Running out of space on your iPhone can be annoying. But you don't have to delete your favorite apps to make room. With a few simple steps, you can clear space while keeping the apps you use every day.
Clear Out Old Messages and Large Files
Your iPhone might be storing many old text messages and media files without you knowing. Every photo, video, voice message, and sticker you send or get in iMessage stays on your phone, silently using up space.
If you've looked through old chats and seen lots of old pictures or videos, that's the kind of data we're talking about.
You don't need to delete whole conversations to get space back. Go to Settings > Messages > Keep Messages. Choose a shorter time limit, like 30 days or 1 year, instead of Forever. Your iPhone will then automatically remove older messages.
Even better, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages. Here, you can see large files sorted by size. You can delete these large files manually while keeping your message text.
Clean Up Your Browser's Data
Browsers like Safari and Chrome collect data over time. Each time you visit a website, your browser saves temporary files (cache), cookies, and history. This helps pages load faster next time, but it adds up and takes up space.
Clearing this data is fast and safe. It won't delete your saved passwords or website bookmarks.
In Safari, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. This removes cached files and history but keeps your saved passwords and autofill information.
For more control, tap Advanced > Website Data. You can see and choose to delete data from specific websites.
For Chrome and other browsers, open the app, navigate to settings or privacy, and look for options to clear Browse data. Make sure not to check the box for saved logins if you don't want to have to type your passwords again.
These hidden files can grow quickly. Clearing them not only frees up space but might also help your phone run better.
Remove Offline Downloads You Don't Need
Offline downloads can use up space long after you've watched or listened to them. It's easy to forget how many songs, episodes, or movies you saved for a trip and never deleted.
Check apps like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Netflix, and your podcast app first. Most have a section for downloads where you can quickly see what's taking up space. If you've already enjoyed something or probably won't get to it soon, just delete it.
You can always stream it again later if you want. The goal is to free up space without losing access to things you like.
Offload Apps You Don't Use
If you scroll through your apps, you've likely seen some you haven't opened in months or years. Deleting them might seem too final, especially if they have saved data or you think you might need them later. This is where the "Offload Unused Apps" feature on iPhones is useful.
To have apps offloaded automatically, go to Settings > App Store and turn on Offload Unused Apps. For more control, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, tap an app you rarely use, and choose Offload App. This simple step can often free up a lot of space.
When you offload an app, your iPhone removes the app itself but keeps your data and documents. If you install it again later, everything will be just as you left it – no lost logins or settings to redo. It's like putting the app away until you need it again.
Move Your Photos and Videos to the Cloud
If you've tried everything else and still need more space, it might be time to move your pictures and videos to the cloud. Photos and videos take up the most space on most iPhones, especially with today's high-quality cameras. A few trips or family events can easily add many gigabytes to your photo library. But you don't have to delete these memories to free up space.
Turn on iCloud Photos and choose "Optimize iPhone Storage." This stores the full-size photos and videos in iCloud and keeps smaller copies on your phone. When you want to see a photo, your iPhone quickly gets the high-quality version from iCloud if needed.
To set this up, go to Settings > Photos, turn on iCloud Photos, and select Optimize iPhone Storage. If you have many photos, you could see several gigabytes of space freed up in just a few days.
If you don't have much space in iCloud, even the smallest paid plan (which costs very little each month) can help a lot. You can also use other services like Google Photos, Dropbox, or OneDrive. They can automatically upload your photos in the background and work well as backups.
Running out of space on your iPhone doesn't mean you have to give up the apps you enjoy. A little smart cleaning can make a big difference. Think of it like tidying up. Your phone will run better, and you'll have space for new things.
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