When you run out of storage space on your iPhone, you may find that your device runs slower, that you can’t download new apps, take photos, or even receive messages.
There are several possible reasons your iPhone storage is full — from high-resolution photos and videos, to large apps and system files.
This article explains how you can identify what is taking up storage space on your iPhone and provides steps to free up more space, including using cloud storage.
- See what is taking up space on iPhone
- Delete or offload apps
- Back up your camera roll
- Sync files and documents
- Clear your browser cache
- Write notes in the cloud
- A secure way to free up space on iPhone
See what is taking up space on iPhone
To identify how to clear storage on iPhone, you first need to identify which items are taking up the most space. To do this:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General, then iPhone Storage.
Here you can see a visual representation of your iPhone’s storage or scroll down to view those items in a list. Use the dropdown filter to order items by Size to see what is consuming the most space.
Delete or offload apps
Offloading or deleting apps you rarely or no longer use can clear a significant amount of storage space on your iPhone.
To free up all of the space used by an app, you have to delete it. This removes the app as well as all of its data.
Alternatively, offloading an app deletes the app while keeping its data on your device. This means that if you decide to reinstall the app, your content will be restored too. This doesn’t free up as much space as deletion, but it is an effective way to optimize storage without losing valuable information you may want to access in the future.
How to delete an app
- Touch and hold an empty space on your home screen until the apps icons begin to jiggle.
- Tap the – in the top left corner of the icon of the app you want to delete and then select Delete App.
Or
- Touch and hold the icon of the app you want to delete until it begins to jiggle.
- Tap Remove App, then Delete App.
It’s important to know that removing an app from your home screen is not the same as deleting it. If you select Remove from Home Screen, the app will not leave your App Library, so it will still use space on your iPhone. As an exception, if you remove a built-in app(new window) from your iPhone (such as Calendar, Maps, or Weather) you will remove any related user data and configuration files. This may also affect other system functionalities.
How to offload an app
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General then iPhone Storage.
- Tap the app you want to offload.
- Tap Offload App then Offload App again to confirm.
You can also enable automatic offloading to continually free up space taken up by apps you don’t use very often. To do this, open the Settings app and navigate to App Store. At the bottom of the page toggle on Offload Unused Apps.
Back up your camera roll
Photos and videos can take up a lot of storage space, especially if they are high in resolution. Instead of storing these files on your iPhone, you can optimize space by uploading them to a cloud storage service and then deleting them from your device.
Cloud storage allows you to upload your photos and videos to servers (commonly known as “the cloud”) and access them at any time, from any device as long as it is connected to the internet.
iPhones have a built-in integration with Apple’s cloud solution, iCloud. By enabling iCloud, copies of all the photos and videos on your iPhone are automatically copied to your iCloud Photo Library. This optimizes space by storing high-resolution versions of your files in the cloud while keeping low-res “space saving” versions on your Apple devices.
If you use iCloud, keep in mind that deleting a photo or video from a device connected to the service also deletes it from your iCloud Photo Library. Because of this, as well as privacy concerns related to Apple’s cloud services, we recommend using a third-party cloud storage service like Proton Drive.
Proton Drive is a cloud storage service that uses end-to-end encryption to ensure no one else can see your photos, including Proton. With the Proton Drive iOS app, you can enable automatic backup, which automatically uploads your photos to your secure cloud so that you can then delete them from your iPhone’s gallery and free up space. Deleting a photo from your camera roll does not delete it from your Proton Drive.
Sync files and documents
Alongside photos and videos, you can clear space on your iPhone by using cloud storage for your files and documents too.
Google Drive and Dropbox are popular third-party cloud services for storing files and documents; however, they have raised red flags about privacy and security.
If you want to store sensitive documents or simply ensure that the only people who can access your files are you and those you choose to share them with, consider using an end-to-end encrypted cloud storage solution like Proton Drive.
With Proton Drive you can save space on your iPhone and store your files and documents in the same space as your photos, making use of folders to keep everything organized. Dedicated desktop apps for Windows and Mac also let you securely access your files without needing to open a web browser and work your files on them without an internet connection –– your changes will automatically sync when back online.
Clear your browser cache
If, after following the previous steps, you’re still wondering how to free up storage on iPhone, try clearing your browser cache. A browser cache is temporary data from websites you visit that is stored on your web browser (such as Safari) to help it load faster the next time you visit that site. While each website’s cache may be relatively small, it can build up and consume a lot of storage space and slow down your iPhone’s browser performance.
How to clear the cache from Safari (iPhone’s default browser)
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down to find and tap Safari.
- Tap Clear History and Website Data.
- Select the timeframe you want to clear.
- Tap Clear History.
Write notes in the cloud
If you use your iPhone to write notes, you can save space on your device by switching to a cloud-based editor instead. This also ensures that you can access your notes across multiple devices.
There are many cloud-based note taking apps. For maximum levels of privacy and security, we recommend apps like Standard Notes(new window) or Docs in Proton Drive. Both of these services let you write with the confidence that every letter you type is protected by end-to-end encryption.
With Docs, which is a feature of Proton Drive, you can also invite others to work with you. They can collaborate on any document you create, adding comments and edits that will be reflected to you in real-time.
A secure way to free up space on iPhone
Using a cloud storage service lets you keep all of your photos, videos, documents, and other files without worrying about running out of space on your device.
Proton Drive offers a privacy-first approach to freeing up space on your iPhone. Unlike many other cloud storage services, Proton Drive uses end-to-end encryption. Even if your phone is lost or stolen, your photos and files will remain safe and accessible to you. By automatically backing up your files and photos to Proton Drive, you can easily retrieve them from another device, ensuring you never lose your memories.
Beyond creating more space on your iPhone, using Proton Drive helps you protect your data from being accessed, used, and monetized by Apple.
We believe your data belongs to you. This is why we don’t sell ads, collect your data, or share it with third parties. We have created an ecosystem of encrypted services alongside cloud storage, including a password manager, email, calendar, and VPN(new window) to help you take back control of your privacy.
