Check What Is Taking Up Space First
Before you start deleting things, open Settings and tap General, then iPhone Storage. This screen shows a color‑coded bar of used space and a list of apps sorted by how much storage they consume. You can tap any app to see details, including the app’s document and data size, and whether it offers an “Offload App” option. This view gives you an accurate picture of where your space has gone, so you can focus on the biggest items first without guessing.
Begin With the Easiest Wins
Offload Unused Apps
iOS includes a built‑in feature that automatically removes apps you haven’t used in a while while keeping their documents and settings. When you reinstall the app later, your data comes back. You can turn this on by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and tapping Enable under “Offload Unused Apps”. If you prefer to do it manually, tap any app on that list and choose Offload App. This frees the app’s code space without deleting your saved files or login information.
Delete Large Apps You No Longer Need
On the same screen, scroll through the app list. Look for apps that use more than a few hundred megabytes and that you rarely open. Tap the app and select Delete App to remove it completely along with all its documents. Games, streaming apps with offline downloads, and social media apps often store cached data that grows over time and can be safely deleted if you don’t use them often.
Reduce Photo and Video Storage
Enable iCloud Photos Optimization
Photos and videos are usually the biggest single category of storage usage. Go to Settings > Photos and turn on Optimize iPhone Storage. When this is enabled, your iPhone keeps smaller, device‑sized versions of your photos on the phone while the full‑resolution originals are stored in iCloud. Full‑size images are downloaded only when you open them. This can reclaim many gigabytes depending on your library size. Make sure your iCloud storage has enough space for your full library before you turn this on; otherwise, you may run into upload issues.
Delete Duplicate Photos and Old Screenshots
Open the Photos app, scroll to the bottom of the Albums tab, and look for the Duplicates album (available in iOS 16 and later). Your iPhone can automatically detect duplicate photos. Tap View Duplicates, then Merge to keep the best version and delete the rest. Also go through your Screenshots album. Screenshots accumulate quickly and are rarely needed later. Delete batches of screenshots by tapping Select, choosing multiple images, and tapping the trash icon. Finally, empty the Recently Deleted album — photos stay there for 30 days unless you delete them permanently. Go to Albums > Recently Deleted, tap Select, then Delete All to free that space immediately.
Clear Message Attachments
Text conversations with many photos, videos, and audio messages can eat up surprising amounts of space. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and tap Messages. You will see a breakdown of how much space is used by photos, videos, GIFs, stickers, and other attachments. Tap Review Large Attachments to see a list of the biggest message attachments sorted by size. Swipe left on any large attachment you no longer need and tap Delete. You can also set messages to auto‑expire: go to Settings > Messages > Keep Messages and choose 30 Days instead of Forever. This automatically removes old messages and their attachments after 30 days.
Clean Up Safari and Other App Caches
Safari Website Data
Open Settings > Safari. Tap Clear History and Website Data. This removes cached web pages, cookies, and browsing history. It does not delete your bookmarks or saved passwords, but it will log you out of websites you visited. You can also scroll down to Advanced > Website Data to see a list of sites that store large amounts of local data. Swipe left to remove data for individual sites if you want to keep your history for other sites.
App Caches for Streaming and Social Apps
Apps like Spotify, Netflix, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram often store cached videos, images, and offline content. Within each app, look in the settings for a “clear cache” or “delete downloads” option. For example, in Spotify go to Settings > Storage and tap Clear Cache. In YouTube, go to Settings > Clear watch history and also manage offline downloads. This action does not delete your account data or login credentials, only temporary files that can be re‑downloaded later.
Review Downloaded Music and Podcasts
Open the Music app and check your library for albums or playlists that are downloaded for offline listening. Tap the three dots next to any item and choose Remove Download to free that space while keeping the item in your cloud library. Do the same in the Podcasts app: go to your Library, tap a podcast, and tap the checkmark icon next to each downloaded episode to remove it. If you no longer follow a series, unsubscribe to prevent future automatic downloads.
Delete Old iOS Updates and Other System Data
In Settings > General > iPhone Storage, you may see a “System Data” or “Other” category at the bottom. This includes cached system files, logs, and leftover update files. To reduce system data, restart your iPhone — a simple restart often clears temporary files. If you have a large iOS update file sitting in your storage, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and look for the update package; tap it and choose Delete Update. The next update will be downloaded fresh when you install it, but the old package will not waste space in the meantime.
Enable Automatic Cleanup for Recently Deleted
Several system apps have their own trash folders that hold deleted items for a set period. Photos (Recently Deleted), Mail (Trash), Notes (Recently Deleted), Voice Memos (Recently Deleted), and Files (Recently Deleted) all keep items for a while. You can go into each of these folders and permanently delete everything, or wait for automatic expiration. For the fastest results, check them manually: open each app, find the Recently Deleted folder, select all, and delete permanently.
What to Do if Storage is Still Critically Low
If you have tried all the above and still see a “Storage Full” warning, consider these final steps:
- Back up your device and factory reset: Create a full iCloud or computer backup, then go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. After the reset, restore your backup. This clears all system caches and temporary files that cannot be removed any other way. Only do this when you have a reliable backup and the time to go through setup again.
- Use iCloud to store files: Turn on iCloud Drive and move documents from local storage to iCloud. Enable Optimize Storage in Files to keep recent files locally while older ones remain in the cloud.
- Consider investing in an iCloud+ plan: If you consistently run out of space, an iCloud storage upgrade can let you offload more photos, documents, and backups to the cloud, reducing local usage. Plans start at 50 GB and go up to 2 TB or more.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I offload an app, do I lose my data?
No. Offloading removes the app’s executable files but keeps its documents and data on your iPhone. When you reinstall the app from the App Store, your data is restored automatically.
Why is my “System Data” category so large?
System Data includes caches, logs, temporary files, and downloaded software updates. Restarting your iPhone, deleting old iOS update files, and using the steps above for photos and messages can help reduce it. Sometimes this category shrinks on its own after a few days.
Will deleting my Messages permanently remove them?
Deleting a conversation or attachment removes it from your iPhone. If you have iCloud Messages enabled with enough iCloud storage, deleted messages may also be removed from your other devices. To recover a deleted message, you have up to 30 days in case you change your mind, but after that it is gone permanently.
