After applications, photos and videos take up the majority of your device\u2019s storage space. In fact, even a few photos and videos can \u201ccost\u201d a lot of storage space on a modern iPhone, because of the advanced camera features and complex media file types available on newer devices.<\/p>\r\n
Here\u2019s a quick breakdown of the types of media we\u2019ll be cleaning up throughout this guide:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- High-resolution media:<\/b> iPhones capture photos and videos in stunning quality\u2013but that also means they hold more data. For example, an Apple ProRAW image can \u201ccost\u201d over 100 MB of storage. Full-resolution images and 4K videos also cost a lot of storage space, with the latter potentially exceeding 100 GB based on duration.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Complex media types:<\/b> iPhone photos can be more than just simple images; a Live Photo, for example, is a media file that combines a still image, a short video clip, and an audio clip. Burst Photos are a collection of pictures captured rapidly in succession. These media types take up far more space than simple images.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Media clutter:<\/b> Your photo library can also get inundated with clutter. Similar or duplicate photos, blurry pictures, old screenshots, snapshots of receipts, and other types of \u201cdigital junk\u201d can slowly take up dozens (or even hundreds) of gigabytes over time.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
At the end of the guide, we\u2019ll show how to change a few settings on your iPhone so that your media takes up less space. But first, we\u2019ll show you how to verify how much your photos actually use on your device.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>How to Check How Much Space Photos Use on Your iPhone<\/span><\/h2>\r\n
The Settings app on your iPhone has a page dedicated to analyzing how your device\u2019s storage space is being used\u2013including your photos and videos. Here\u2019s how to find it:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Open the Settings app.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Scroll down and select General<\/b>.<\/li>\r\n\t
- In the General page, tap iPhone Storage<\/b>.
\r\n![\"iPhone](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/iOS-Settings-Storage-482x500.png\")
<\/li>\r\n\t- At the top of the page, you\u2019ll notice a colorful storage bar. This indicates what type of data is using up storage space on your device, as well as how that space is distributed.
\r\n![\"iOS](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/iPhone-Storage-Bar-500x225.png\")
<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nThe orange Photos<\/b> category represents your photo library or gallery\u2013in other words, all the media (both photos and videos) that resides in the Photos app. If it makes up a huge chunk of the storage bar, that\u2019s your sign to clean up your library. Fortunately, that\u2019s the topic we\u2019re covering today.<\/p>\r\n
💡Aside from the Photos<\/b> data type, media can sometimes reside in Applications<\/b> or even System Data<\/b><\/a> (e.g., downloaded images are usually saved in the Files app, which counts under System Data). If you know that you don\u2019t have a lot of photos and videos in your library, check other apps and folders on your iPhone.<\/div>\r\n<\/span>How to Free Up Photo Space on iPhone<\/span><\/h2>\r\n
In this section, we\u2019ll cover 5 ways to clear photo storage on iPhone. We start with the fastest and most effective methods first, but we recommend going through every section to make sure you reclaim as much wasted storage as possible.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>Method 1:<\/span> Clean Up Your Photo Library with an App<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\r\n
After testing several different methods (which we\u2019ve also included in this guide), we found that using third-party cleaning apps is the fastest and most efficient way to clear up photo storage on iPhones. They\u2019ve got way more features than the built-in Photos app, and they\u2019re specifically designed to make cleanup more convenient. Some apps even help you organize your library<\/a> better than the native Collections, which makes maintaining your media a lot easier.<\/p>\r\n
For this guide, we\u2019ll be using an app called Clever Cleaner<\/a>. It has a small but powerful set of cleaning features that cover the most common cleanup targets in your library, including Live Photos, large videos, similar and duplicate photos, and more.<\/p>\r\n
It also has a very generous free version (compared to many similar apps); even if you plan to use it routinely to maintain your iPhone\u2019s storage, most users will never need to subscribe. And we won\u2019t be using the Pro for this guide, so anyone should be able to follow along.<\/p>\r\n
We\u2019ll specifically show you how the Similars tool works, then briefly go over the app\u2019s other features.<\/div>\r\n- \r\n\t
- Download Clever Cleaner<\/a> from the iOS App Store.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Run Clever Cleaner.<\/li>\r\n\t
- The app\u2019s main menu appears first. At this point, you can choose Smart cleanup<\/b> and process your entire library at once. If you want to review your photos first, tap Similars<\/b>.<\/li>\r\n\t
- All the similar and duplicate photos should already be selected by Clever Cleaner for you\u2013just tap Delete<\/b> at the bottom. The \u201cBest Shot\u201d for each group is also chosen and saved automatically (although you can still select photos manually).
\r\n![\"Clever](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Clever-Cleaner-iOS-Main-482x500.png\")
<\/li>\r\n\t- The Review and delete menu will appear\u2013make sure you didn\u2019t get rid of anything important. Then, tap the Delete<\/b> button.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Finally, tap Delete<\/b> again in the pop-up dialog box to confirm the action.
\r\n![\"Clever](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Clever-Cleaner-Review-Deleted-482x500.png\")
<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n⚠️ Even after deleting your photos from Clever Cleaner\u2019s trash, you still need to delete them again from the Recently Deleted<\/b> utility in the Photos app > Collections > Utilities.<\/div>\r\nAside from the Similars tool, Clever Cleaner has other very effective features that can help you manage your iPhone photos and videos, as well as free up storage space. Here\u2019s a quick rundown of the app\u2019s other tools:<\/p>\r\n
![\"Clever](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Clever-Cleaner-Compress-Cleanup-482x500.png\")
<\/p>\r\n- \r\n\t
- Videos:<\/b> If you have a lot of large videos, Clever Cleaner can compress multiple at once (which shrinks their file size in exchange for a small impact on visual quality). You can also delete unwanted videos more easily by sorting them by size or date.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Swipe:<\/b> The Swipe tool organizes all your photos and videos into monthly albums and other useful categories (e.g., Recent, Favorites, etc.), where you can easily save or delete items with swipe gestures. Swipe is completely free and unlimited for all users.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Screenshots:<\/b> Like with videos, Clever Cleaner can also compress screenshots (and other photos), which reduces their file size.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Live Photos:<\/b> Clever Cleaner\u2019s Lives tool can instantly convert all Live Photos in your library into still images, which consume far less storage space (or just delete them).<\/li>\r\n\t
- Compress:<\/b> As a standalone tool, Compress brings all your media to one place and lets you apply compression to multiple photos at once (videos can only be compressed individually).<\/li>\r\n\t
- Smart cleanup:<\/b> Smart cleanup is a bulk applicator for the app\u2019s other features. From the Smart cleanup page, you can: Remove Similars, Convert Lives, and Compress Screenshots, without having to manually review or select anything.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
💡 Aside from Clever Cleaner, there are dozens of iPhone cleaning apps with different strengths, limitations, and pricing models. Our team tested and ranked the best apps among them all, which we covered in our article on the best iPhone storage cleaners<\/a>.<\/div>\r\n<\/span>Method 2:<\/span> Clear Up Photo Storage on iPhone by Removing Duplicates<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\r\n
If you don\u2019t want to use a third-party app (or you don\u2019t have enough storage space to download one), iOS provides a feature called the Duplicates utility<\/a>. It automatically detects duplicate photos in your library, then groups them together so you can easily find them. You can then Merge your duplicate photos, which combines them into a single high-quality image.<\/p>\r\n
Unlike the app we used in Method 1, the native Duplicates feature can\u2019t detect similar photos that are not exact duplicates<\/b>. Exact duplicates are copies of the same picture, usually occurring due to accidental downloads or saving the same attachments multiple times.<\/div>\r\n- \r\n\t
- Open the Photos app.<\/li>\r\n\t
- At the bottom of the screen, tap Collections<\/b>. Then, scroll down to the Utilities<\/b> section and tap Duplicates<\/b>.
\r\n![\"Duplicates](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/iOS-Photos-Duplicates-Utility-482x500.png\")
<\/li>\r\n\t- Your duplicate photos will appear in groups, along with a Merge<\/b> button. Tap Merge<\/b> to combine all the duplicates in each group into one high-quality image.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Tap Merge Exact Copies<\/b> in the pop-up dialog window to confirm the action.
\r\n![\"Merging](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Merge-Dupes-iOS-Photos-482x500.png\")
<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/span>Method 3:<\/span> Clean Up Screenshots (and Other Media Types)<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\r\n
Aside from the Duplicates utility, iOS has other ways to make cleaning up your library a bit easier. There are various Collections, Utilities, and Media Types that iOS creates to automatically group specific photos and videos together.<\/p>\r\n
In this method, we\u2019ll be covering categories that tend to accumulate clutter over time, as well as those that use up a lot of storage space. Consider them your primary \u201ccleanup targets\u201d to review if you want to free up photo space on your iPhone.<\/p>\r\n
💡Certain types of media can be optimized instead of deleted. The app we cover in Method 1 helps you optimize Live Photos and large videos using a compression feature, which shrinks their file sizes (so you don\u2019t have to delete them).<\/div>\r\n- \r\n\t
- Screenshots and screen recordings:<\/b> We usually take screenshots and screen recordings to remember important details or take note of something, then forget about them shortly after. At the same time, it\u2019s easy to accidentally trigger these features by pressing the side buttons.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Bursts:<\/b> Burst Photos contain many photos captured in immediate succession, as a way to capture a subject in movement in different frames. Then, all those photos are combined into one large file. Like screenshots, it\u2019s easy to take Burst Photos by accident or without knowing you\u2019re doing it.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Live Photos:<\/b> Unlike regular photos, Live Photos contain multiple types of data to create the effect of a \u201cmoving picture\u201d; this includes a short video clip, an audio clip, and a still image that also acts as the thumbnail.<\/li>\r\n\t
- RAW:<\/b> RAW photos and videos are super high-quality because they save their original data without putting it through processing or compression (unlike processed formats like PNG). This is why RAW media can instantly obliterate dozens of gigabytes from your storage, even if you only have a few of them.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Personal favorites:<\/b> There are several other utilities and collections in your library that you probably use more than others. For example, maybe you take a lot of Selfies<\/b> or Portraits (found in Media Types<\/b>), or maybe you keep copies of old Receipts<\/b> (found in Utilities<\/b>).<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
<\/span>Method 4:<\/span> Free Up Photo Space with Optimize iPhone Storage<\/span><\/h3><\/p>\r\n
Aside from deleting unwanted photos and videos, another way to easily free up library space is by activating iCloud\u2019s Optimize iPhone Storage<\/b> feature. When you enable this setting for the Photos app, iOS automatically uploads high-resolution copies of all your media to iCloud.<\/p>\r\n
Lower-resolution copies are then saved to your device\u2019s local storage, which \u201ccost\u201d much less storage space<\/b> than their high-quality counterparts. The local \u201clow-quality\u201d copies of your media are not even that bad, and iOS automatically downloads the high-resolution versions whenever you try to view a photo or video.<\/p>\r\n
⚠️ Note that iCloud comes with some trade-offs<\/a>. For instance, you\u2019ll still need enough iCloud storage space to hold your data. And once your library has been fully synced, you\u2019ll need internet access whenever you want to view the higher-resolution versions of your media. Some media, like large videos, can take time to load if you\u2019re connected to a weak network.<\/div>\r\n- \r\n\t
- Open the Settings app.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Tap your Apple Account<\/b>.<\/li>\r\n\t
- On your Apple Account page, tap iCloud<\/b>.
\r\n![\"Opening](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/iOS-Settings-Apple-iCloud-482x500.png\")
<\/li>\r\n\t- In the Saved to iCloud<\/b> section, tap Photos<\/b>.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Beside Sync this iPhone<\/b>, slide the toggle switch to ON (green). Then, tap the Optimize iPhone Storage<\/b> button to activate it (checked).
\r\n![\"Activating](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/iOS-iCloud-Sync-Activation-482x500.png\")
<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n💡 Pro Tip:<\/b> You can also select Drive<\/b> instead of Photos<\/b> in step 4 to optimize iCloud Drive storage, which can free up more space if you have a lot of files.<\/div>\r\n<\/span>Method 5:<\/span> Empty Recently Deleted<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\r\n
After cleaning up your photos (using any method), make sure to stop by the Recently Deleted<\/b> utility in the Photos app. It stores all of your deleted media for up to 30 days before permanently deleting them, allowing you to restore anything that may have been important.<\/p>\r\n
While your photos remain in Recently Deleted, they\u2019ll continue to take up storage space until you remove them. We\u2019ll show you how to manually clear your photos, without waiting for 30 days.<\/p>\r\n
⚠️ Before deleting any photos or videos, review your Recently Deleted data carefully<\/b>. Once you delete them again from this location, recovering your iPhone photos<\/a> becomes a lot harder.<\/div>\r\n- \r\n\t
- Open the Photos app.<\/li>\r\n\t
- At the bottom of the screen, tap Collections<\/b>. Then, scroll down to the Utilities<\/b> section and tap Recently Deleted<\/b>.
\r\n![\"Opening](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/iOS-Photos-Recently-Deleted-482x500.png\")
<\/li>\r\n\t- Tap Select<\/b>.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Tap the photos and videos you want to remove. Then, tap the meatball menu<\/b> and select Delete<\/b>. Alternatively, tap the meatball menu<\/b> and select Delete All<\/b> if you simply want to erase everything.
\r\n![\"Removing](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Permanently-Remove-Deleted-Photos-482x500.png\")
<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/span>How to Clear Photo Cache on iPhone<\/span><\/h2>\r\n
Your iPhone\u2019s photo cache is a system feature that can store temporary media files, which allows your library to run more smoothly. Some examples of cache photo data include thumbnails, synced photo data, previews, and other local files.<\/p>\r\n
iOS tries to manage its cache automatically, especially when storage gets low\u2013which is why there aren\u2019t a lot of options for manual cleaning. However, iOS doesn\u2019t always pull it off flawlessly, so users have had to find indirect ways to reduce photo cache data manually.<\/p>\r\n
Here are some examples of what you can do:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Restart your iPhone.<\/b> If you haven\u2019t restarted your iPhone in a while, and you\u2019ve downloaded or captured a lot of data, a reboot can force iOS to clear any temporary files that may have piled up. Restarting your iPhone also recalculates your storage, which updates the bar in the iPhone Storage menu (covered earlier in the guide<\/a>).<\/li>\r\n\t
- Update iOS.<\/b> iOS updates can sometimes result in storage calculation bugs or indexing issues; updating iOS can help if the number seems stuck or vastly incorrect.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Clear third-party app caches.<\/b> Third-party apps that process a lot of media files, like messengers, cloud storage apps, social apps, and photo editors, tend to accumulate their own cache data (which is stored inside the app itself). Some apps, like Telegram, have built-in cache management features\u2013you can usually find them in the settings.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Clear browser caches.<\/b> Browsers also generate photo cache data, such as header images on frequently visited sites. Safari\u2019s cache management feature is found in iOS Settings (Settings > Apps > Safari), while Google Chrome, Firefox, Brave, and other third-party browsers have these options in their in-app settings.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
💡 Pro Tip:<\/b> There are several other ways to clear your device\u2019s storage that go beyond the scope of this guide. If you want to learn more, check out our bigger guide on how to free up space on your iPhone.<\/div>\r\n<\/span>Best Way to Keep iPhone Photo Storage Low Long-Term<\/span><\/h2>\r\n
After cleaning up your iPhone\u2019s photo library, you can go one step further and reduce how much storage space future photos and videos end up using. In some cases, it\u2019s as easy as changing a setting. Here\u2019s what you can do if your iPhone photos are taking up too much space:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Turn off auto-save in messaging and social apps.<\/b> WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Messenger, and other similar apps save media to your photo library automatically by default.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Modify your iPhone\u2019s camera settings.<\/b> You can set your iPhone camera to capture more efficient image and video formats, with a minor cost to visual quality. Go to the Settings app<\/b> > Camera<\/b> and review the Record Video<\/b>, Record Slo-mo<\/b>, and Formats<\/b> options.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Disable Live Photos.<\/b> Live Photos are enabled by default, which means even pictures of random receipts turn into \u201cmoving images.\u201d You can enable and disable Live Photos by tapping its icon while the Camera app is running. To prevent Live Photos from being enabled again automatically, go to the Settings app<\/b> > Camera<\/b> > Preserve Settings<\/b>.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Run a cleaner app once a month.<\/b> You can\u2019t completely eliminate the generation of photo clutter on your iPhone; instead, create a habit of using a cleaning app (like Clever Cleaner from Method 1) at least once a month. This helps you manage your library before it gets bloated.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
If you\u2019ve done all you can to reduce storage consumption on your iPhone, and you\u2019re still running out of space, you might need to increase its capacity instead. There are several ways to do this depending on your needs, but you can learn more through our guide on how to get more storage on your iPhone<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\r\n
Let\u2019s wrap up this guide as clean as your photo storage should now be. Here\u2019s a stripped-down guide that condenses this article into a few bullets; you can click the links to quickly jump to the appropriate sections.<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Before cleaning your library, verify how much storage space<\/a> Photos actually consumes on your iPhone.<\/li>\r\n\t
- The fastest and most convenient way to clear photo storage is by using a third-party cleaning app<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n\t
- You can still efficiently clean up your photos without a third-party app, using the Duplicates utility<\/a> and iOS\u2019 own auto-generated collections, utilities, and media types<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n\t
- If you have no media left to erase, utilize iCloud\u2019s Optimize iPhone Storage<\/b> feature<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n\t
- After cleaning up your library, make sure to clear Recently Deleted<\/b><\/a> in the Photos app to permanently remove them from your device and reclaim storage space.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
<\/span>FAQ<\/span><\/h2>\r\n
- The fastest and most convenient way to clear photo storage is by using a third-party cleaning app<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Modify your iPhone\u2019s camera settings.<\/b> You can set your iPhone camera to capture more efficient image and video formats, with a minor cost to visual quality. Go to the Settings app<\/b> > Camera<\/b> and review the Record Video<\/b>, Record Slo-mo<\/b>, and Formats<\/b> options.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Update iOS.<\/b> iOS updates can sometimes result in storage calculation bugs or indexing issues; updating iOS can help if the number seems stuck or vastly incorrect.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Tap Select<\/b>.<\/li>\r\n\t
- On your Apple Account page, tap iCloud<\/b>.
- Bursts:<\/b> Burst Photos contain many photos captured in immediate succession, as a way to capture a subject in movement in different frames. Then, all those photos are combined into one large file. Like screenshots, it\u2019s easy to take Burst Photos by accident or without knowing you\u2019re doing it.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Your duplicate photos will appear in groups, along with a Merge<\/b> button. Tap Merge<\/b> to combine all the duplicates in each group into one high-quality image.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Swipe:<\/b> The Swipe tool organizes all your photos and videos into monthly albums and other useful categories (e.g., Recent, Favorites, etc.), where you can easily save or delete items with swipe gestures. Swipe is completely free and unlimited for all users.<\/li>\r\n\t
- In the General page, tap iPhone Storage<\/b>.
- Complex media types:<\/b> iPhone photos can be more than just simple images; a Live Photo, for example, is a media file that combines a still image, a short video clip, and an audio clip. Burst Photos are a collection of pictures captured rapidly in succession. These media types take up far more space than simple images.<\/li>\r\n\t