Knowing how to free up storage space on your iPhone can prevent "memory full" messages, update failures, difficulties recording videos, and performance loss.
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iOS itself shows which categories are taking up the most space and offers recommendations for organizing the device. Before deleting anything, however, it's important to understand the difference between the iPhone's physical storage and iCloud storage.
Check what's taking up space.
Open Settings, tap General, and select iPhone Storage.
The system will display a bar divided into categories, such as applications, photos, messages, media, and system data. Just below that, you will see a list of applications ordered by the space they occupy.
Please wait a few seconds for the calculation to complete. Then, observe which categories are actually consuming the most storage before you start deleting files.
Apple can also show personalized recommendations. See the official guide on how to do this. How to check iPhone storage.
Uninstall apps without deleting your data.
Large, rarely used applications are a good starting point. However, you don't necessarily need to delete the documents and settings associated with them.
The Uninstall App feature removes the application but keeps your documents and data. The icon remains on the screen with a cloud symbol and can be used to download the application again.
To uninstall an app this way:
- Open Settings.
- Tap in General.
- Go to iPhone Storage.
- Choose the app.
- Tap Uninstall App.
- Confirm the operation.
Don't confuse this option with Delete App. When you delete an app, the iPhone also removes the local data associated with the application.
You can enable automatic uninstallation in Settings, Apps, App Store, and Uninstall Unused Apps. Check out our complete guide on how to do it. How to uninstall unused apps on iPhone without losing your data..
Organize photos and videos
High-resolution videos, long recordings, and duplicate photos can take up several gigabytes.
In the Photos app, look for large videos, unnecessary screenshots, and duplicate images. Before deleting important files, confirm that they are synced or backed up to another location.
If you use iCloud Photos and have available storage space in your account, you can enable the Optimize iPhone Storage option. The system keeps smaller versions on your device and preserves the original files in iCloud.
To find the option, open Settings, tap your name, go to iCloud, select Photos, and check the sync and optimization settings.
Purchasing iCloud storage, by itself, does not increase the physical capacity of the iPhone. Space is freed up when features such as optimization are configured correctly. Apple explains how. manage photo and video storage.
If you accidentally delete something, see how to recover deleted photos on iPhone.
Delete streaming downloads
Music, movie, TV series, podcast, and map apps can store content for offline use.
Open each app and look for the downloads section. Remove episodes, playlists, maps, and movies that you won't use again.
In many cases, deleting and reinstalling the app isn't the best solution, as this can also remove important settings or downloads. It's safer to manage content from within the app itself.
Pay special attention to:
- Downloaded movies and episodes.
- Playlists available offline.
- Podcasts that have already been played.
- Maps downloaded.
- Files received in messaging applications.
- Courses and documents saved for offline access.
Review the message attachments.
Old conversations can accumulate photos, videos, documents, voice messages, and other attachments.
Open Settings, go to General, select iPhone Storage, and look for recommendations related to messages. You can also open a conversation, tap the contact's name, and review the shared files.
Before deleting an entire conversation, save the really important attachments. The deletion can be synced across other devices when Messages in iCloud is enabled.
Organize the Files app
Open the Files app and check the folders On My iPhone and Downloads.
Files stored in "On My iPhone" take up physical space. Items displayed in iCloud Drive may be only in the cloud or also downloaded to the device.
In some cases, you can use the Remove Download option to free up the local copy without deleting the file from iCloud Drive. The Delete option, on the other hand, can remove the item from the cloud and from synced devices.
Deleted files can remain in the Recently Deleted folder for up to 30 days. See Apple's guidelines on this. How to delete files on iPhone.
Clear Safari data carefully.
Safari can collect browsing history, cookies, and website data.
To clear your data, open Settings, go to Apps, tap Safari, and select Clear History and Website Data.
This operation may disconnect you from pages and remove stored preferences. Data used by autofill is not deleted by regular clearing.
If you want to remove website data without deleting your entire history, look for Safari, Advanced, and Website Data. Apple explains the available options in [link to Apple website]. How to clear Safari history and data..
Clear the deleted items only after verifying them.
Deleted photos and files may continue to take up space as long as they remain in the deleted items folders.
In the Photos app, open the Recently Deleted album. In the Files app, go to the Recently Deleted section. Carefully review the content before permanently deleting it.
After emptying these folders, recovery using Apple's normal methods may no longer be possible.
Avoid apps that promise to "clean everything".“
External applications do not have unrestricted access to the iPhone system. Therefore, be wary of programs that promise to clean RAM, clear all iOS cache, or instantly double available storage space.
Some apps can help identify similar photos or organize contacts, but that doesn't mean they can clear internal data from other apps.
iOS automatically manages various temporary files. The safest approach is to use the storage panel and organize the categories that actually take up space.
How much space should remain free?
Apple recommends keeping at least 1 GB of free space to avoid slowdowns. However, leaving more space facilitates updates, video recording, app installation, and the proper functioning of temporary files.
After completing the cleanup, restart your device and return to Settings, General, and iPhone Storage. The system may take a few minutes to recalculate the categories.
If the storage has already been organized, but the device continues to be slow, see How to make your iPhone faster and prevent it from freezing..
