How to Clean Up iPhone Storage (2026 Guide)

Published on February 5, 2026 • 8 min read

Is your iPhone showing "Storage Almost Full"? You're not alone. Millions of iPhone users struggle with storage issues every day. In this comprehensive guide, we'll show you exactly how to clean up iPhone storage and free up gigabytes of space.

Why Is My iPhone Storage Full?

Before we dive into solutions, let's understand what's eating up your iPhone storage:

• Photos and Videos - The biggest storage hog for most users
• Apps - Games and social media apps can take up several GB each
• Messages - Years of texts with photos and videos add up
• System Data - Cache files, logs, and temporary data
• Other Storage - Offline content, Siri voices, and more

How to Check iPhone Storage

First, let's see what's using your storage:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap General
3. Tap iPhone Storage
4. Wait for the graph to load - this shows exactly what's using space

7 Ways to Clean Up iPhone Storage

1. Delete Duplicate Photos

Duplicate photos are one of the biggest space wasters. You might have multiple copies of the same photo from screenshots, downloads, or camera bursts. Use an app like SwipeCloud to automatically find and delete duplicate photos, freeing up valuable storage space.

2. Back Up Photos to Cloud

Instead of deleting precious memories, back them up to cloud storage. With SwipeCloud, you can swipe right to instantly upload photos to Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox, or OneDrive - then safely delete them from your iPhone.

3. Clear Safari Cache

Safari stores website data that can grow over time:

1. Go to Settings > Safari
2. Tap Clear History and Website Data
3. Confirm by tapping Clear History and Data

4. Offload Unused Apps

iOS can automatically remove apps you don't use while keeping their data:

1. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage
2. Enable Offload Unused Apps

5. Delete Old Messages

Messages with photos and videos take up significant space:

1. Go to Settings > Messages
2. Under Keep Messages, select 30 Days or 1 Year

6. Clean Social Media Cache

Apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook store cached data. You can clear this by:

• Deleting and reinstalling the app
• Using the app's built-in cache clearing option
• Using SwipeCloud's Social Clean feature to identify and remove social media junk

7. Review Large Attachments

iOS helps you find large files:

1. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage
2. Tap Review Large Attachments
3. Delete files you no longer need

The Easiest Way to Clean Up iPhone Storage

SwipeCloud makes it fun and easy to free up space. Swipe right to back up photos to cloud, delete duplicates, and clean social media files - all in one app.

How Much Storage Can You Free Up?

By following these steps, most users can free up 10-50 GB of storage. The biggest gains usually come from:

• Removing duplicate photos (5-20 GB)
• Backing up and deleting old photos/videos (10-50 GB)
• Clearing app caches (2-5 GB)
• Deleting old messages (1-10 GB)

Prevent Future Storage Problems

To avoid running into storage issues again:

• Regularly back up photos to cloud storage
• Enable "Optimize iPhone Storage" for iCloud Photos
• Periodically review and delete duplicate photos
• Clear app caches monthly

Conclusion

Cleaning up iPhone storage doesn't have to be a painful process. By following this guide and using tools like SwipeCloud, you can quickly free up space and keep your iPhone running smoothly. The key is to regularly back up your photos to cloud storage so you never have to delete precious memories.

Ready to clean up your iPhone? Download SwipeCloud free and start freeing up space today!