I ’m sure this sounds conversant : You ’re endeavor to deploy the tardy iOS spill , upgrade to a Modern iPhone , take photos or record book video , or just download that cool app everyone ’s talking about , and your iPhone says the repositing is full .
You ’ve alreadydeleted every appyou do n’t think you need , and there’sstillnot enough blank on your iPhone . So you open preferences , tapGeneral , theniPhone depot , and , certain enough , your iPhone is full . bad of all , ahugechunk of it is just listed as Other ( rename System Data in iOS 15 ) . What ’s that supposed to mean ? How do you get rid of it ? The System Data / Other storage subdivision are cryptical and perplexing , and there ’s no one answer that works for everyone , but hopefully , this guide will help you deal with this job .
Latest iPhone firing : iPhone SE(March 2022),iPhone 16,iPhone 16 Plus , iPhone 16 Pro , iPhone 16 Pro Max(September 2024 )
You’ll find your iPhone storage details a few layers deep in the Settings app.
Latest iOS firing : iOS 18.2.1(January 2025 )
modish iOS genus Beta : iOS 18.3
How to view your iPhone storage
To see how much reposition all your apps and data point are convey up on your iPhone ’s storage , get to the options app , selectGeneral , theniPhone Storage . At the top , you ’ll see a ginmill graph showing your total iPhone warehousing and which types of datum are filling it up . Beneath that , you ’ll ascertain a list of covering on your telephone and how much room they take up , both for the app itself and its stored data .
It may take several seconds for your iPhone to show the graphical record , as it takes time to skim and analyze its storage . Even after the chart first appears , you ’ll require to hold off several second more for it to stabilize , as the app list and warehousing sizes can commute while your phone completes its analysis .
You ’ll find your iPhone storage item a few stratum late in the configurations app .
Clearing your Safari data might reduce the size of Other.
What is System Data (or Other) on iPhone?
Your iPhone Storage carte will divide that bar up top into familiar categories like Apps , Media , Photos , and Mail , but also a System Data ( iOS 15 and later ) or Other class that is sometimesverylarge . It ’s common for System Data to be in the 5 GB to 20 GB range , but if it ’s way over 20 G , it has probably grown out of control . you may scroll all the way down to the bottom of the app lean where you will see iOS , which are the files required by the organization and are unremarkably around 10 GB , and System Data , which are file other than apps and downloads that are collected by iOS . Tap onSystem Datato see how much space it is direct up .
The System Data / Other category is grownup and wide-ranging because it ’s a real snap - all class . It comprises system memory cache , logs , Siri articulation ( if you’vedownloaded more than one ) , update , and so much more . One of the biggest culprits for System Data / Other growing out of hand is rain buckets lots of music and video . When youdownloadvideo or euphony from the iTunes Store , television set app , or Music app , it ’s indexed as Media . Butstreamshave cache used to see smooth playback , and those are categorized as System Data / Other .
Safari ’s caches can take off to spring up pretty declamatory , too . And if you send heaps of texts with images or video , the cache for that can start to fulfill up a lot of space . Your iPhone is supposed to manage these caches to keep your storage from becoming completely full , but it does n’t always do a great job .
If you’re a heavy texter, your Messages app might be filling up your storage with alotof data.
Clearing your Safari data might cut the sizing of Other .
We discusshow to delete Other storage on a Macandhow to delete System Data on a Macseparate articles .
How to reduce the size of System Data/Other on an iPhone
You ca n’t get rid of System Data / Other entirely , but you may sometimes reduce its sizing .
First , let ’s try clearing your Safari cache . Open configurations > Safariand chooseClear chronicle and Website Data . If you have alotof Safari tabs capable on your iPhone , you might want to close down most of them , too .
You might also want to change Messages to save fewer one-time messages . Open preferences , thenMessages , and scroll down to theMessage Historysetting . By default , Keep Messagesis adjust toForever , but you may need to change it to1 Yearor even30 Daysto reduce the data point that the Messages app caches . Just beware that doing this will entail old messages will be edit – so if you have any subject matter you require to keep find a means to back them up .
If you ’re a heavy texter , your Messages app might be filling up your storage with alotof data point .
Finally , go back to iPhone Storage and look at the apps inclination . Most of the apps store data that is categorized asApps , but some will keep cache that are categorized as System Data / Other . If , say , the Podcasts app is engage up a twosome of gigabytes of space , it ’s likely mostly cached data . Deleting the app and re - downloading it might put a ding in the System Data / Other category .
The nuclear option: Backup and reset your iPhone
you could go through your iPhone trying to erase every little cache that could rise the size of System Data / Other storage , but if you really want to make it as small as possible , you need to back up your phone and reset it . This can take a little while . The good means to do this is to utilize your Mac or PC .
On a Mac running macOS 10.15 Catalina or later :
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On a Mac run macOS 10.14 Mojave or originally , or a PC
On a microcomputer or a Mac with macOS 10.14 or earlier you could use iTunes to back up your telephone . After you connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC , select your iPhone by clicking the little phone ikon in the upper left field , and under Backups , choose “ This Computer ” and check the “ Encrypt local backup ” box to protect your backup with a parole . Then tick the button toBack up now .
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When the substitute is done , disconnect your iPhone , head to options > General > Reset , and selectErase All Content and options . This will render your iPhone to its factory options , just like when you took it out of the boxwood . When it restart and it ’s in the initial setup process , re - connect it to your calculator with iTunes undefended , and keep an eye on the education on the projection screen to restore your equipment .
This is the longest and most involved way to reduce the size of System Data / Other memory , but it ’s also the expert . There ’s just no way to get it any smaller than it will be after a fresh reset and restore .
