Free up space when your phone says storage is full

"Storage almost full" is one of the most common problems we see. The good news: it's usually photos and videos, and you can fix it without losing a single one.

First, see what's taking up space

iPhone: Settings, then General, then iPhone Storage. Wait a moment and a colored bar shows what's using space.

Android: Settings, then Storage. (On Samsung phones: Settings, Battery and device care, Storage.)

Almost always, the biggest chunk is Photos or Videos. Apps like Messages, WhatsApp, and Facebook can also be huge because they save every picture people send you.

Safe things to delete

• Videos you don't need. One long video can be bigger than a thousand photos. Check your camera roll for accidental recordings.
• Screenshots. Most are old and forgotten.
• Downloads. On Android, the Files app has a Downloads folder full of things you opened once.
• "Recently deleted." On iPhone, Photos, then Albums, then Recently Deleted. Deleting a photo doesn't free space until you empty this too.
• Apps you don't use. Hold your finger on the app icon and choose Remove or Uninstall. You can always get it back from the app store.
• Old text threads with lots of pictures. In Messages, you can delete just the attachments.

Back up photos before you delete anything

If your photos are backed up, you can delete them from the phone and still see them any time.

• iPhone: iCloud Photos. Settings, your name, iCloud, Photos, turn it on. The free plan is small; the 50 GB plan is about $1 a month. Then turn on "Optimize iPhone Storage" and the phone keeps small copies and frees space on its own.
• Android: Google Photos. Open the app, tap your profile picture, Photos settings, Backup, turn it on. 15 GB is free. Then use "Free up space" in the same menu.

Give it overnight on Wi-Fi to finish, then check that a few photos show up at photos.google.com or icloud.com before deleting anything.

Things that don't help much

• Clearing "cache" over and over. It frees a little and comes right back.
• "Cleaner" apps. Many are scams or ads in disguise. Don't install them.
• Restarting. Fine to do, doesn't free storage.

Want a hand?

Backing up for the first time is the step people worry about most. Ask us and a volunteer will do it with you, step by step, until you see your photos safely in the cloud.