Storage shortage is a reality for many iPhone owners : whether the culprit is apps , music , Messages or ( most commonly ) photos and videos , most of us have run out of blank at a key moment . Perhaps just as you are trying to update the operating system , or as you were trying to instal a hot new app .
Below we will work through a issue of things you could delete to make blank as well as some quick tips to maximise the memory infinite available on your iPhone . We also make some recommendations about ways you may add storage to your iPhone .
understand on for our tips for managing and optimise the entrepot usable on your iPhone , suffer the most out of every last gigabyte and freeing up space for raw apps and photo or video .
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Can you add more storage to an iPhone?
regrettably , you ca n’t advance an iPhone ’s internal storage , but that does n’t mean you ca n’t increase the amount of storage you have available .
There are a telephone number of ways by which you could supplement an iPhone ’s capacity :
Option 1 : Addexternal storage : you may promote the reposition capacity of your iPhone ( or iPad ) by plugging in some external reposition . There are flash drives specifically design for the iPhone , but any USB - C storehouse should work ( if your iPhone / iPad has a USB - C port ) . Take a looking at at the options in ourBest SSD drives labialise up .
Option 2 : UseiCloud storageto extend your mental ability to 2 TB and beyond . It ’s been claimed that iPhone users are opting for lower capacity iPhones because they are relying on iCloud to supplement their storage . portion 2 TB storage with your family and be able to get at everything from anywhere .
Option 3 : render one of the other cloud storage services we mention in our daily round up of thebest online and cloud storage serviceswe’ve look back . Such asGoogle Drive .
Option 4 : practice an iPhone memory board cleaner such asCleanMyiPhonefrom MacPaw .
However , there is a way to get more space on your iPhone that wo n’t cost you a centime . Read on for some tips to follow if you desire to free up memory on your iPhone and realise up the junk .
How to free up storage on an iPhone
Find out what is taking up space and delete the biggest culprits
Foundry
The first thing to do is find out what is taking up the space on your iPhone . Luckily there is a childlike way to do this .
In images above you could see Photos is using more than 49 gigabyte , Messages nearly 20 Great Britain . There are ways to oversee these apps and how much they lay in that we will hash out below .
If you scroll through the various apps taking up space ( they are sieve so that the gravid are at the top ) you will be able to quickly locate the single that are worth remove . The figure include any media store in the app , so await your Photos , Music , and Messaging apps to be near the top .
This thought also shows when you last used an app , so you’re able to confidently delete an app you plausibly wo n’t apply any time shortly . Do n’t worry , once you ’ve purchase something it ’s tie to your Apple ID so Apple knows you own it and you ’ll be able to download it again .
Scroll through the list and be ruthless . If an app you rarely use is taking up 300 MB of space then delete it . you’re able to always download it again for detached if you want to .
There ’s another style to delete apps that we will talk about next .
Once an app has been cancel you will see it in this lean with a download picture beside it , so this is a serious place to go if you ever require to re - download something .
Delete apps from the Home screen
There is another direction to delete apps that might be slightly spry if you just want to free up some space in a hurry . you could cancel an app from the house screen , including the App Library .
How this works depends on theversion of iOSyou are using .
On erstwhile versions of iOS you could intercept and hold on its icon and wait for it ( and the other icon too ) to start jiggle about – this mean you ’re in Edit Mode . Then tap on the 10 in the unexpended turning point to delete the app . you’re able to still accommodate your finger down until you ’re in Edit example and wiretap the ( - ) in the corner of the app icon to delete it , if you care .
There is more advice about cancel apps here : How to delete apps on iPhone & iPad .
Work through Apple’s recommendations
When you ’re in preferences > General > iPhone Storage , you ’ll see some recommendations for optimizing your storage . You will likely see two , as well as an option to Show All so you may see more testimonial .
The reasonableness why we did n’t start with this is that , although a expectant mode to wangle storage in the future tense , it ’s not the quickest way to recover a bit of storehouse in a hurry . However , it will stand you in honest stead if you take Apple ’s advice and put the various storage management hypnotism into turn .
One option you will see here ( if you have n’t already gear up it up ) is to useiCloud Photo Library . This will stack away your photos and telecasting in the cloud . iCloud Photo Library is a great root if you want to have access to all your picture on all your devices , just make certain that Apple stores optimise versions of the photos on your equipment , rather than full reticuloendothelial system adaptation .
Another choice is toAuto Delete Old Conversationsfrom the Messages app . We have n’t done this chiefly because we do n’t want to lose access to honest-to-god messages from people long gone , but it ’s a great way to reduce the amount of warehousing given to message . Because of the image and video stored in Messages , this can often free up several gigabytes .
In a similar vein , theReview Large Attachmentsallows you to delete photos , video and other medium shared in attachments . So if you have a riding habit of apportion images via Messages expect to find flock of photos or video here which you may cancel if you know you have them in your Photos app .
You could also prefer toReview Downloaded Videos . If it ’s an option for you tap on the arrow beside it and edit any downloads you see here that you do n’t need to keep . Tap Edit > intercept the red-faced circle beside the program you desire to delete > Tap Delete .
You may also see the toOffload Unused Apps . Here Apple Volunteer to mechanically offload apps that are seldom used when you start to run out of computer memory . ‘ Offloading ’ blue-pencil the app itself , which is soft to replace by redownloading . But it keeps the text file and data , which are likely to be unreplaceable . you’re able to also find the option to unlade Unused Apps under configurations > App Store . check that that Automatic app downloads is not selected here , so that apps don’e mechanically download when you supply them to other devices .
iOS will tell apart you how much storage you stand to gain from enabling these suggestions .
Delete app data and cache
orchard apple tree declare oneself to remove the app while preserving the data , but perhaps it ’s the data you need to delete . perchance you have old videos and books you no longer contrive to watch charter up space in an app you still want to expend . Some apps will have a lot of information tie in with them that you could delete without having to remove the app itself .
To calculate deeper into the storage being take up by apps , return to preferences > General > iPhone Storage and cluck on the arrow beside one of the apps listed there . This way of life you’re able to see how much data point is used by the app itself , and how much additional blank space is being used by documents and data .
picture apps lean to be a giving perpetrator here , but the Review Downloaded Videos above should have solved that for you . Another place to look is your video editing apps , and book indication apps like Kindle and Books .
To cancel the datum you will require to go to the app itself . We ’ll walk through how to delete data from a telephone number of apps below , let in Books , Notes , and Messages . Other position to look include :
Another way to relieve up space is to clear your web browser app hoard . To blue-pencil Safari hoard travel along these steps :
If you use Chrome you have to remove the memory cache from inside Chrome . In that case , follow these stone’s throw :
Delete text messages
As we mention above , you could choose to machine - delete conversations from the Messages app , which would free up a lot of space . But you might not want to do that if you have messages you want to keep for sentimental reasons .
you could still blue-pencil , en masse , a mint of the Messages on your phone while keeping the ones you do n’t need to fall behind .
A better way to strain out message that are safe to edit and then pile delete them is to filter your messages by strange transmitter .
If you do n’t have any reason to keep message you have two selection . you’re able to delete messages over a yr quondam or you’re able to delete message that are just 30 daylight old . To do this keep an eye on these steps :
Delete photos you don’t need
If your photos are taking up a considerable amount of blank on your iPhone you might want to consider cancel a few of the ones that you have no desire to keep .
Perhaps , like us , you often take screenshots of train times when you are commuting . If you want to delete screenshots from your headphone you may do so really easily by opening the Photos app and , under Media Types , look for Screenshots . In there , you could find the screenshots you no longer need to keep and erase them .
Or you take a ton of photo just to get the perfect shot . There is no need to keep these snap . We stress to get into the riding habit of deleting these extra shots close to the fourth dimension we take them , or at least favoriting one of the ingathering so we can easily go back and delete lots at a later date .
( If you ’re not in this sensitive substance abuse , a liberal app may be able to facilitate . SeeHow to delete duplicate pic on iPhone . ) We ’ve tried a free option calledRemo Duplicate Photos Remover , but there are plenty more you could try such as the paid - forDuplicate Photos Fixer .
In the Utilities category there is a Duplicates brochure . If you select it , you may see all your identical photos and take which to merge into a unmarried photo .
Similarly , if you ’ve been using Burst Mode you may have hundreds of cheeseparing - identical images you really do n’t need have up space on your iPhone .
To transfer surplus shot from Burst Mode find the Bursts leaflet under Media Types , and remove all the unwanted images .
Delete images from Messages
Another way to preserve a ton of space on your iPhone is to delete effigy that have been share via Messages . Again you might have images here you need to keep for sentimental reason , so beware .
This is a good selection if you do n’t need to mass erase a lot of images , as you’re able to release up space by just deleting the space - hogging images or video associate with iMessages .
If there are likely to be a few double you want to delete you might require to go flat to the range subroutine library associated with that message . To do this accompany these steps :
you could also show just Screenshots , which might help you filter out the things you are most probable to want to delete . regrettably , you ca n’t take all here though .
Beware of iCloud Photos
Signing up for iCloud Photos can save up you a lot of space if you have gigabytes and gigabyte of photos , trim the space they take up on your iPhone to something much less prehensile , so it ’s definitely deserving turning this one on .
However , a lot of citizenry have a misunderstanding of what iCloud Photos will do for them . It ’s a utilitarian divine service that lets you mechanically upload and store your integral picture library in iCloud so you may get at exposure and video on all your devices .
iCloud Photo is not a way to back up the double on your iPhone so you may delete them from your iPhone . If you were looking for a means to back up your photograph so you could delete them iCloud Photos is not it . you may not edit the look-alike from your iPhone once they are in iCloud because delete any image will edit it from all your gadget . We have a separate clause onbacking up your Apple photo libraryand we recommend you read that for tips if that ’s what you desire to do . We also explainHow to move exposure to iCloud to save space on an iPhonein another article .
If you do expend iCloud exposure you also take to make certain you select Optimize iPhone Storage to see that if you lack outer space your iPhone will only keep small variation of paradigm on the gimmick , thereby saving space . Alternatively , you could select Download and Keep Originals , but that would take a lot of space up !
The movie rental trick
This tip can make space on your iPhone ( from 1/2 M to over 1 GB sometimes ) using legerdemain . Not really , but we ’re not quite sure how it ’s done , only that it do work if your iPhone is almost at maximum capacity . And no , your iPhone does n’t need to be jailbroken , nor does it void the guarantee .
Before we begin , manoeuver to configurations > General > About and make a note of how much store you have .
Then , head to the video app and find a great title – we recommendThe Lord of the Rings : The Two Towersat a walloping 6.83 GB . Once you ’ve find a suitable movie , tap the Rent button double ( do n’t care , you wo n’t actually end up rent it ) and dismiss the popup informing you that there ’s not enough space to download the movie .
Now , head back to the About section of the preferences menu and take a facial expression at your available storage . If all has gone well , you should see a difference of a few hundred megabytes , perhaps more . While it wo n’t work for everybody , users on Reddit report that follow the steps several multiplication allowed them to keep release up more storehouse .
We ’re not quite certain what Apple is delete when it does this , as it ’s not apps , photo or other of import data point . We adopt it ’ll be clear out cache and other areas that make up the “ Other ” plane section on your iOS storage crack-up .
Sign up for iTunes Match or Apple Music
You do n’t have to stash away every Music cut you could ever possibly need to take heed to on your iPhone . If you sign up for iTunes Match ( for $ 24.99/£21.99 a yr ) or Apple Music ( $ 10.99/£10.99 a calendar month ) and you will then have every racecourse you own useable to you via the cloud .
Therefore you’re able to delete your music from your iPhone knowing that every vocal you may wish to listen to is but a download away . Here’show to signalise up for iTunes Matchand here ’s ourguide to Apple Music .
Once you have sign up for either of these Apple ’s service , all your medicine on all your Apple devices will be uploaded to iCloud ( even tracks you have imported from CD ) . This mean you could download any trail you fancy listening to on your iPhone whenever the climate takes you .
you could download a track or a whole album , or a whole play list . Just tap the iCloud download icon beside the claim .
If you then want to edit the cartroad from your iPhone , just swipe left on it , to delete . It will still be useable to download from iCloud another time .
Remove Books you’re not reading
Have you got any iBooks download on your iPhone ? Do you call for them to be there ? If you edit them they will still be useable in iCloud to download again , so why not lay aside yourself a few MiB by removing the novel you ’re reading on your iPad from your iPhone .
Our Books app is 35.5 M , but take 1.65 GB of data .
Using the Books example , to delete the data you need to start the Books app .
you may choose to Delete This Copy , rather than delete it from all your gadget .
Also , check preferences > script and make trusted you deselect Automatic Downloads so that when you purchase a book on another gimmick it does n’t automatically download to your iPhone too .
Record video at a lower resolution
Newer iPhones offer you the option to reduce the quality of the picture you immortalize .
As the screenshot shows , a moment of video can take up 400 megabyte of space on your iPhone if you enter it at 4 kilobyte , so you likely wo n’t want to be doing that .
The iPhone should default to 1080p HD at 60 fps , but you could husband further by recording at 720p HD and 30fps : just 40 MB for a minute , rather than 90 M .
you’re able to transfer the options in options > Camera > Record Video .
Check your other photo-editing apps
There are picture - redaction features in Photos , but you may use separate apps for photo editing . Those apps could have some previous trope loiter within that you could delete .
Check apps like Instagram , Snapchat and the like for images stored in the app itself .
Spring-clean your Notes
If you use your iPhone ’s Notes app middling heavily you may be wonder how much distance you could save by deleting one-time notes .
To see how much storage the app is lead up , go to configurations > General > iPhone Storage , then find and knock on the entry for Notes . This will show separate entries for the app itself ( a paltry 12 MB ) and the papers and data point it support ( a somewhat less paltry 64.2 MB , in our case ) .
To be honest , this still is n’t a monolithic bit , and it ’s unbelievable to make a huge difference . We deleted a fair few notes and did n’t notice any change at all in our telephone set memory board ; it does n’t strike us as worth the endeavor .
But if you ’re do-or-die ( and fix to be drastic ) , or if you use preeminence to store attachments and other media , then it may make a crucial difference .
Optimize storage using a third-party app
If the free tips above are n’t for you , there are infinite third - party apps available that ’ll make the process unsubdivided and quicker . Here one of our top mesmerism :
iMyFone Umate
This is an app for Mac and Windows that can free up a vast amount of space on your iPhone .
Plug in your iPhone and range a CAT scan . The app will tell you how much free space you could potentially profit by clearing out temporary and junk files , backing up photos , and deleting tumid files , then showcases your app ingathering for rapid ( but selective ) deletion .
Interestingly , the app proffer the ability to compress your photos rather of whole delete them . It backs the original photograph up to your Mac or PC , then will compress your intact subroutine library to free up surplus space ( up to 75 percent , according to the company ) .
you’re able to grab a trial run ofiMyFone Umatefor free , or you’re able to pay $ 19.95 ( around £ 15 ) for the full app .
