Go to Settings, tap General, then tap iPhone Storage to see what's free. Then work through Apple's five usual culprits: photos and videos, messages, downloaded videos, files and apps.
| What's eating space | What Apple says to do | What you keep or lose |
|---|---|---|
| Photos and videos | Back them up to iCloud, then remove them from the iPhone | The copy on the phone goes, and you're relying on iCloud. Read the photos section below before you delete. |
| Messages | Delete conversations and attachments you no longer need | You lose what you delete, though it sits in Recently Deleted for up to 30 days. Your recipients keep theirs. |
| Downloaded videos | Go through what you saved for offline viewing in the TV app and other streaming apps, and remove what you've already watched | You lose the offline copy on the phone. Apple's page says nothing more than that. |
| Files and documents | Find and delete what you no longer need in the Files app | You lose those files. Anything you've set to stay downloaded isn't removed. |
| Apps | Delete the ones you no longer use | You lose the app and its data on the phone. Data stored in iCloud stays, and you can reinstall the app if it's still in the App Store. |
That table comes from Apple's Manage storage page in the current iPhone User Guide, as of Nov 2026. Read the right-hand column before you touch anything. Two rows, downloaded videos and files, don't get a section below: Apple's storage page gives you the one instruction in the table and no further steps. If there's a file you always want on the phone, Apple does let you keep selected files downloaded, so it isn't removed.
Photos and videos: read this before you delete
This is the row where I'd slow down. Apple's storage page says to back up to iCloud and then remove the photos from your device. Its iCloud Photos page adds something the storage page doesn't mention: when iCloud Photos is on, changes you make to your collection on one device show up on your other devices too. Apple doesn't spell out how those two instructions fit together, so treat any mass delete with care and check your backup first.
To turn iCloud Photos on:
- Go to the Settings app.
- Tap your name, then tap iCloud.
- Tap Photos, then turn on Sync this iPhone.
To check it's working, open the Photos app, tap Collections and look at the top-right corner. A yellow warning icon means your iCloud storage is almost full, a red exclamation mark means it's full, and a partially filled blue circle around your account icon means photos are uploading. Your account shows the last time this iPhone synced. If the warning icons are what you're seeing, our guide on making room in iCloud is the next stop, and Apple's own route is upgrading to iCloud+.
Here's the part I like best, because you may already have it. Optimize iPhone Storage keeps your full-resolution originals in iCloud and leaves storage-saving versions on the phone, and Apple says it's on by default. You'll find it under Settings, your name, iCloud, Photos, iPhone Storage. Picking Download and Keep Originals there turns it off, so don't choose that one if space is the problem. For a wider safety net than photos alone, see how to back up your iPhone.
Messages: three ways to clear them out
Attachments are the obvious target. Apple's Messages page lets you remove them in bulk: open a conversation, tap the contact or group icon at the top, tap a category such as Photos, tap Edit, then Select, pick what you want gone, delete and confirm.
To clear whole conversations, go to the conversation list and swipe left on one, or touch and hold it and tap Delete. For several at once, tap Edit at the top of the list, then Select Messages, choose them, delete and confirm.
To stop it building up again, go to Settings, tap Apps, tap Messages, scroll down and tap Keep Messages, below Message History. Apple offers removal after 30 days or a year, on an ongoing basis. That's a real commitment: any option other than Forever automatically removes your conversations, attachments included, once the time is up.
Three warnings from the same page. Deleted items stay in Recently Deleted for up to 30 days, and you can get them back until then. Emptying that folder early can't be undone. And if you use Messages in iCloud, deleting a message on your iPhone deletes it on all your devices where that's turned on. Apple's page doesn't say how much space any of this gives back.
Apps: delete, don't just remove
The wording trips people up, so go slowly. Apple's apps page has two options behind Remove App. Remove from Home Screen only moves the app to App Library, and it isn't deleted. Delete App is the one that takes the app and its data off your iPhone. Touch and hold the app on the Home Screen or in App Library, tap Remove App, tap Delete App, then tap Delete to confirm. If you only want an app out of sight, that's a different job, covered in our guide to hiding apps on your iPhone.
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Don't panic if the number doesn't move straight away: Apple says it may take a moment for available storage to update. Data stored in iCloud, such as photos or documents you saved through the app, isn't deleted along with it. Some Apple apps can come off the Home Screen but can't be deleted from the iPhone. Changed your mind? Any app you previously downloaded can come back from the App Store under Apps & Purchase History, as long as it's still available.
Offload Unused Apps in plain English
It's the setting I'd turn on if you only do one thing today. When storage runs low, your iPhone removes apps you aren't using and keeps their data. The icon stays on your Home Screen with a cloud symbol, and tapping it reinstalls the app.
Go to the Settings app, tap Apps, tap App Store, then turn on Offload Unused Apps.
Two limits worth knowing. Apple says it keeps your data, and it doesn't say whether that covers every setting inside every app, so don't assume more than that. And it doesn't say how an app counts as unused, or how low storage has to get before this kicks in.
What Apple's pages don't offer
Apple's storage page doesn't give sizes for any category, and it doesn't claim you can clear a cache or an Other storage figure. If you came here for that, it isn't in Apple's list, and our separate guide on clearing cache on an iPhone is the place to look. Apple doesn't mention cleaner apps either, and I wouldn't go looking for one until you've worked through the five rows above.
Quick answers
Where do I check how much storage my iPhone has left?
Go to the Settings app, tap General, then tap iPhone Storage. The available storage shows at the top of the screen.
Does Offload Unused Apps delete my data?
Apple says your iPhone removes unused apps while keeping your data, and the icon stays on your Home Screen with a cloud symbol. It doesn't say whether that covers every setting.
Does removing an app from the Home Screen free up storage?
Apple says the app moves to App Library and isn't deleted. To take the app and its data off your iPhone, choose Delete App instead.
Can I get deleted messages back?
Yes, for a while. Deleted messages and attachments stay in Recently Deleted for up to 30 days, unless you permanently remove them first, and that can't be undone.
