How to free up storage space on an iPhone

Gone are the days when Apple launched the base model of the iPhone with only 32GB of storage. While the iPhone 15 now starts with 128GB of storage and it may seem enough, the storage is bound to fill up rather fast. Since iPhones capture high-resolution photos and are capable of recording 4K and cinematic videos, this content will fill up your iPhone before you know it.

One of the common mistakes we smartphone users make is not to check the storage until we hit that proverbial storage wall. Once you reach the storage limit, it becomes difficult to download new apps or update them. It even becomes difficult to update the device. Ask anyone with a 32GB or 64GB iPhone and they will tell the tale of living on the edge of storage limit. But don’t worry, there’s a solution.

How to clear storage on iPhone

If you have hit the storage limit on your iPhone then the first step is to check what is taking up space and delete the biggest contributor to that.

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Here’s how to do that:

Step 1: Open Settings.

Step 2: Go to General.

Step 3: Tap on iPhone Storage and you will see a screen with details of apps and services and their associated storage. It is usually divided into Photos, Apps, Messages, iOS, System Data, and other types of files.

Step 4: Now, scroll down to see which apps take up the most space on your iPhone.

If you see an app taking up space on your iPhone, and you don’t use it regularly, then Apple allows you to clear storage. Find the app you want to delete and swipe from right to left on it. Now, choose Offload App if you want to delete the app but keep any data associated with it.

However, to clear the storage, you will need to choose Delete App, which will not only remove the app but also clear any documents or files associated with it.

How to free up space on iPhone from the home screen

While the above method is ideal if you want to locate the app first and then delete it, you can also delete those apps from the home screen. Here is how to free up space on the iPhone from the home screen.

Step 1: Press and hold the app you want to delete.

Step 2: Wait for the menu to show up and tap Remove App.

Step 3: A pop-up window will appear asking for your confirmation.

Step 4: Choose ‘Delete App’ to remove it from your iPhone.

If you are running an older version of iOS then as soon as you tap and hold on an app icon, the selected app and others will start to jiggle. This means you have entered the Edit Mode and all you need to do is tap on the “X” in the left corner to delete the app.

Other ways to free up storage space on iPhone

The easiest way to free up storage space on your iPhone is to delete unused apps or delete photos and videos on your device. However, you can also go through Apple‘s recommendations to free up storage on your device. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and go through recommendations to optimise your iPhone’s storage. These recommendations will appear above the list of apps.

Another nifty way to free up storage on your iPhone is to delete app data and cache. You can also clear storage on your iPhone by deleting older messages and deleting any downloaded music. Lastly, empty your browser’s cache, and if you use Safari go to Settings > Safari and click on Clear History and Website Data.

For Chrome on iOS, open the app and tap the three dots at the bottom-right corner and select History. Now, tap Clear Browsing Data to clean everything out or Edit to erase specific sites. You can also go to Settings > Privacy > Clear Browsing Data to delete browsing history, cookies and site data, cached images and files, saved passwords, and autofill data.

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These steps are the most effective ways to reclaim storage space on your iPhone but they aren’t a permanent solution to your storage woes. The best way to limit storage use is to record 4K videos only when necessary and similarly don’t shoot ProRAW images at all times if you have an iPhone 15 Pro or other Pro models. You can also choose to auto-delete OTP messages to conserve some storage, and if possible, stream music instead of downloading too much to your device.