By fiddling around with your iPhone's settings, you can delete photos from your mobile and instead store them on iCloud. This should free up a good chunk of memory on your handset, leaving you plenty of space to download new apps and podcasts, or take more snaps. Finally, go back to iPhone Storage and look at the apps list. Most of the apps store data that is categorized as Apps, but some will keep caches that are categorized as Other. On your iPhone or iPad, navigate to Settings - General - iPhone Storage. Here you will get a breakdown of the storage space used on your iPhone by various installed apps, the OS itself, and more. You should also see the space occupied by ‘Other’ data here. As per Apple, the ‘Other’ data is occupied by the following files.
- How To Make Free Space In Phone Memory
- How To Clear Space In Phone Storage On Windows 10
- How To Clear Space In Phone Storage Capacity
- How To Clear Space In Phone Storage On Mac
- How To Clear Space In Device Memory
No matter how large your internal storage is, you cannot install unlimited applications and store large amounts of files all the time. In another word, your Android phone storage will be full sooner or later. When there is no enough storage space, and you need to update your Android or install one important application, what will you do? And what if you want to sell or donate your personal smart phone to someone else? Can you protect your private information effectively?
Therefore, you had better clear phone storage regularly no matter the phone storage is full or not. Though you can move certain files and apps to microSD card or other external hard drives, it is still important to clear memory Android to maintain the normal operating space. Fortunately, this article collects some useful and easy-to-operate solutions. As a result, you are able to free up storage and memory space with ease.
How To Make Free Space In Phone Memory
Part 1: How to Clear Phone Storage
You can try the traditional way to clear phone storage space on Android by deleting useless files. And it is also supported to install an Android cleaner app to save your overstuffed mobile. Moreover, this article also shows how to get more space on your phone without deleting anything. You can read and choose the certain solution to free up space on Android.
Delete Your Downloads
To download more apps and media files, or clear system memory, you can delete some less important files manually. If you are not sure whether you will use those files in the further or not, you can backup Android files to cloud storage space in advance.
Step 1. Locate your download folder
Every Android phone has its own download folder. All your downloaded photos, videos, documents and other files will be stored in the local downloads folder. In some Android models, this folder may be called as 'My Files' as well.
Step 2. Clear internal phone storage on Android
Turn to your download history and find files you want to delete. Just long press one file to select it. Later, click 'Remove' or other trashcan icon to delete downloads when internal storage Android full.
Clear the Cache
Furthermore, you need to clear cached data on your Android phone regularly. And you will not lose any sensitive or important Android data. In most cases, cleaning app cache is the first decision you can make.
Method 1: Clear cached data from an Android app.
Open 'Settings' app. Choose 'Applications' and scroll down to click 'Application Manager'. Later, you can find the target application. When you are in the Application info page, click 'Storage' and then choose 'Clear Cache' to clear the cache on Android.
Method 2: Clear all cached data on Android
Go to 'Settings' and click 'Storage' under its list. Find and click 'Cached data'. When you are prompted with 'This will clear cached data for all apps.', choose 'OK' to confirm. After that, you can clear phone memory Android successfully.
Take Advantage of Google Photos
Actually, Google Photos app is a good cloud storage tool that allows users to backup unlimited photos over the air. Thus, you can move all pictures from Android to Google Photos to free up more space on Android.
Step 1. Turn on Google Photos backup feature
Run Google Photos app on your Android phone. Make sure you have turned on 'Back up & sync' feature under 'Settings' already.
Step 2. Backup Android photos to Google Photos
You can set whether to backup Android photos at high quality resolution or original size. Well, Google Photos only offers unlimited storage space for high quality photos at present.
Step 3. Clear phone storage space on Android
Then go back to Settings app and choose 'Free up device storage'. Click 'Remove' to delete Android pictures that have been backed up.
Move APPs to the Trash
If you have not used the certain application for a long time, and you are sure that you have no interest to use this app any more, then why don't you move it to the trash?
Step 1. Access all Android apps
Navigate 'Settings' app. Head to 'Storage' and click 'Apps'. Later, you can see all installed apps sorted by size.
Step 2. Clear phone storage on Android by deleting apps
Hold and press the app you do not use. then click the 'i' icon besides your app's name. Choose 'Uninstall' and confirm your change.
APP to Clear Phone Storage
By free installing Files Go from Google Play Store, you can visualize the left storage space exactly. And it is easy to clear phone storage on Android by deleting temporary files, downloads and other files easily.
Step 1. See all your Android files organized by Files Go
Launch Files Go and grant storage permissions and app access. Then you can monitor the storage usage including unused apps, duplicate files, temporary files, etc.
Step 2. Clear phone storage Android
Choose the certain category and select items you want to delete. Later, click 'Delete' to clean up your Android, or choose 'Clear' to uninstall apps and free up Android phone storage space.
Part 2: How to Get More Space on Your Phone without Deleting Anything
Android Data Backup & Restore is your best friend, which can backup and restore any Android data to Windows or Mac PC in one click. Thus, you can backup data to your computer to clear phone storage space on Android. It is quite easy to achieve, and no Android data will be overwritten.
- One click to backup and restore data from Android to Windows or Mac PC.
- Preview and select any data to restore to your Android without data loss.
- Set up password to encrypt your Android backup files.
- Work with over 5,000 Android portable devices including Samsung, Sony, LG, etc.
Step 1. Connect Android to PC
Launch Android Data Backup & Restore. Then use a lighting USB cable to connect your Android phone or tablet to your computer. Click 'One-click Backup' to backup all Android files to PC. Otherwise, you can click 'Device Data Backup' to backup certain Android file types without overwriting.
Step 2. Select data type to backup (optional)
If you want to backup Android data to your computer selectively, then you can select the data type in the popping up window.
Step 3. Backup data from Android to PC
Then choose 'Start' to backup Android data to PC immediately. And you can have a check when the backup is over.
After that, you can clear phone storage by deleting all Android files. If you accidentally deleted important files, just use this software as the backup extractor or to get deleted data back.
Well, it is also a good way that can increase internal storage Android in some degree. In addition, even though your Android device is broken or crashed, you can still access all important documents and medias files directly.
When you set up iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of storage. You can use that space for your iCloud backups, to keep your photos and videos stored in iCloud Photos, and your documents up to date in iCloud Drive. You can make more space or buy more storage any time.
See how much iCloud storage you're using
Your iCloud storage is different from the storage capacity that comes with your device. Learn the difference between storage on your device and in iCloud.
On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud. To see more detailed information about how apps and services are using your storage, tap iCloud Storage or Manage Storage.
On your Mac
Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud. To see more detailed information about how apps and services are using your storage, click Manage.
On your PC
How To Clear Space In Phone Storage On Windows 10
On the web
On a supported browser, sign in to iCloud.com, then click Account Settings.
Upgrade or downgrade your iCloud storage
You can buy more storage or downgrade your storage at any time. Plans start at 50GB for $0.99 (USD) a month. If you choose 200GB or 2TB plans, you can share your storage with family. Learn more about plans and prices in your region.
You can also make more space using the steps below.
Make more space available in iCloud
If you run out of iCloud storage, your device won’t back up to iCloud, new photos and videos won't upload to iCloud Photos, and iCloud Drive, other iCloud apps, and text messages won't stay up to date across your devices. And you can't send or receive emails with your iCloud email address.
You can free up storage in iCloud by deleting content that you're not using:
Before you delete anything, you might want to archive or make copies of the information you store in iCloud.
Manage your iCloud Backup
When you back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to iCloud, the most important information on your device is backed up automatically. Backups can include your documents, photos, and videos. Learn more about what iCloud backs up.
Many iOS apps automatically back up to iCloud after you install them. You can decrease the size of your iCloud Backup and free up space in iCloud when you turn off backups for apps that you're not using or delete old iCloud backups.
Choose which apps to back up on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
- Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
- Tap Manage Storage > Backups.
- Tap the name of the device that you're using.
- Under Choose Data to Back Up, turn off any apps that you don't want to back up.
- Choose Turn Off & Delete.
When you confirm that you want to Turn Off & Delete an app, it turns off iCloud Backup for that app and removes all of its information from iCloud.
Some apps are always backed up and you can't turn them off.
Delete backups and turn off iCloud Backup for your device
You can delete old iCloud backups for the device you're currently using, or older devices you may not use anymore. iCloud backups are available for 180 days after you disable or stop using iCloud Backup.
iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
- Go to Settings > [your name], then tap iCloud.
- Tap Manage Storage > Backups.
- Tap the name of the device whose backup you'd like to delete.
- Tap Delete Backup > Turn Off & Delete.
When you delete a backup, it also turns off iCloud Backup for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
Mac
- Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Apple ID, then click iCloud.
- Click Manage and select Backups.
- Select one of the device backups, then click Delete. If you want to turn off Backup and remove all backups for that device from iCloud, choose Delete when you're asked to confirm.
When you delete a backup, it also turns off iCloud Backup for your device.
Windows PC
- Open iCloud for Windows.
- Click Storage.
- Select Backup from the items listed.
- Select one of the device backups, then click Delete. If you want to turn off Backup and remove all backups for that device from iCloud, choose Delete when you're asked to confirm.
When you delete a backup, it also turns off iCloud Backup for your device.
Reduce the size of your iCloud Photos
iCloud Photos uses your iCloud storage to keep all of your photos and videos up to date across your devices. You can make more space in iCloud when you delete photos and videos that you no longer need from the Photos app on any of your devices.
Before you delete anything, make sure that you back up the photos and videos that you still want. When you use iCloud Photos and delete a photo or video on one device, it's also deleted on all other devices where you're signed in with the same Apple ID.
Use these steps to delete photos and videos from your iCloud Photos.
iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
- Open the Photos app, then tap Photos at the bottom of your screen.
- Tap Select, and choose one or more photos or videos that you want to delete.
- Tap Delete , and then tap Delete Photo.
Mac
How To Clear Space In Phone Storage Capacity
- Open the Photos app.
- Select the photos and videos that you want to delete.
- Choose Image, then click Delete Photos.
iCloud.com
- From your iPhone, iPad, or computer, sign in to iCloud.com.
- Tap the Photos app.
- Select the photos or videos that you want to delete.
- Tap Delete, then tap Delete.
To select multiple photos or videos, tap Select on iOS or iPadOS, or press and hold Command on a Mac or Control on a PC while you select the items. To select all, press and hold Command-A on macOS or Control-A on Windows, or tap Select All on iOS or iPadOS.
You can recover photos and videos that you delete from your Recently Deleted album for 30 days. If you want to remove content from Recently Deleted album faster, tap Select, then select the items you want to remove. Tap Delete > Delete. If you exceed your iCloud storage limit, your device immediately removes any photos and videos you delete and they won't be available for recovery in your Recently Deleted album.
Reduce the size of your photo library
If you don't use iCloud Photos, your Camera Roll is part of your iCloud Backup. To check how much storage it's using in iCloud Backup, follow these steps.
- Go to Settings > [your name], then tap iCloud.
- Tap Manage Storage.
- Tap Backups.
- Tap the name of the device you're using, then look at Photos.
To reduce the size of your Photos backup, save your photos and videos to your computer, then manually back up your iOS device. If you want to keep your photos and videos on your iOS device, you can turn off Photos in Backup or buy more storage. If there are any photos that you don't want to keep, you can delete them. Open Photos and select the item that you want to delete. Then tap Delete and tap Delete Photo.
Delete folders or files in iCloud Drive
You can manage and delete folders or files you store in iCloud Drive from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC. If you're a participant in someone else's shared folder, it does not count towards your iCloud storage. Learn more about folder sharing in iCloud Drive.
With iOS 11 or later, files that you delete from iCloud Drive remain in Recently Deleted for 30 days before they're removed from your device.
iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
- Go to the Files app and tap Browse.
- Under Locations, tap iCloud Drive > Select.
- Choose the folders or files that you want to delete, then tap Delete .
- Go to Locations > Recently Deleted > Select.
- Choose the files that you want to delete.
- Tap Delete.
Mac
You can manage your iCloud Drive files from the iCloud Drive folder in Finder:
- If you need to, turn on iCloud Drive on your Mac:
- Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Apple ID, then click iCloud.
- Sign in with your Apple ID.
- Turn on iCloud Drive. In Options, make sure that you select the apps or folders for the files you want to manage.
- Open Finder and go to the iCloud Drive folder.
- Drag an item to the Trash, or move it to a different folder on your Mac.
- Open Trash, then right-click the files that you want to delete.
- Select Delete Immediately.
Windows
On a PC with Windows 7 or later, you can manage your iCloud Drive files using Windows Explorer. Use these steps to add an iCloud Drive folder to Windows Explorer:
- Download and install iCloud for Windows.
- Sign in with your Apple ID.
- Turn on iCloud Drive.
- Go to the iCloud Drive folder.
- Select the folders or files that you want to delete.
- Click Delete.
iCloud.com
- From your iPad or computer, sign in to iCloud.com.
- Tap the iCloud Drive app.
- Select the files that you want to delete, then tap Delete.
- Open the iCloud Drive folder and tap Recently Deleted.
- Select the folders or files that you want to delete.
- Tap Delete.
Delete texts and attachments in Messages
How To Clear Space In Phone Storage On Mac
When you use Messages in iCloud, all of your text messages and the attachments you send and receive use your iCloud storage. You can make more space available when you delete texts and attachments—like photos, videos, and files—that you don't need anymore.
iPhone or iPad
To delete a message or attachment, follow these steps:
- In a message conversation, touch and hold the message bubble or attachment that you want to delete.
- Tap More.
- Tap Delete , then tap Delete Message. If you want to delete all messages in the thread tap Delete All, in the upper-left corner. Then tap Delete Conversation.
To delete multiple attachments from a contact or conversation, follow these steps:
- In a message conversation, tap the contact's name at the top of the screen.
- Tap Info .
- Select See All Photos
- Tap Select, tap the images you'd like to delete.
- Tap Delete, then tap Delete Attachment to confirm.
To delete an entire conversation, follow these steps:
- Swipe left over the conversation that you want to delete.
- Tap Delete.
- Tap Delete again to confirm.
Mac
To delete a message or attachment, follow these steps:
- Open a message conversation.
- Control-click the blank area of a message bubble that you want to delete.
- Choose Delete.
- Click Delete.
To delete an entire conversation, follow these steps:
- Control-click a conversation.
- Choose Delete Conversation.
- Click Delete.
Delete messages and manage Mail
You can free up iCloud space when you delete email messages from your iCloud email account. You can also move email messages from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac or PC, where they no longer count against your iCloud storage.
Use the steps below to delete messages from your account. Remember that messages with large attachments take up more space than simple text emails.
iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is set up to access iCloud email, you can delete messages from any mailbox, then empty the Trash to free up space:
- Swipe left across any message to delete it.
- Tap your Trash folder.
- Delete messages one at a time, or tap Edit, tap Select All, and then tap Trash to delete all of them.
How To Clear Space In Device Memory
Mac or Windows PC
If you use iCloud Mail with a desktop email app, such as Mail on your Mac or Microsoft Outlook on your PC, use these steps:
- Mail on your Mac: Delete the messages that you no longer want, then choose Mailbox > Erase Deleted Items and select your iCloud email account from the menu.
- Microsoft Outlook 2010 through Outlook 2016 (Windows): Delete the messages that you no longer want. Outlook will permanently delete your messages the next time you close and restart the app.
iCloud.com
- From your iPad or computer, sign in to iCloud.com.
- Tap Mail.
- Delete the messages that you no longer want, then tap Settings and select Empty Trash.
Delete voice memos
With Voice Memos in iCloud, your voice recordings are stored in iCloud.* You can easily delete them if you need more space.
Open Voice Memos and delete the recording that you don't want. It then moves to Recently Deleted, where it deletes permanently after 30 days. Until then, you can choose to restore it or delete it permanently. Select Recover All or Erase All to affect all recordings at one time.
* If you use iOS 11 or earlier, or macOS High Sierra or earlier, your Voice Memos are included in iCloud Backup, not iCloud.
Learn more about iCloud storage
- Find out what's in Others in your iCloud storage.
- If you have a web-only iCloud account, you can reduce how much of your 1 GB total of storage that you're using by moving or deleting documents.
- For more information on availability of iCloud features, see the iCloud system requirements.
Learn how iCloud operates in China mainland.