8 ways to get more iPhone storage today - and most are free

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• iPhone retention ever fills up faster than astir radical expect.
• You tin reclaim abstraction without deleting everything you love.
• Buying much iCloud+ retention is optional, but not necessary.

If you've ever seen the dreaded "iPhone Storage Full" warning, you're not alone. Storage tin capable up accelerated acknowledgment to the photos and videos we capture, the apps we download, and the browser cache and strategy information that we fto softly heap up implicit time.

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And portion Apple would emotion for you to lick the occupation by upgrading your iCloud+ plan, that's not your lone option. There are plentifulness of built-in iOS 26 tools that tin assistance reclaim storage, and astir of them are wholly escaped to use. Here are the ones I often effort first.

1. Check your strategy information

Before you delete anything, it helps to fig retired wherever your retention is going. System Data tin softly balloon to gigabytes without you realizing it, but it's mostly made up of caches and impermanent files that iOS manages connected its own.

How to cheque strategy information connected your iPhone

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap iPhone Storage.
4. Look for System Data astatine the bottommost of the list.
5. If you spot a precocious gigabyte number, effort closing each your apps and restarting your phone.

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System Data fluctuates constantly. I've seen it leap to 30GB and past driblet by 10GB overnight without maine touching a thing. Unfortunately, you can't manually wide it, but closing unused apps and restarting your telephone tin sometimes assistance shrink that number. For example, erstwhile I checked conscionable now, it was 17GB. I closed my apps, restarted my phone, and present it's astatine 12GB.

Hey, that's 5GB saved!

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2. Offload (or delete) unused apps

This is 1 of the astir underrated retention features connected the iPhone. That's due to the fact that offloading an app removes it from your instrumentality without deleting your documents, data, oregon logins. Those are kept harmless successful iCloud. When you reinstall the app later, everything comes backmost precisely arsenic you near it. Still, offloading an app you seldom usage removes the ample app record itself and frees up space.

How to offload unused apps connected your iPhone

1. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
2. Scroll to find ample apps you seldom use. Tap an app taking up a batch of space.
3. Select Offload App. Or prime Delete App if you prefer.
4. Confirm.

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I did this for respective apps conscionable now, specified arsenic GarageBand, which was taking up much than 1GB of space. You tin besides delete apps, but that removes the app and each its information permanently. It does escaped up much abstraction and lets you commencement caller if you determine to reinstall later. I suggest utilizing offloading if you mightiness usage the apps again soon and deleting if you're wholly done with the apps.

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

3. Clear your iPhone cache

I person a abstracted usher connected this topic, but the TL;DR is this: if your iPhone feels dilatory oregon debased connected storage, clearing its cache tin help.

Over time, apps store impermanent files meant to velocity things up, but excessively overmuch cached information tin person the other effect. Unfortunately, there's nary "clear cache" fastener successful iOS. Some apps connection built-in cache options, however, including browsers similar Safari and Chrome and apps similar Snapchat. Clearing cache tin escaped up space, amended performance, and trim glitches.

How to wide cache connected your iPhone

1. Clear Safari cache: Go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Website Data > Remove All Website Data, past pat Remove Now.
2. Clear Chrome cache: Open Chrome, pat the 3 dots, past spell to Settings > Privacy and Security > Delete Browsing Data. Under Browsing Data, prime Browsing History and Cached Images and Files. Be definite to specify a clip range.
3. Clear app cache: Look for different apps that connection a wide cache option. For example, successful Snapchat, spell to Profile > Settings > My Privacy and Data > Clear Data > Clear Cache > Clear.
4. Restart your iPhone: Power your telephone disconnected and backmost connected to flush impermanent strategy files and refresh performance.

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Doing this regular regularly tin assistance support your iPhone moving smoothly.

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

4. Delete junk photos and videos

I'll beryllium honest, photos and videos are your biggest retention hogs. Burst shots, screenshots, surface recordings, memes, downloaded TikToks and saved Snapchats, and, of course, duplicates each adhd up fast, particularly if you similar high-resolution photos and instrumentality 4K video. It doesn't wounded to look done your Photos app each present and past and delete the worldly you don't need.

How to delete photos and videos connected your iPhone

1. Open the Photos app and spell to Collections.
2. Scroll to Media Types, specified arsenic Bursts, Screenshots, oregon Screen Recordings. Select a category, pat Select, reappraisal what you don't want, and pat the Trash icon. You tin delete items individually oregon successful batches.
3. Back successful Collections, scroll to Utilities. Select a class specified arsenic Duplicates oregon Illustrations, and past repetition the aforesaid process.
4. When you're done, spell to Collections > Utilities > Recently Deleted. Authenticate to entree the folder, and past permanently delete the items you conscionable purged to instantly escaped up space.

If you privation a much low-effort mode to signifier an overloaded camera rotation without spending hours deleting, usage your phone's built-in photograph hunt to look up today's date. This surfaces photos taken connected that time crossed past years.

Also: This elemental instrumentality helps maine tame my chaotic camera rotation successful conscionable a fewer minutes

You tin past rapidly reappraisal that tiny batch and delete thing that doesn't matter. Repeating the process regular lets you steadily declutter implicit clip and turns an overwhelming task into a quick, manageable habit.

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5. Optimize photograph retention

Even if you person the escaped iCloud+ tier, Apple includes a built-in feature that tin trim however overmuch abstraction photos and videos instrumentality up. When enabled, your full-resolution photos and videos are stored successful iCloud, portion smaller versions stay connected your phone. You tin inactive presumption everything normally, and your iPhone automatically downloads the full-quality mentation erstwhile you request it.

How to alteration optimize photograph retention connected your iPhone

1. Go to Settings > Apps.
2. Tap Photos.
3. Turn connected iCloud Photos.
4. Select Optimize iPhone Storage.

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Just retrieve that this does instrumentality up iCloud storage, truthful if you're debased connected space, you whitethorn beryllium forced to upgrade your plan.

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

6. Transfer files disconnected your iPhone

If unreality retention isn't your thing, oregon you don't privation to wage to upgrade your plan, effort moving information disconnected your iPhone.

How to transportation files disconnected your iPhone

• Use AirDrop to determination photos and videos to your Mac: Open the Photos app connected your iPhone > prime the photos oregon videos you privation to determination > pat the Share fastener > take AirDrop > prime your Mac > judge the transportation connected your Mac.
• You tin transcript files to an external USB oregon Lightning drive: Open the Files app connected your iPhone > find the files you privation to determination > pat and clasp a file, past take Move > prime your outer thrust > pat Move to confirm.

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The thought present is you're transferring ample files to a machine oregon outer retention for archiving. Once you corroborate the files are backed up elsewhere, delete them from your iPhone to instantly escaped up retention space.

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

7. Review ample attachments

Reviewing ample attachments successful Messages helps you rapidly find and region photos, videos, GIFs, and different files that person been shared successful substance threads and are softly taking up abstraction connected your iPhone. These attachments tin heap up implicit time, particularly successful progressive radical chats, and they're casual to hide due to the fact that they unrecorded wrong conversations alternatively than your Photos app. 

How to reappraisal ample attachments connected your iPhone

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap iPhone Storage.
4. Scroll down and pat Review Large Attachments.
5. Review the list, prime the items you privation to remove, and delete them to escaped up space.

The Review Large Attachments presumption pulls everything into 1 place, sorted by size, truthful you tin spot what's eating up retention astatine a glimpse and delete items you nary longer request without digging done idiosyncratic connection threads.

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

8. Sorry, but bargain much iCloud+ abstraction

Sometimes the lone solution left, if you really need much storage, is to upgrade your plan. This is particularly existent if photos and videos are your main contented and you don't privation to delete anything. Choosing a caller iCloud+ plan doesn't summation your phone's carnal storage, but paired with optimization settings, it tin summation your usable space.

How to upgrade iCloud+ plans connected your iPhone

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap your name.
3. Tap iCloud.
4. Tap Storage > Change Storage Plan > See All Plans.
5. Choose a retention tier and confirm.

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iCloud+ starts astatine 99 cents a period for the 50GB plan. There's besides 200GB for $2.99, 2TB for $9.99, 6TB for $29.99, and 12TB for $59.99. I person 2TB and americium presently utilizing astir a 4th of it, with photos stored successful iCloud taking up astir 10% of the space.

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET