How to Free Up iPhone Storage Taken by Photos and Videos
Updated
Photos and videos are usually the biggest thing on an iPhone. Here's how to find out how much space they take and win it back, starting with the steps that free the most storage.
1. Check how much space Photos is using
- Open Settings › General › iPhone Storage (iPad Storage on iPad).
- Wait for the storage bar to finish calculating, then find Photos in the list of apps.
- Tap Photos to see its size and any suggestions iOS offers.
2. Start with videos
Video takes far more space than photos: one minute of 4K video at 30 fps is roughly 170 MB, and higher frame rates take even more. Deleting a handful of long clips often frees more space than hundreds of photos.
- In Photos, scroll to Media Types and open Videos.
- Look for long or forgotten clips and delete the ones you don't need.
- If storage is always tight, choose a lower resolution or frame rate in Settings › Camera › Record Video.
3. Clear screenshots, screen recordings and bursts
Screenshots and screen recordings pile up quickly and are rarely worth keeping. Open each one under Media Types, tap Select, drag across the ones you don't need, and delete them. For Bursts, keep your favorite frame and delete the rest.
4. Merge duplicates
Under Utilities › Duplicates, Photos lists exact and near-exact copies. Tap Merge to combine each set: Photos keeps the highest-quality version with the relevant details and moves the extras to Recently Deleted.
5. Review everything else in batches
What's left is the hard part: thousands of everyday photos where keepers and clutter are mixed together. Butterfly is built for exactly this — it shows your library in small batches so you can decide on each item with a swipe, and nothing is deleted until you confirm the batch.
6. Turn on Optimize iPhone Storage
If you use iCloud Photos, your iPhone can keep full-resolution originals in iCloud and smaller, device-sized versions on the phone.
- Open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud › Photos.
- Turn on Sync this iPhone, then choose Optimize iPhone Storage.
You'll need enough iCloud storage for your whole library. Originals download automatically when you open or edit a photo.
7. Empty Recently Deleted
Everything you deleted is still taking up space for 30 days. When you're sure, open Utilities › Recently Deleted in Photos, tap Select, and choose Delete All to reclaim the space immediately.