How to Free Up Storage on iPhone When It’s Full

Updated 2026-06-30 · 2 min read

Seeing the dreaded "Storage Almost Full" alert? You don’t need to delete your favourite photos. Here are seven proven ways to free up space on your iPhone in minutes.

First, see what’s using your storage

Go to Settings › General › iPhone Storage. You’ll get a colour-coded bar and a list of what’s taking up the most room. For most people, Photos and Videos are the top two by far.

1. Delete duplicate & similar photos

This is usually the biggest quick win. Duplicates and near-identical shots can occupy several gigabytes. Use the built-in Duplicates album or an AI photo cleaner to group and remove them in bulk.

2. Remove large videos

A few minutes of 4K video can be over a gigabyte. In iPhone Storage, tap Review Large Attachments or sort your library by size, and delete or compress the biggest videos you don’t need at full quality.

3. Clear out old screenshots

Screenshots accumulate fast and are rarely needed later. Search the Screenshots album and clear the ones you’re done with.

4. Offload unused apps

In iPhone Storage, tap any app and choose Offload App to remove the app but keep its data, or Delete App to remove both. Enable Offload Unused Apps to automate this.

5. Clear Safari and app caches

Go to Settings › Safari › Clear History and Website Data. Streaming and social apps also store large caches you can clear from within each app.

6. Manage Messages attachments

Photos and videos sent in Messages stay on your device. Set Settings › Messages › Keep Messages to 30 days, or review and delete large attachments.

7. The fastest way: clean everything at once

Instead of digging through each menu, an all-in-one cleaner can scan your whole device and surface duplicates, similar photos, large videos, and junk in one place.

With Cleaner Pro, the AI scans your gallery and files, shows exactly what’s using space, and lets you free up gigabytes with a few taps — all processed privately on your device.