How to Delete Files on iPhone

Need a quick way to remove a file? Whether you’re new to iPhones or an experienced user looking for a few fresh pointers, we’ll show you exactly how to delete files off your iPhone — and even automate the process if you want.

Every method below is one we’ve been using for years, long before iOS 18 was even a thing. Today, we’ll share everything we know.

Let’s get started.

This guide uses an iPhone 16 with iOS 18 for all steps, feature names, and screenshots. If you use an older iPhone like the iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15, things will look the same.

However, if you’re on iOS 16 or earlier, some settings and UI elements may have different names or layouts — so expect a few differences.

How to Delete a ‘Classic’ File on iPhone Using the Files App

This method works for most of the common file types — PDFs, text documents, ZIP files, photos and videos saved manually to Files (not the Photos app), audio files, and folders. Basically, if you can see it in the Files app, you can delete it. Just remember, this won’t touch stuff like photos in your Photos app or music inside the Music app — those have their own ways of getting deleted.

Let’s start with the Files app—it’s Apple’s built-in file manager, and it does the job, even if it isn’t flashy.

Files you save from the web, AirDropped documents, email attachments, or stuff you download through apps often end up here by default.

Here’s how to delete a file on iPhone:

  1. Open the Files app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap around — check On My iPhone, iCloud Drive, or the Downloads folder. These are usually where the files pile up. If you have apps that can save content — like third-party browsers (Chrome, Firefox, DuckDuckGo) or even security and VPN apps — they often create their own folders inside On My iPhone.Files app
  3. To delete a file, tap and hold on it until a little menu pops up.
  4. You’ll see Delete right there. Tap it, and poof — gone.Tap Select, and mark the files
  5. If yoy want to delete more than one hit the three dots at the top, tap Select, and mark as many files as you want. Then, tap the trash can.
Not sure where the file ended up? Use the search bar at the top of the Files app. You don’t even need the exact name — type part of the name, a file type like “PDF,” or even a word you remember from the file. It can help you find it fast.

You can also delete a folder on an iPhone. Same trick — tap and hold the folder, hit Delete, and it’s out.

One more thing: Deleted files go into the Recently Deleted folder inside the Files app. They hang out there for 30 days, just in case you change your mind. If you want them gone for good, open Recently Deleted, select them, and hit Delete again.

That’s it — easy.

How to Delete Other Data You Might Think of as Files

Above, we covered a method for “traditional” files in the Files app — but there’s some other stuff on your iPhone that you might consider a “file.”

Think about it: your photos, videos, screenshots, downloaded podcasts, even app data — all of that is file-based. It just lives in different corners of your iPhone. So In the next few methods, we’ll show you how to find and delete this kind of “file-ish” data.

Method 1: Delete Media Files on iPhone With a Cleaning App

This method is for those who don’t have a specific file in mind and just want to tidy up their storage automatically without wasting time. You can use a cleaning app. These apps cannot target files from the Files app — they focus on your Photos app instead. Photos, videos, screenshots, duplicates, similar-looking images, and other space-hogging files.

If you came across this guide because you had one goal — to delete files and clear storage on your iPhone — you might actually be interested in using a cleaning app. These apps can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you.

Now, to be clear, cleaning apps can’t access files in your Files app. Apple doesn’t allow it. What they can do is look into your media library (Photos app) — and for most people, that’s exactly where the largest files live. Think about it: 4K video files, thousands of high-def photos, Live Photos you forgot existed — it adds up fast. Cleaning apps give you a simple and quick way to delete a bunch of files that are just wasting space.

Clever Cleaner

Not that long ago, we actually tested a whole bunch of these apps while putting together our list of the best iPhone cleaners, and we found some solid options. For this section, we’ll show you how it works using one of our favorites — Clever Cleaner: Free AI CleanUp App. This 100% free app quickly became our go-to for a couple of reasons. First, it’s honestly free — no paywalls, no hidden in-app purchases, not even ads (rare these days.) Second, it’s fast. Scans usually take just a few seconds, even if you have a massive library. And third, it has 4 features that handle most of the files people want to clear out from Photos:

Let’s see how you can quickly find and delete the biggest files first using Clever Cleaner:

  1. Download Clever Cleanerfrom the App Store.
  2. Open it up and tap on the Heavies section. You’ll get an instant list of your files, from biggest to smallest, with clear labels showing both file sizes and durations.Heavies
  3. Tap on any file to preview it. You can swipe left or right to browse through other videos, or if you’re ready to go big, you can tap Select All and mark everything at once.
  4. Once you’ve made your picks, hit Move to Trash.
  5. After that, tap Empty Trash at the bottom. You’ll see a Slide to Delete bar — go ahead and slide it to confirm. Almost done.Done

The app will give you a final reminder: open your Photos app, head to Recently Deleted, and fully remove the files from there. Until you do this last step, those files will still occupy the space.

We also have a separate guide on iPhone junk file cleaners if you want to check out other options. Just keep in  mind, most of these apps aren’t truly free — sure, they’re free to download, but many lock the useful features behind paywalls. There are very few fully free and good options we’d actually recommend, like the one we used above. Also, according to the official Clever Cleaner cleanup app page, it should stay free for you as long as you’ve got it installed. Considering it takes less than 200 MB of space, it might be worth keeping around for future cleanups.

Method 2: Delete App Files Off iPhone Through Settings

In Settings, you won’t be deleting random files like in the Files app, but you can still remove plenty. You can delete apps you no longer need, clear browser cache files, and even get rid of downloaded content from certain native apps like Podcasts, TV, Music.

This one is probably the least obvious, but there are plenty of files and bits of data hiding in your iPhone’s Settings — especially if you’re using a lot of Apple’s native apps. These aren’t always the first files people think of, but they can quietly pile up.

Here’s where to look and what you can remove:

  • Go to SettingsGeneraliPhone Storage. Scroll down to see a list of all your apps sorted by how much space they take up. If you spot apps you barely use, tap on them and hit Delete App. This clears not only the app but also its stored files.iPhone Storage
  • Go to SettingsSafariClear History and Website Data. This will remove browsing history, cookies, and cache files that Safari has been holding onto. If you browse a lot, this can free up a decent amount of space.Safari
  • Go to SettingsGeneraliPhone StoragePodcasts. You’ll see a list of downloaded episodes. You can delete individual files or clear entire shows if you don’t need them anymore.Podcasts
  • Go to SettingsGeneraliPhone StorageTV or Music. These apps often hold downloaded movies, shows, or songs you may have forgotten about. Tap into them, and you’ll find the option to delete downloaded files directly.
  • Go to SettingsGeneraliPhone StorageMessages. Tap on Review Large Attachments. Here you’ll find big photos, videos, and other files sent through Messages. You can delete attachments one by one or in bulk.

That’s it. Settings might not seem like the obvious place to clear files on iPhone, but once you get in there, you’ll see how much space you can win back without even touching your Photos or Files apps.

How to Delete All Files on iPhone (The Nuclear Option)

If you really want to wipe the slate clean and delete all files off your iPhone — and yes, we do mean all files — you can use the built-in option called Erase All Content and Settings. This doesn’t just clear some files; it resets the entire device like it’s fresh out of the box.

This method is for those who want it all gone. Photos, music, files sitting in local storage or the Files app, app data, downloaded podcasts, offline music — everything. Maybe you’re getting ready to sell your iPhone or hand it down to someone else. This will do a complete, automatic wipe without you needing to hunt things down manually.

If you care about the data on your iPhone — photos, chats, files, anything — take a moment to back it up first. You can use iCloud, Finder (if you’re on a Mac), or iTunes (if you’re on Windows). There are also solid third-party options.

How to erase all files on iPhone:

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll all the way down and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
  4. Choose Erase All Content and Settings.
  5. If asked, enter your passcode or Apple ID password to confirm.
  6. Follow the on-screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and begin wiping everything.
  7. Once it finishes, you’ll see the “Hello” setup screen, just like when you first unboxed it.Erase All Content and Settings
Tip. Keep your iPhone plugged into power during the reset. The process usually finishes pretty quickly, but the last thing you want is for the battery to die halfway through and cause unnecessary headaches.

Bonus Method: Automate Deleting Files on iPhone with Shortcuts

If you need to clean up certain files regularly you can do what some iPhone power users do and automate it using the Shortcuts app.

If you find yourself constantly removing certain types of files — like temporary files from a specific folder, exported videos after editing — you can automate this with the Shortcuts app.

Sure, it’s not the easiest thing to set up the first time, but once you get the hang of it, it’s worth it. Plus, you’re not alone — there are plenty of communities like r/shortcuts where people share tips, examples, and shortcuts they’ve already built. You’ll find tons of inspiration and real-world solutions there.

There’s a catch. Apple limits Shortcuts from deleting just any random file on your iPhone. For this to work, the file must be inside a Scriptable folder. If this sounds like a deal-breaker, you can try third-party apps like Scriptable or Toolbox Pro. These apps are more flexible.

To give you a clearer picture, here’s a simple example of how you could set one up:

  1. Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the + button to create a new Shortcut.
  3. Tap Add Action.
  4. Search for Get File and select it.
  5. Enter path.
  6. Tap the + again, search for Delete File, and select it.
  7. Connect the Get File action to Delete File.
  8. Optional: If you want this to run without asking every time, go to SettingsShortcutsAdvanced → enable Allow Deleting Without Confirmation.
  9. Hit Done, name your shortcut something like “Clear Temp Files,” and you’re set.Shortcuts

Next time you run this Shortcut, it will automatically find and delete that file. You can even pin it to your Home Screen or ask Siri to run it with your voice.

Few Last Words

So, as you see, there are a few different ways to delete files on iPhone — and that’s because iPhones tend to scatter things across different places. We tried to cover the whole picture here. For most people — we’d say about 90% — the Files app will be the main point of interest, which is exactly why we started there before moving on to the less common methods and special cases.

If you still have questions, check out the FAQ below. There’s a good chance we’ve already answered it. And if not, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’ve got a contact form if you want to ask us directly, or you can jump into our iPhone forum if you want to start a discussion with others. Either way, we’re happy to help.

FAQ

Yeah, sometimes this happens — it’s just a minor glitch. Usually, the file has already been moved, deleted, or synced away by iCloud or another app, but the Files app didn’t update fast enough to notice. You’re not doing anything wrong. Close and reopen the Files app, it usually clears it up, and the file is most likely already gone.
Deleting files doesn’t always free up space instantly. When you delete something from the Files app on your iPhone, it might still be sitting in the Recently Deleted folder, waiting for you to finish the job.
Same goes for photos and videos — they aren’t fully gone until you clear them from the Recently Deleted album in the Photos app. Also, some apps hang on to cached data even after you delete things, so sometimes you don’t see the storage free up until the system clears it out in the background.
Not in one tap. But you can still delete everything inside a folder by hand. Open the folder, tap the three dots, choose Select, then tap Select All, and hit the trash icon. If you want to go even faster, you can delete entire folders — as long as they’re deletable. Some folders, especially those created by apps, might not show the delete option because the system or the app manages them. In that case, you’ll have to clear the contents manually.
It depends. If the file is stored in iCloud Drive or your synced Photos library, then yes — deleting it on your iPhone will delete it from iCloud and all your other devices linked to the same Apple ID. But if the file is stored On My iPhone or in a local app folder, it will only be removed from the device itself. The key is to check where the file is located. If you see the little iCloud icon next to the folder or file, you’ll know it’s synced.
Yes, you can — as long as the drive is properly connected and shows up in the Files app. Once it appears under Locations, you can browse it just like a normal folder. Tap and hold on any file or folder, and you’ll see the Delete option. Keep in mind, though, not all external drives fully support this feature. Some drives might only let you read files.
Jeff Cochin is a distinguished expert in data management, recovery, and warehousing, with over a decade of hands-on experience. His expertise covers data clouds, failovers, SaaS, and the development of digital marketing strategies for high-growth startups. He possesses extensive knowledge of Mac computers, Apple's ecosystem, and iPhone technology, establishing him as a trusted authority in these fields. For nearly five years, Jeff has worked as a dedicated technical writer, conducting in-depth research and reviewing new applications and services, particularly those related to Apple and Mac technology. When away from writing, troubleshooting, or scripting for Mac and iPhone environments, he enjoys outdoor adventures. A passionate biker, kayaker, and hiker, he frequently explores new trails with friends who share his love for the outdoors.
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