How to clear storage on an iPhone

1. Review storage recommendations

Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage to find a color-coded storage breakdown at the top.

Below the breakdown, you’ll find Recommendations to clear out space. Select it to view and delete files (like videos and audio) you no longer need. 

2. Delete or offload apps

Follow the same steps as above (Settings > General > iPhone Storage) and scroll down the iPhone Storage menu to see how much space the apps are taking up. 

Tap the app you want to delete, and then press Delete App at the bottom. 

Alternatively, if you want to keep the app’s documents and data on your device but remove the app for additional storage, tap Offload App. 

3. Delete music

To delete music, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Music. Tap Edit, and red minus icons will appear beside all the listed artists. Tap the minus icon beside the artists you want to remove, and press Delete. 

You can also delete music directly through the Music app. Once in the app, access Albums, Songs, or Recently Added. Then, long press the tracks/albums you want to delete and tap Delete from Library. 

4. Delete messages

Open the Messages app and tap any message category you want to clear. Then, press the three dots at the top right corner and tap Select Messages. Next, choose the messages you want to delete and tap Delete at the bottom right corner. 

To delete all the messages, repeat the steps above until you tap Select Messages. Then, press Select All at the top left corner and tap Delete at the bottom right corner. 

To automate this process, head to Settings > Messages. Scroll down to find and select Keep Messages, which is under Message History. Choose from the three options on how long to store your messages (30 days, one year, or forever). 

5. Clear Safari cache and history

Head to Settings and scroll down to select Safari. Navigate down the Safari menu till you find Clear History and Website Data. Tap it to bring up additional options, like the timeframe for clearing the history, and once you’ve selected the duration, tap Clear History. 

6. Clear Chrome cache and history

If you use Google Chrome, open the Chrome app on your phone. Tap the three dots at the bottom right corner, and then tap Clear Browsing Data. Select Cached Images and Files, and then tap Clear Browsing Data at the bottom of the screen. 

7. Backup media files to iCloud and optimize media storage

Backing up your photos and videos to iCloud will save you plenty of storage space in the long run. 

Additionally, to optimize your media storage, head to Settings > Your name > iCloud > Photos. Select Optimize iPhone Storage to ensure your device stores smaller versions of your media to save space (the full-resolution file downloads automatically when viewing the optimized file).