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Apple iPhone • Slow or full • 10–30 minutes

Free up space from photos — Apple iPhone

Safety firstiCloud Photos syncs deletions everywhere. Copy important photos elsewhere before permanently deleting them.
First confirm that photos are using enough space to be worth working on. If iCloud Photos is on, remember that deleting a photo removes it from every device using the same Apple Account.

  1. Check for an iOS update

    Open Settings > General > Software Update. If an update is available, tap Update Now and follow the on-screen steps.

  2. See whether photos are the main storage problem

    Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage and wait for the colored bar and app list to finish loading. Tap Photos. Look at how many GB Photos uses and whether it is one of the largest items on the page. If Photos uses only a small amount, go back and work on the larger category instead; the steps below will not free much space.

  3. Keep full photos in iCloud and smaller copies on the iPhone

    If Photos was large and you want to keep the pictures, open Settings > your name > iCloud > Photos. Make sure Sync this iPhone is on, then choose Optimize iPhone Storage. This lets the iPhone replace full-size local copies with smaller versions when it needs space; leave it on Wi‑Fi and power while it works.

  4. Merge duplicates next

    Open Photos > Collections. Scroll to Utilities, tap Duplicates, then tap Merge beside a group. This keeps the best version and combines useful information instead of making you choose between identical copies.

  5. Review the largest photo types

    Open Photos > Collections. Scroll to Media Types, then open Videos or Screenshots. These often use space you can spot quickly. Tap Select, choose only items you do not need, then tap the trash can.

  6. Empty Recently Deleted only when sure

    Open Photos > Collections > Utilities > Recently Deleted. Tap View Album and unlock it. Check that nothing important is there before tapping Select > More > Delete All; this is the step that makes the space available right away.

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