Apps, photos, and downloaded files share the limited storage on your iPhone or iPad. Removing unneeded local content frees space for updates and new files.
The storage breakdown in Settings identifies the largest apps and their data. A downloaded movie or an unused game may offer more space than a browser cache. iOS and iPadOS manage many temporary files automatically, so there is no single switch that empties all System Data.
Device storage and iCloud storage are separate. Buying more iCloud storage does not increase the capacity of an iPhone or iPad, and uploading a file does not necessarily remove its local copy. Photo optimization and download removal can reduce local usage while keeping cloud content available, but that content may need an internet connection to open at full quality.
Steps to free up storage on iPhone and iPad:
- Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage or iPad Storage.
- Note the used storage total and the largest apps in the list.
You do not need every cleanup here, so stop once you have enough free space.
- Offload an app you rarely use by tapping it in the storage list and then tapping Offload App.
An offloaded app needs an internet connection to reinstall, and it must still be available in the App Store.
Offloading frees the App Size and keeps the Documents & Data. The Delete App option removes the app and its data, which suits an app you no longer need. Anything you want to keep needs a separate copy first.
- Remove a download in Music or Podcasts by holding the item under Library > Downloaded and tapping Remove Download.
The Delete from Library option is a different action that can also remove music from other devices. Some Music menus place the download option under Remove.
Removing a download takes away offline access, but the item stays in your library. In TV, swipe left on the movie or episode instead and tap Delete. On iPad, Library may appear in the sidebar.
In Files, you can touch and hold a downloaded file under iCloud Drive and tap Remove Download to keep it in iCloud while freeing the local copy. The Delete option removes it from iCloud Drive and your other devices.
- Open Photos > Collections > Recently Deleted.
Deleting from this album cannot be undone. With iCloud Photos, deleting a photo or video also deletes it from iCloud and your other devices, because a synced library is not a backup.
The album is under Utilities. Deleted items stay here for 30 days unless you delete them sooner.
With iCloud Photos, Optimize iPhone Storage or Optimize iPad Storage keeps smaller copies on the device and the originals in iCloud. It is the default, and the choice is in Settings > your name > iCloud > Photos > iPhone Storage or iPad Storage.
- Delete only what you are ready to lose permanently, using View Album > Select and Delete in the More menu.
- Open Messages in the storage list if it offers attachment review, otherwise open Photos from the name at the top of a conversation.
Deleting messages or attachments can remove them from your other devices when Messages in iCloud is on.
- Delete the attachments you no longer need, using Edit and the delete button.
In a conversation, Edit leads to Select Photos or Select, and Delete Attachment is the confirmation. Deleted attachments can stay in Recently Deleted for up to 30 days. Settings > Apps > Messages > Keep Messages can also remove messages automatically after 30 days or 1 year, including older ones you already have.
- Clear Safari data for the timeframe you choose in Settings > Apps > Safari > Clear History and Website Data if it is using significant space.
Clearing Safari data removes browsing history, cookies, and cached website content and can sign you out of websites. Saved AutoFill information is kept. With Safari synced through iCloud, the history also disappears from your other devices.
- Compare the used storage total in Settings > General > iPhone Storage or iPad Storage with the value you noted.
A lower total means more free space. The chart can take a moment to update, and photo optimization can take longer.