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How to free up space on your phone in less than 5 minutes (we timed it)
Tidying up unwanted apps, pictures and videos stored on your phone isn't the most exciting task in the world, but it's an important one and doesn't have to take long.
Whether you're using an iPhone or an Android, your device has handy, built-in tools for tackling digital junk. In just a couple of minutes, you can declutter your digital drawers and make space for the files that matter the most.
Below, we explain how to clear space with or without the help of a cloud storage service such as Apple iCloud or Google Drive.
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How to free up space on an iPhone
It's worth setting aside some time to clear files off your iPhone that you don't need. That way, you'll have more room for apps, documents, photos and videos. Plus, you'll avoid the dreaded 'Storage full' notification.
Tip: Before you delete files, consider backing up your device to a computer or iCloud. Note that iCloud automatically backs up your iPhone daily when it's charging, locked and on wi-fi. Check details in Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup.
When you're ready, run through these four steps:
- From your home screen, tap the Settings icon.
- Scroll down to General and choose iPhone Storage. On this screen, you'll see a breakdown of files stored on your phone (not iCloud) – the list includes Photos, Messages and Apps.
- Take a moment to identify the largest segments in the chart. You might see that installed apps are taking up more space than you'd like, for example.
- Explore the Recommendations tab for tips on how to save space. If there are multiple suggestions, you'll need to select Show all. One option is to Optimize Photos, which stores full-resolution photos in iCloud and uses smaller versions on your mobile.
To free space manually, scroll down the iPhone Storage page until you see a list of apps ordered by how much space they take up. Tapping each app will generate different options. For example, selecting Messages will let you delete large attachments.
You can also choose to remove apps entirely if you don't think you need them. There are two options:
- Offload App will free up storage used by the app, but keeps your documents and data saved. If you reinstall the app at a later date, you'll still have your data.
- Delete App removes the app and all related data.
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How to free up space on Android
Many Android phones and tablets come with Files by Google (below) pre-installed – it's a free app that helps you spot files you no longer need (old downloads or picture duplicates, for example).
If you don't have Files by Google, you can download it from the Google Play Store.
Tip: Some Android phones offer expandable storage, which means you can insert a micro-SD card for improved storage capacity.
With the Files app on your device, run through these five steps:
- Open Files by Google and tap the Settings icon in the top-left corner.
- Choose Clean and you'll see an overview of your internal storage allowance.
- Work your way through each section of the app, starting with Delete duplicates – select files to delete and choose Move to bin.
- Check the files mentioned within the rest of the app menus: Delete blurry photos, Delete large files and delete downloaded files.
- Tap Settings in the top-left corner once again, but this time pick Bin. If files are lying there, consider deleting them permanently.
Once you've worked your way through Files by Google, you can turn your attention to managing your installed apps.
From your Settings menu, choose Storage to see how much internal storage is remaining on your device. Tap Apps and you can see which ones are taking up the most space. If you spot any apps in the list that you haven't used for a long time, consider uninstalling them.
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Storing your files in the cloud
Freeing up space on your phone doesn't have to mean deleting masses of files. By partnering up with a cloud storage service, you can simply move some of your local files to the cloud – you can view or download them from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection.
An added benefit of using cloud storage is that you can share specific files or whole folders with friends and family. For example, you can free up space on your mobile by uploading holiday snaps to the cloud, then share that link with other contacts so they can add their own files.
Popular storage service providers include Apple iCloud (5GB of free storage), Google Drive (15GB of free storage) and Microsoft OneDrive (£1.99 for 100GB).
For more details, consult our guide on how to choose the best cloud storage service.
Even more space-saving tips
- Move files from your phone to your PC – if you have masses of pictures and videos that you don't necessarily need stored on your mobile, this is worth a try.
- Manage your downloads – check your list to see if anything can be removed. On an iPhone, you can use the Files app. On Android, go to Settings and run a search for 'Downloads.'
- Make the most of streaming services – consider streaming music and videos through an app. Not every file needs to be stored directly on your mobile.
- Clear browser cache – free up space taken by temporary internet files. On an iPhone, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. On Android, open the Chrome browser and go to Settings > History > Clear browsing data.
- Delete old podcasts and audiobooks – assuming you enjoy listening to these on the move, you might have forgotten to delete old episodes you've already listened to. Some podcast apps will do this for you automatically, but it's worth checking just in case.
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