# Guides: free up space on iPhone and iCloud Short answers first, then the steps: with the tools built into iOS, and with Spaceclear where it helps. ## Storage basics - [Why your iPhone storage didn't change after deleting photos](https://spaceclear.app/guides/empty-recently-deleted-iphone): Deleted photos stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days and keep using storage. How to empty Recently Deleted on iPhone and get the space back immediately. - [How to free up iPhone storage without deleting anything](https://spaceclear.app/guides/free-up-iphone-storage-without-deleting-anything): Free up iPhone storage without deleting photos or apps: Optimize iPhone Storage, offload apps, compress videos, convert to HEIC and move files to a computer. - [How to free up storage on iPhone (2026 guide)](https://spaceclear.app/guides/free-up-iphone-storage): Free up iPhone storage fast: what to check in iPhone Storage, how to clear photos, videos, Messages and apps, and why to empty Recently Deleted. - [How much iPhone storage do I need? 256GB vs 512GB (2026)](https://spaceclear.app/guides/how-much-storage-do-i-need-iphone): How much iPhone storage you need in 2026: 256GB vs 512GB vs 1TB by how you use your phone, how to measure your usage, and when iCloud changes the answer. - [iPad storage full? How to free up space on iPad](https://spaceclear.app/guides/ipad-storage-full): iPad storage full? Check Settings › General › iPad Storage, then clear downloaded videos, big apps, Photos, Messages and Files downloads to get space back. - [iPhone storage full but nothing on it? 7 reasons why](https://spaceclear.app/guides/iphone-storage-full-for-no-reason): iPhone says storage is full but you have nothing on it? The usual causes: Recently Deleted, System Data, Messages, an unfinished update, or iCloud storage. - [Not enough storage to update iPhone? 5 ways to fix it](https://spaceclear.app/guides/not-enough-storage-to-update-iphone): Not enough storage to update your iPhone? Free space for the iOS update, let iOS remove apps temporarily, or update from a Mac or PC with less free space. - [What is System Data on iPhone, and how to reduce it](https://spaceclear.app/guides/what-is-system-data-iphone): System Data on iPhone is caches, logs and temporary files iOS manages. Why it grows to 20–50 GB and 6 safe ways to reduce it without erasing your iPhone. ## Photos & videos - [How to compress a video on iPhone (and keep it watchable)](https://spaceclear.app/guides/compress-video-iphone): Make iPhone videos smaller without uploading them: video sizes, camera settings that save space, and compressing videos while keeping date and location. - [How to delete burst photos on iPhone (keep the best)](https://spaceclear.app/guides/delete-burst-photos-iphone): Find burst photos on iPhone in Media Types › Bursts, keep only your favorite frames and delete the rest, and stop taking bursts by accident. - [How to delete duplicate photos on iPhone](https://spaceclear.app/guides/delete-duplicate-photos-iphone): Find and delete duplicate photos on iPhone with the built-in Duplicates album, and how to also catch similar shots, bursts and re-saved copies that Photos misses. - [How to delete all screenshots on iPhone at once](https://spaceclear.app/guides/delete-screenshots-iphone): Find every screenshot on iPhone in the Screenshots album, delete them in bulk, and keep them from piling up again. - [Do Live Photos take up more space? (and how to save it)](https://spaceclear.app/guides/do-live-photos-take-up-more-space): Yes: a Live Photo is a still plus a 3-second video, about twice the size of a photo. How to turn Live Photos off and convert old ones to stills on iPhone. - [HEIC vs JPEG on iPhone: which is better, which is smaller?](https://spaceclear.app/guides/heic-vs-jpeg-iphone): HEIC vs JPEG on iPhone: HEIC is about half the size at the same quality. When to switch to JPEG, how to convert, and which camera setting to choose. - [How much storage does 4K video take on iPhone?](https://spaceclear.app/guides/how-much-storage-4k-video-iphone): A minute of 4K video on iPhone takes about 170 MB at 30 fps and 400 MB at 60 fps. Sizes per minute and per hour for 4K, 1080p, slo-mo and ProRes. - [Apple ProRAW file size: how big, and how to save space](https://spaceclear.app/guides/proraw-file-size-iphone): Apple ProRAW photos are about 25 MB at 12MP and 75 MB at 48MP, up to 25 times a HEIC. How to find RAW photos, turn ProRAW off and convert them to HEIC. - [How to see which videos take the most storage on iPhone](https://spaceclear.app/guides/sort-videos-by-size-iphone): The Photos app can't sort by file size. How to find the biggest videos and photos on iPhone anyway, check a video's size, and free the most space first. - [How to move photos from iPhone to PC or Mac to free up space](https://spaceclear.app/guides/transfer-photos-iphone-to-computer): Move photos from iPhone to a Windows PC or Mac with a cable, check the copies, then delete them from the iPhone safely, including with iCloud Photos on. ## iCloud - [iCloud storage full? How to free up iCloud space (without paying more)](https://spaceclear.app/guides/icloud-storage-full): What fills iCloud storage, how to see it, and how to free iCloud space by cleaning iCloud Photos, backups and messages, before upgrading your iCloud+ plan. - [iCloud storage plans and prices explained (2026)](https://spaceclear.app/guides/icloud-storage-plans): iCloud+ plans in 2026: 50 GB, 200 GB, 2 TB, 6 TB and 12 TB, US prices, what each holds, family sharing, and how to pick or downgrade a plan. - [iPhone storage vs iCloud storage: what's the difference?](https://spaceclear.app/guides/iphone-storage-vs-icloud-storage): iPhone storage is the space on your phone; iCloud storage is online space in your Apple Account. What each holds and why one can be full when the other isn't. - [Optimize iPhone Storage: what it does and when to use it](https://spaceclear.app/guides/optimize-iphone-storage): Optimize iPhone Storage keeps full-size photos in iCloud and smaller ones on your iPhone. What it means, when to keep originals instead, and its limits. - [How to turn off iCloud Photos without deleting photos](https://spaceclear.app/guides/turn-off-icloud-photos-without-deleting): Turn off iCloud Photos on iPhone without losing photos: download the originals first, choose Download Photos & Videos, and what happens to iCloud copies. ## Contacts & calendar - [How to clean up contacts on iPhone after switching phones](https://spaceclear.app/guides/clean-up-contacts-iphone): Duplicate or messy contacts after switching phones? Pick one account, merge duplicates, remove empty entries and back up your iPhone contacts first. - [How to delete multiple contacts on iPhone at once](https://spaceclear.app/guides/delete-multiple-contacts-iphone): Delete multiple contacts on iPhone at once with a two-finger drag, delete all contacts with iCloud.com or account settings, and back up your contacts first. - [How to delete old calendar events on iPhone](https://spaceclear.app/guides/delete-old-calendar-events-iphone): iPhone can't bulk delete old calendar events. How to hide past events, delete repeating ones, mass delete on a Mac, and clear duplicates and old reminders. - [How to remove calendar spam on iPhone (the calendar "virus")](https://spaceclear.app/guides/delete-spam-calendar-events-iphone): Spam events in your iPhone calendar come from a subscribed calendar or junk invites, not a virus. How to unsubscribe, report junk and stop calendar spam. - [How to merge duplicate contacts on iPhone](https://spaceclear.app/guides/merge-duplicate-contacts-iphone): Merge duplicate contacts on iPhone with the built-in tool, plus how to find same-phone or same-email duplicates and back up contacts first. ## Messages & apps - [How to cancel a cleaner app subscription on iPhone](https://spaceclear.app/guides/cancel-cleaner-app-subscription): Cancel a cleaner app subscription in Settings › [your name] › Subscriptions. Deleting the app doesn't stop billing: how to cancel and ask for a refund. - [How to clear cache on iPhone (Safari, Chrome and apps)](https://spaceclear.app/guides/clear-cache-iphone): Clear cache on iPhone: Safari history and website data, Chrome browsing data, and app caches in TikTok or Spotify, plus what clearing cache really frees. - [How to clear WhatsApp storage on iPhone without losing chats](https://spaceclear.app/guides/clear-whatsapp-storage-iphone): Clear WhatsApp storage on iPhone without losing chats: Manage Storage, files larger than 5 MB, auto-download, Save to Photos copies and iCloud chat backups. - [Messages taking up storage on iPhone? How to reduce it](https://spaceclear.app/guides/messages-taking-up-storage-iphone): Messages can take 5–50 GB on iPhone. Review large attachments, delete big conversations and set Keep Messages to 1 year to get the space back. - [Offload vs delete app on iPhone: what's the difference?](https://spaceclear.app/guides/offload-vs-delete-app-iphone): Offloading an iPhone app removes the app but keeps its data; deleting removes both. When to offload, when to delete, and how Offload Unused Apps works. - [How to unsubscribe from emails on iPhone (in bulk)](https://spaceclear.app/guides/unsubscribe-emails-iphone): Unsubscribe from emails on iPhone with Mail's Unsubscribe banner, Gmail and Outlook, block senders, and clear whole senders at once to stop newsletters. ## Privacy & security - [How to hide photos on iPhone (and lock them with Face ID)](https://spaceclear.app/guides/hide-photos-iphone): Hide photos on iPhone with the Hidden album, lock it with Face ID, hide the album itself, and when a private vault with its own PIN is the better choice. - ["iCloud storage full" email: scam or real? How to tell](https://spaceclear.app/guides/icloud-storage-full-email-scam): Got an "iCloud storage full" email saying your photos will be deleted? How to spot the scam, check your real iCloud storage safely, and report it to Apple. - [Is the Cleanup app safe? Is it free, and is it worth it?](https://spaceclear.app/guides/is-cleanup-app-safe): Is Cleanup: Phone Storage Cleaner safe, free and worth it? What it does, its App Store privacy label, weekly pricing, and how to judge any iPhone cleaner app.