remove Download or Delete from Library button.
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Continue deleting songs. Doing so will delete your selected songs from your downloads; if these are purchased songs, you'll be able to re-download them from the iTunes store or Apple Music as long as you have your Apple ID.
- Remember to repeat this process for downloaded Podcasts if you have any. If you're done listening to an episode, remember to delete it!
- If you don't use the iOS default app, Apple Music, you can also remove downloaded songs using other music services like Spotify and YouTube Music.
- Alternatively, you can delete your music from Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Music and swipe left on any downloaded media to delete it. [13] X Research source
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Tap your "Messages" app to open your message archive. A less-obvious silent occupant of your iPhone's precious space, your iMessage app can hold several gigabytes of conversational material. Attachments in your messages, like photos and videos, are some of the biggest space eaters. Once you delete the bulk of those old messages, you'll see a significant rise in your iPhone's available memory.
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Delete your iMessages. If there are any photos, videos, or other attachments you want to keep, download them before deleting your messages. To delete iMessage conversations: [14] X Research source
- Tap the Edit option in the top left corner of your screen. If you don’t see Edit , tap ••• instead.
- Tap Select Messages .
- Tap each conversation you wish to delete.
- Tap "Delete" in the bottom right corner of your screen.
- You can also swipe left on any conversation in your main Messages menu, then tap the trashcan icon to delete it.
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Clear call logs in the "Phone" app. Voicemails and call logs can also take up space on your phone. To clear these out, open the Phone app, which looks like a white phone receiver on a green background.
- To clear the calls log or single items from it:
- Open your calls log. Your calls log can be found under the Recents tab.
- Ensure you have attended to all the calls you'll need to attend to from the calls log, as once these items are deleted, they can't be restored.
- Swipe left on any call record you want to remove and tap the trashcan icon to delete it.
- You can also clear all your call logs in one shot by tapping Edit > Select and then tapping Clear at the top right corner of the screen. Tap Clear All Recents to confirm.
- To clear the calls log or single items from it:
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Delete your voicemails. Barring sentimentality, there's no real reason to hold onto old voicemails since you can simply save them as voice memos . To delete voicemails you no longer need:
- Tap the "Voicemail" tab in the bottom right corner of your screen.
- Tap the "Edit" option in the top right corner.
- Tap each voicemail you wish to delete.
- Tap "Delete" in the bottom right corner.
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Tap your Settings app. Your Safari cache and data can eat up hard drive space quickly; if you're a frequent browser, clearing this information will give your system a leg-up. You can do this from your iPhone’s Settings app. [15] X Research source
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Tap the "Clear History and Website Data" option. This is also toward the bottom of the Safari page. [17] X Research source
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Select the timeframe you want to clear. You can select Last Hour , Today , Today and yesterday , or All history . If you like, you can also choose to close all your active tabs. When you’ve made your selection, tap the red Clear History button at the bottom of the screen.
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Open Notification Center. Unlock your phone, then swipe down from the top center of your screen. This will open your Notification Center.
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Press X , then Clear to delete all notifications. You’ll see an X button at the top right side of the notification list. Tap this once, and it will turn into a Clear button. Tap it again to clear all your notifications at once.
- Before doing this, go through all your notifications to make sure there aren’t any important ones you might have missed. Your notifications will be organized by app.
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Swipe left on individual notifications to clear them. To delete individual notifications or groups of notifications, swipe left on the notification or group. Swipe all the way to the left to delete them, or swipe slightly left, then tap Clear . Either one will work.
- Tapping a notification to open it will also delete it.
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Change your notification settings to receive fewer alerts. If you don’t want your iPhone cluttered with notifications from certain apps, you can adjust your notification settings. [18] X Research source
- Open your Settings app and select "Notifications".
- Find the app that is no longer interesting to you and tap the name of it.
- Toggle off Allow Notifications to stop seeing notifications completely.
- You can also uncheck the options to show notifications on your Lock Screen, in your Notification Center, or as banners when you’re using other apps. Or, toggle off certain types of notifications, like sounds and badges.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do I transfer photos from my iPhone to my USB?Community AnswerPlug your phone into your computer, then plug your drive into your computer. A notification should appear that says Apple iPhone. Click on that notification then import the photos. After that, copy the photos to the USB.
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QuestionWhat is Shared Photo Stream and how do I clear it/manage it?Community AnswerGo into iCloud Settings and uncheck photo stream, it also could be under the photos tab in Settings.
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QuestionI have deleted all pics and videos from my iPhone 4s, but it's still showing not enough storage, what should I do?Community AnswerCheck Settings > General > Storage & iCloud Usage > Manage Storage to see what's using up the most storage and delete items from there. Deleting photos and videos from Messages is also helpful.
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Tips
- Your apps will still be available via the App Store if you delete them. All apps are stored in the cloud until you choose to remove them.Thanks
- Some built-in iPhone apps can’t be deleted.Thanks
- Having lots of apps open can take up space by creating temporary system files that keep the apps running properly. They’ll also drain your battery faster. Make sure you occasionally go through your open apps and close any you aren’t using.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/108429#recommendations
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/108047
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/108922
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/105061
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/105061
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/101550
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/104967
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/104967
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/104967
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/104967
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/104967
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102344
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102344
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/delete-messages-and-attachments-iph2c9c4bfcb/ios
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/105082
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/105082
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/105082
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/108781
About This Article
Article Summary
X
1. Optimize photo storage.
2. Use cloud alternatives.
3. Reboot your iPhone to reset the RAM.
4. Uninstall unused apps.
5. Delete documents and data.
6. Delete photos and videos.
7. Delete music files.
8. Delete old messages.
9. Clear Safari cache and data.
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Reader Success Stories
- "I am clueless when it comes to technical things, such as iPhones or computers. But my friend who is an IT person sent me this link and it answered all my questions. One item I would mention is to help clear more space is to link up the iPhone 5S (in my case) with your computer and permit the computer to access your pictures with Explorer. This will put all the pictures on the computer. Then delete the albums from your phone as well. Lastly, mention to remove podcasts as well from your phone." ..." more
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"I am clueless when it comes to technical things, such as iPhones or computers. But my friend who is an IT person sent me this link and it answered all my questions. One item I would mention is to help clear more space is to link up the iPhone 5S (in my case) with your computer and permit the computer to access your pictures with Explorer. This will put all the pictures on the computer. Then delete the albums from your phone as well. Lastly, mention to remove podcasts as well from your phone."
..."
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"Very helpful to learn easier ways to fix the problems on my PC device, thank you for your support!"
"Was nice having a single source of information to help clean up an iPhone. Thanks so much!"
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