Apple iPhone • Slow or full • 10–30 minutes

Phone storage is full — Apple iPhone

Safety firstDo not erase the iPhone until you have checked its backup and know the Apple Account password.

Start by finding what is actually filling the iPhone. Then work on the largest category using items you can safely download again.

Check for an iOS update
Open Settings > General > Software Update. If an update is available, tap Update Now and follow the on-screen steps.
Find the largest storage category
Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage and wait for the colored bar and app list to finish loading. Look for the category or app using the most space. This tells you whether downloads, apps, messages, or photos are the main problem. If Photos is near the top, use the separate “Free up space from photos” guide before continuing here.
Remove downloaded shows and music
If TV, Music, Podcasts, or another media app was near the top of the list, tap it on the iPhone Storage page. Swipe left on a downloaded item and tap Delete. Start here because a download can usually be added again later.
Offload an unused app
If Apps was a large part of the colored bar, stay in Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Tap a large app you recognize but rarely use, tap Offload App, then confirm. This keeps its documents but removes the app itself.
Review large message attachments
If Messages was large, open Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages. Open a category such as Videos, tap Edit, choose only attachments you no longer need, then tap the trash can.
Restart and confirm that space increased
Open Settings > General > Shut Down. Restart, then return to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Compare the Available amount with what you saw in step 1.