How to Free Up Space on iPhone
Without Losing Photos 2026
iPhone full? 10 proven tricks to clear gigabytes by removing cache, apps and WhatsApp without deleting a single photo. Updated February 2026.
10 tested tricks ✅
Free up space on iPhone 2026 — this guide shows you exactly how to do it step by step. A full iPhone blocks updates, slows down apps and stops you taking photos at the worst moment. The good news: you can recover 10–15 GB without deleting a single photo, just by following these 10 practical tricks updated for February 2026.
1. What Is Eating Your iPhone Storage
The first step to free up space on iPhone 2026 is understanding what’s actually taking up room. iOS gives you a detailed breakdown right inside Settings.
How to open the storage screen
- Open Settings (grey ⚙️ icon).
- Go to General → iPhone Storage.
- Wait 10–20 seconds for iOS to complete the analysis.
- Scroll down to see all apps sorted by size.
2. Optimise Photos and Videos with iCloud
Photos are the number one reason iPhones fill up. One of the most powerful ways to free up space on iPhone 2026 is iCloud Photos. With it you can while keeping every image accessible in the cloud at full quality.
How to enable iCloud Photos in 3 steps
- Go to Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Photos.
- Toggle “iCloud Photos” on (green switch).
- Select “Optimise iPhone Storage” — originals stay on iCloud, compressed thumbnails stay on your phone.
3. Delete Unused Apps and Clear Their Cache
Apps accumulate data and cache over time. If you want to truly free up space on iPhone 2026, tackling these bloated apps is essential — and you don’t have to delete them entirely. Here’s how to free up space on iPhone 2026 is tackling these bloated apps — without necessarily deleting them entirely.
Offload vs Delete: what’s the difference?
- Offload app: removes the app but keeps all its data and documents. Reinstall any time and pick up exactly where you left off. Best for apps you use rarely.
- Delete app: removes the app and all its data. Frees more space but you lose any local saves.
4. How to Free Up Space from WhatsApp
Another essential way to free up space on iPhone 2026 is tackling WhatsApp. It’s often one of the biggest storage hogs: photos, videos and voice messages received in chats pile up silently. You can easily recover 2–8 GB just from here.
How to clear WhatsApp storage step by step
- Open WhatsApp → tap Settings (bottom right).
- Go to Storage and Data → Manage Storage.
- You’ll see the largest files sorted by size. Tap any chat to expand it.
- Tap “Select All” then “Delete Items”.
- Repeat for chats with the most media (videos especially).
- Received videos: up to 3–5 GB
- Received photos: up to 1–2 GB
- Voice messages: up to 300–500 MB
- GIFs and stickers: 100–200 MB
5. Method Comparison: How Much Space You Actually Recover
| Method | Space recoverable | Difficulty | Data loss? | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☁️ iCloud Photos (optimise) | ✅ 10–40 GB | Easy | No (kept on iCloud) | 2 min |
| 💬 Clear WhatsApp | 3–8 GB | Easy | Received media only | 5 min |
| 📱 Offload apps | 2–10 GB | Easy | No (data saved) | 3 min |
| 🗑️ Browser/app cache | 500 MB–2 GB | Easy | Browsing history | 2 min |
| 🎬 Transfer videos to PC | 5–20 GB | Medium | No (copied to PC) | 10–30 min |
| 📧 Delete emails with attachments | 500 MB–1 GB | Easy | Emails only | 5 min |
6. Five More Quick Tricks to Free Up Space
⚡ Quick checklist — 5 tricks in 10 minutes
7. Frequently Asked Questions — Free Up Space on iPhone 2026
How do I free up space on iPhone without deleting photos?
Enable iCloud Photos with “Optimise iPhone Storage”: original photos are saved on iCloud and only compressed thumbnails stay on your phone. You can still view all your photos normally, but they take up far less local storage.
Why does my iPhone say “Storage Full” even after I deleted things?
Deleted photos and files stay in the “Recently Deleted” album for 30 days. Go to Photos → Albums → Recently Deleted and tap “Delete All” to permanently free up the space.
How much does iCloud cost for photos?
iCloud gives you 5 GB free. Paid plans are: 50 GB at £0.99/month, 200 GB at £2.99/month, and 2 TB at £9.99/month. For most users the 50 GB plan is more than enough. For full pricing see Apple’s official iCloud pricing page.
How do I find out what is using the most storage on my iPhone?
Go to Settings → General → iPhone Storage. iOS shows a coloured bar with the main categories and below it a full list of all apps sorted from largest to smallest.
Does offloading an app delete my data?
No. Offloading only removes the app file from your phone but keeps all your data, documents and settings intact. When you reinstall the app, everything is exactly as you left it — this is the key difference from “Delete App”.
Conclusion
You now have a complete toolkit to free up space on iPhone 2026. Whether you start with iCloud Photos, WhatsApp or the app offload feature, each step helps you free up space on iPhone 2026 without losing a single photo. Using iCloud Photos optimisation, a WhatsApp cleanup and offloading unused apps, you can easily recover 10–20 GB in under 15 minutes. For official guidance on Apple storage, visit Apple’s support page on managing iPhone storage.
📱 Is your iPhone slow even when storage isn’t full?
Read our guide on how to speed up a sluggish smartphone.