How do I free up space on my iPhone? My Storage is full

[George_MDavis]

Can anyone offer some advice for my situation?

 

I recently went on a mountain trip and started recording a personal video blog using my iPhone. Mid-recording, I got a warning saying the storage was almost full, and the video recording stopped. I quickly deleted a few files just to be able to take some photos, but there’s barely any space left for video.

 

Is there a way to free up space on my iPhone without deleting personal files - especially the photo gallery? I’d really like to keep ‘everything’ intact, or at least avoid deleting anything important. Any tips would be appreciated.

UPD: For anyone who ends up in the same situation I was in, here’s what worked for me:

First, I freed up a huge amount of space on my iPhone using Clever Cleaner. I deleted all the duplicate and near-identical photos, and also used the Live section to convert Live Photos into static ones. Clever Cleaner alone saved me around 30GB of storage.

On top of that, uninstalling and offloading apps made a big difference. I had a lot of apps sitting around that I barely ever used, and clearing them out really helped free up even more space.

Edited Friday at 12:41 PM by George_MDavis
UPD

[UrbanExplorer7]

Hey, have you tried actually clearing stuff from the gallery itself? Videos especially can eat up a ton of space - I’ve got a few travel vids that are like several GB each, no joke.
Also, you mentioned you deleted a couple files… what exactly did you delete? Just wondering ‘cause sometimes it feels like you’re deleting stuff but the space doesn’t really go down unless it’s the big chunky files.

[George_MDavis]

4 minutes ago, UrbanExplorer7 said:

Hey, have you tried actually clearing stuff from the gallery itself? Videos especially can eat up a ton of space - I’ve got a few travel vids that are like several GB each, no joke.
Also, you mentioned you deleted a couple files… what exactly did you delete? Just wondering ‘cause sometimes it feels like you’re deleting stuff but the space doesn’t really go down unless it’s the big chunky files.

I just deleted a few videos from my gallery - mostly duplicates and a couple of large clips. I could’ve removed more, but I tried to stick to deleting some unnecessary vids and couple of similar-looking photos. What surprised me is that the iPhone gallery doesn’t let you sort files by size, which would’ve made it much easier.

 

I really don’t want to delete older videos with personal memories just to make space for new ones. That’s why I’m here - hoping for advice. Are there any safe and efficient ways to clean up storage on an iPhone? Maybe clear some system junk or hidden files?

 

Back when I had Android, there was a little rocket icon on the home screen that cleaned up the phone with one tap. My kids got me an iPhone, and to be honest - I still don’t really understand how to use it fully. I mean, I know how to open apps and take photos, but beyond that… not much, haha

[UrbanExplorer7]

Look man, iPhones work a bit differently than Android when it comes to file access and system architecture- won’t bore you with the techy stuff, but TL;DR: don’t expect it to function like Android. That said, there are some decent storage cleaner apps that can really help in your case.

 

Most of them come with a feature to find similar pics - like, you know when you’ve got six identical photos of your cat blinking in slightly different ways? Yeah, those. The built-in Duplicates album in the Photos app only catches exact copies, but these cleaners go further and catch near-identicals too. Just keep in mind they all use different algorithms, so results vary from app to app - don’t expect them to all agree on what’s “similar” and what is the “best shot” among these.

 

Now if you go searching “photo cleaner” or “storage cleaner” on the App Store, get ready to scroll through like a hundred of them. A lot are paid, some have subscriptions (ugh), and a few are actually free and not total garbage. I recently stumbled on a blog post that mentioned Clever Cleaner and figured I’d give it a shot - honestly, it’s been surprisingly solid. Unlike most others I tried, it’s totally free, has no annoying ads shoved in your face, and actually does what it promises. Definitely worth trying before dropping money on some overpriced app with a useless trial and constant popups.

Edited April 16 by UrbanExplorer7

[George_MDavis]

12 minutes ago, UrbanExplorer7 said:

Look man, iPhones work a bit differently than Android when it comes to file access and system architecture- won’t bore you with the techy stuff, but TL;DR: don’t expect it to function like Android. That said, there are some decent storage cleaner apps that can really help in your case.

 

Most of them come with a feature to find similar pics - like, you know when you’ve got six identical photos of your cat blinking in slightly different ways? Yeah, those. The built-in Duplicates album in the Photos app only catches exact copies, but these cleaners go further and catch near-identicals too. Just keep in mind they all use different algorithms, so results vary from app to app - don’t expect them to all agree on what’s “similar” and what is the “best shot” among these.

 

Now if you go searching “photo cleaner” or “storage cleaner” on the App Store, get ready to scroll through like a hundred of them. A lot are paid, some have subscriptions (ugh), and a few are actually free and not total garbage. I recently stumbled on a blog post that mentioned Clever Cleaner and figured I’d give it a shot - honestly, it’s been surprisingly solid. Unlike most others I tried, it’s totally free, has no annoying ads shoved in your face, and actually does what it promises. Definitely worth trying before dropping money on some overpriced app with a useless trial and constant popups.

Oh, thanks for the suggestion - I might give it a try. I’m pretty sure I’ve got tons of similar photos in my gallery (honestly, probably way too many), but I’m a bit hesitant to trust an app with deleting my photos or videos automatically.

Maybe there are some other tips or safer ways to clear up space without risking losing something important?

[D_Harris_05]

1 minute ago, George_MDavis said:

Oh, thanks for the suggestion - I might give it a try. I’m pretty sure I’ve got tons of similar photos in my gallery (honestly, probably way too many), but I’m a bit hesitant to trust an app with deleting my photos or videos automatically.

Maybe there are some other tips or safer ways to clear up space without risking losing something important?

If you’re looking for a simple solution, using a cleaner app is probably the easiest option - especially since you mostly use your iPhone for photos and videos. These apps won’t delete anything without your confirmation, so there’s no need to worry. You might be thinking of how your Android system cleaner works - just sweeping things away without asking - but that’s not the case here.

 

Try the app someone mentioned earlier (Clever Cleaner), or explore others on the App Store with solid reviews to get a feel for how they operate. And remember, iOS doesn’t permanently delete files right away - unless you manually clear the “Recently Deleted” folder - so you won’t lose anything unexpectedly.

 

If you’re still looking for ways to free up space, take a look at your installed apps. If you’ve got hundreds, chances are quite a few are sitting there unused. Just long-press on an app icon until it starts to wiggle, tap the minus sign, and choose to uninstall. It’s a small step that can make a noticeable difference.

[TechieGuru99]

Just to add to the earlier suggestions - it’s often more effective to manage app storage directly through your iPhone’s settings. Head to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, where you can sort apps by how much space they use. Starting from the top of the list can help you free up storage more quickly.
If you’re not ready to fully delete certain apps, you can choose to offload them instead (also in settings). This removes the app itself but keeps all your data and progress. When you need it again, simply tap the icon on your home screen -  it’ll reinstall and pick up where you left off.
You can also sort apps by the last time they were used, which is a great way to spot what you no longer need. Interestingly, I’ve seen quite a few people delete and reinstall apps just to clear out built-up data - essentially giving them a clean slate.

[SevenTheAppleKitty]

Why not just move the related photos and videos off your iPhone and into your computer or some other storage media?

[UrbanExplorer7]

If you don’t feel like manually cleaning up apps all the time, there’s actually a built-in feature on iPhone that does it for you. Basically, it’ll auto-offload apps you haven’t used in a while. The system just checks when you last opened each app, and if it’s been a while, it quietly removes the app (but keeps the icon and data, so you can reinstall it later without losing anything).

 

To turn it on: Settings - App Store - Offload Unused Apps (it’s all the way at the bottom). Just flip the switch and you’re good.
It doesn’t kick in instantly, but give it some time and you’ll start noticing random apps getting offloaded. Super useful if you’ve got a bunch of stuff you might need “someday” but don’t actually use.

[George_MDavis]

Guys!!! Thank you so much - seriously! I went ahead and uninstalled a bunch of apps I had downloaded and only opened once or twice. Got rid of some games too, and now I finally noticed that little icon on the screen that lets you re-download a game later.

 

The more I followed your advice, the faster and smoother my iPhone started reacting. It’s like it’s breathing again!

[George_MDavis]

13 minutes ago, SevenTheAppleKitty said:

Why not just move the related photos and videos off your iPhone and into your computer or some other storage media?

I do have a computer, but it’s a very old one - probably from around 2010 and I haven’t used it in about 5 years. I’m not even sure if it still works, so I don’t think that’s really an option for me at the moment. As for tech, I’ve got my iPhone and a smart TV, and honestly, that’s all I really need right now. But thanks for the advice - I appreciate it

[D_Harris_05]

@George_MDavis We’re always glad to help, but there’s actually more you can do to free up space on your iPhone. If you frequently use your browser, clearing its cache can make a surprising difference. Browsers store cached versions of images and website data to help pages load faster when you revisit them - but over time, this can add up to several gigabytes.

 

To clear Safari’s cache, go to your iPhone’s Settings, scroll down to Safari, and select Clear History and Website Data. Choose to clear it for all time for the most effective result. The only drawback is that it also deletes your browsing history, though for most people, that’s not a major concern.

 

Other browsers offer similar options, usually found within the app under Security or Privacy settings. In fact, third-party browsers like Google Chrome offer more flexibility - you can choose exactly what to remove, whether it’s just the cached files, your browsing history, or everything at once. This gives you more control over your storage without wiping out everything by default.

[MikeB76]

Plenty of apps let you clear cache too - Telegram, TikTok, etc. Just like Chrome, it’s all in the app settings.

[George_MDavis]

You’re all honestly opening up the world of my own phone for me 😊

 

I cleared the browser data in Safari and Firefox, and even in TikTok. Then I checked the storage settings and saw two recommendations: iCloud Photos and Review Downloaded Media. I figured out the second one, but can someone explain what exactly iCloud Photos is suggesting? 

[D_Harris_05]

Honestly, it hadn’t even crossed my mind - you’re absolutely right. I’ve gotten so used to that section being empty that I forgot you could just rely on those recommendations.

 

As for iCloud Photos, specifically the Optimize iPhone Storage feature - it works in a pretty smart way. Your full-resolution photos and videos are uploaded to your iCloud account, while lightweight thumbnails are kept on your device. When you open a photo, it’s downloaded from the cloud in real time. It’s an effective way to save a significant amount of space, especially if you have an extensive photo library.

 

Of course, it sounds a bit too good to be entirely free - and that’s where the catch comes in. Apple provides 5GB of iCloud storage at no cost, but that fills up quickly. To really take advantage of the feature, you’ll need to upgrade to a larger storage plan. That means committing to a monthly subscription - otherwise, your photos will eventually stop syncing to the cloud.

[PixelDreamer5]

1 hour ago, George_MDavis said:

You’re all honestly opening up the world of my own phone for me 😊

 

I cleared the browser data in Safari and Firefox, and even in TikTok. Then I checked the storage settings and saw two recommendations: iCloud Photos and Review Downloaded Media. I figured out the second one, but can someone explain what exactly iCloud Photos is suggesting? 

You mentioned you’ve already checked the storage suggestions for media files, which is great -  but I’d also recommend looking into the Files app. There’s a Downloads folder there that doesn’t always show up in the storage tips, so you might still have some leftover files. It’s worth going through the other folders too, especially under “On My iPhone,” since those files are stored directly on your device and won’t get offloaded automatically. Unlike “iCloud Drive,” where files are stored in the cloud and can be re-downloaded if needed. That part’s actually helpful because if you don’t access those files for a while, the system removes the local copies to save space. Pretty handy for freeing up storage without really losing anything

[George_MDavis]

2 hours ago, D_Harris_05 said:

Honestly, it hadn’t even crossed my mind - you’re absolutely right. I’ve gotten so used to that section being empty that I forgot you could just rely on those recommendations.

 

As for iCloud Photos, specifically the Optimize iPhone Storage feature - it works in a pretty smart way. Your full-resolution photos and videos are uploaded to your iCloud account, while lightweight thumbnails are kept on your device. When you open a photo, it’s downloaded from the cloud in real time. It’s an effective way to save a significant amount of space, especially if you have an extensive photo library.

 

Of course, it sounds a bit too good to be entirely free - and that’s where the catch comes in. Apple provides 5GB of iCloud storage at no cost, but that fills up quickly. To really take advantage of the feature, you’ll need to upgrade to a larger storage plan. That means committing to a monthly subscription - otherwise, your photos will eventually stop syncing to the cloud.

Sounds great, thanks for the explanation! But I’d prefer not to have any subscriptions tied to my card right now. So I guess that option’s not for me - at least for the moment. Maybe I’ll consider it later on.

[George_MDavis]

1 hour ago, PixelDreamer5 said:

You mentioned you’ve already checked the storage suggestions for media files, which is great -  but I’d also recommend looking into the Files app. There’s a Downloads folder there that doesn’t always show up in the storage tips, so you might still have some leftover files. It’s worth going through the other folders too, especially under “On My iPhone,” since those files are stored directly on your device and won’t get offloaded automatically. Unlike “iCloud Drive,” where files are stored in the cloud and can be re-downloaded if needed. That part’s actually helpful because if you don’t access those files for a while, the system removes the local copies to save space. Pretty handy for freeing up storage without really losing anything

You’re absolutely right - I went through and found a bunch of small files I definitely won’t need anymore, so I deleted them. Thanks a lot for explaining all the features in such detail, it really helped!

[UrbanExplorer7]

@George_MDavis just checking - after you delete stuff, are you also clearing out the Recently Deleted folders? ’Cause if not, those files are still sitting there taking up space like freeloaders.
Both the Photos app and the Files app have their own Recently Deleted sections. In Photos, scroll all the way down to the Utilities section - it’s hiding there. And in the Files app, open the sidebar (the place where you pick iCloud Drive or “On My iPhone”) and you’ll see it in the list too. If you don’t clear those out, your iPhone’s basically like “cool story bro” and keeps the files anyway

[George_MDavis]

2 minutes ago, UrbanExplorer7 said:

@George_MDavis just checking - after you delete stuff, are you also clearing out the Recently Deleted folders? ’Cause if not, those files are still sitting there taking up space like freeloaders.
Both the Photos app and the Files app have their own Recently Deleted sections. In Photos, scroll all the way down to the Utilities section - it’s hiding there. And in the Files app, open the sidebar (the place where you pick iCloud Drive or “On My iPhone”) and you’ll see it in the list too. If you don’t clear those out, your iPhone’s basically like “cool story bro” and keeps the files anyway

I didn’t delete them - I’m a bit of a techie myself 🙂 I just cleaned out those albums - thanks for the reminder about them! After doing all that, I checked my storage again, and photos are still taking up the most space.

 

I think I’ll go ahead and try those cleanup tools you mentioned earlier and see if they help.

[UrbanExplorer7]

15 hours ago, George_MDavis said:

I didn’t delete them - I’m a bit of a techie myself 🙂 I just cleaned out those albums - thanks for the reminder about them! After doing all that, I checked my storage again, and photos are still taking up the most space.

 

I think I’ll go ahead and try those cleanup tools you mentioned earlier and see if they help.

Nah, it’s all good - those Recently Deleted albums clear themselves out after 30 days anyway, that’s just how iPhones roll.

 

And yeah, going with a cleaner app was the right move, honestly should’ve done it ages ago 😅
If you haven’t already, I really recommend giving Clever Cleaner a shot (I mentioned it earlier). It’s been the best one I’ve tried so far. It can find Similar photos - not just duplicates - and also convert Live Photos into regular stills, which saves a ton of space. Those two features alone made it worth it for me.

 

Most of the other cleaners I’ve tested kinda suck at detecting similar photos properly, but this one actually does a solid job. Plus, it’s free - so no sketchy paywalls or ad spam.

Edited April 16 by UrbanExplorer7

[George_MDavis]

I tried Clever Cleaner first and was pleasantly surprised. It turned to be pretty simple and intuitive... I didn’t dare to tap on Smart Clean just yet, but while going through the “Similar” section, I noticed it automatically picked the best photos - and honestly, I never disagreed with its choices. While selecting which ones to keep, I ended up reminiscing about all the moments captured in those photos. It was a really nice experience.

 

Also, the Live Photo compression feature is amazing - just two clicks and I suddenly had a lot more free space!

 

So really, thank you - huge thanks for the recommendation!

[UrbanExplorer7]

Oh, you're welcome)))

Edited April 16 by UrbanExplorer7