iPhone storage full? Here's how to get space back
Short answer
Open Settings › General › iPhone Storage to see what's using the space. On most phones Photos is the biggest bar, and inside Photos, videos are usually most of it. Clear large videos, duplicates and old screenshots first, then empty Recently Deleted, because deleted photos keep using space there for 30 days.
1. See what's actually full
Go to Settings › General › iPhone Storage. The bar at the top splits your storage into Apps, Photos, iOS, System Data and a few others, and the list below it is sorted by size. It can take a minute to finish counting.
If Photos is at or near the top, that's where the space is. If an app like Messages, WhatsApp or a podcast app is the biggest, skip to the section on apps below.
2. Start with videos
One minute of 4K video can take more space than hundreds of photos. On a full phone, a handful of long clips is often the whole problem. Photos can't sort by file size, but you can open Collections › Media Types › Videos and tap the Info button on any clip to see how big it is.
Our guide to finding large videos on iPhone goes further. If you want to keep a clip, compress it to 1080p instead of deleting it.
3. Clear duplicates, screenshots and blurry shots
- Duplicates: Photos has a built-in Duplicates album under Collections › Utilities. See how to delete duplicate photos.
- Screenshots: Collections › Media Types › Screenshots. Most are useless a week later. See how to delete screenshots in bulk.
- Blurry photos: Photos has no blur filter, so these are the hardest to find by hand. See how to find blurry photos.
4. Empty Recently Deleted
This is the step most people miss. Deleted photos and videos move to Recently Deleted and stay there for 30 days, so your storage doesn't drop until they're gone. Open Photos › Collections › Recently Deleted, unlock it, tap Select, then the More button, then Delete All. Why storage doesn't go down after deleting explains this in detail.
5. Apps, messages and the rest
- Offload apps you don't use: Settings › General › iPhone Storage, tap the app, then Offload App. It keeps your documents and data and removes the app itself.
- Let iOS do it automatically: Settings › Apps › App Store › Offload Unused Apps.
- Old messages and their attachments: Settings › Apps › Messages › Keep Messages, then choose 1 Year or 30 Days. This permanently deletes older conversations, attachments included.
- Downloaded shows, podcasts and music: check each app's downloads from the iPhone Storage list.
6. Stop it filling up again
A few camera settings decide how fast your library grows. Recording at 1080p instead of 4K and keeping the High Efficiency format on make the biggest difference.
Doing it in one pass with SlashPhotos
SlashPhotos scans your library on your iPhone and sorts it into large videos (over 100 MB), exact duplicates, similar shots, blurry photos, old screenshots and screen recordings, with the space each group would free. You review everything before it's deleted. The scan is free and nothing is uploaded.
Questions
Why is my iPhone storage full when I have iCloud?
iCloud Photos only saves space on the phone if Optimize iPhone Storage is on. With Download and Keep Originals, every full-size photo and video stays on the phone as well as in iCloud. Check Settings › [your name] › iCloud › Photos.
What should I delete first when my iPhone is full?
Large videos, because a few of them usually outweigh thousands of photos. Then duplicates and screenshots. Then empty Recently Deleted, or none of it frees space for 30 days.
Does deleting apps free up space?
Yes, deleting an app removes it and its data. Offloading removes the app but keeps its documents and data, so it frees less but you lose nothing.