Seeing the message “Phone storage full” can be extremely frustrating. It slows down your phone, prevents app updates, blocks new photos, and can even make your device freeze. The good news is that you can free up a lot of space without losing important files or deleting everything. In this complete guide, you’ll learn all the best ways to clear storage on Android and iPhone while keeping your essential data safe.
1. Clear App Cache (Safe and Effective)
Cache files are temporary files apps store to work faster. Over time they become large and unnecessary. Clearing cache is completely safe and does not delete your personal data.
Android:
- Settings → Apps
- Select an app
- Storage → Clear Cache
Apps like Instagram, TikTok, Chrome, and Facebook store the most cache.
iPhone:
iOS handles cache automatically, but you can clear Safari data:
- Settings → Safari → Clear History & Website Data
Clearing cache can free gigabytes of space instantly.
2. Delete Duplicate Photos & Videos
Most users have hundreds of duplicate photos caused by screenshots, forwarded WhatsApp images, or burst photos.
To remove duplicates:
- Use the “Duplicates” folder in iPhone Photos
- Use Google Photos “Clean up storage”
- Use Android gallery cleaner tool
This alone can free 1–5 GB of storage.
3. Move Photos to Cloud Storage
Photos and videos take the most space for almost every user. Instead of deleting them, you can move them to cloud storage.
Best options:
- Google Photos (15 GB free)
- iCloud (5 GB free)
- OneDrive
- Dropbox
Once uploaded, delete local copies to free storage.
4. Delete Downloaded Files
Many people forget that the Downloads folder fills up quickly with PDFs, photos, videos, and documents.
To clean it:
- Open Files app
- Go to Downloads
- Delete unnecessary files
These files can easily take 1–2 GB without you noticing.
5. Remove Unused Apps
Old apps you never use still take storage and update in the background.
Fix:
- Review all installed apps
- Delete apps you haven’t used in 30 days
If you’re not using it, uninstall it. You can always reinstall later.
6. Offload Unused Apps (iPhone Only)
This feature removes the app but keeps your data.
Enable it:
- Settings → App Store → Offload Unused Apps
This saves lots of storage without deleting your files.
7. Clear WhatsApp Storage
WhatsApp is one of the biggest storage killers because it auto-saves images, videos, and documents.
To clear space:
- Settings → Storage & Data → Manage Storage
Review large files and delete those you don’t need. You will be shocked how much space this frees—sometimes 5–10 GB.
8. Clear Telegram and Messenger Data
Messaging apps store huge amounts of cached images and videos.
Telegram:
- Settings → Data & Storage → Storage Usage → Clear
Messenger:
- Offload or reinstall the app to clear cached data
These apps can store several gigabytes without you knowing.
9. Back Up Videos to a Computer
Videos take far more space than photos. Moving them to a laptop or computer frees massive storage instantly.
Steps:
- Connect phone to computer
- Copy videos to computer
- Delete from phone
If you record 4K videos, this is extremely helpful.
10. Check Large Files on Your Device
Modern phones let you view the largest files on storage.
Android:
- Files by Google → Clean → Large Files
iPhone:
- Settings → General → iPhone Storage → Review Large Attachments
Delete what you no longer need.
11. Clear Browser Data
Browsers like Chrome and Safari store lots of temporary files.
Chrome:
- Chrome → Settings → Privacy → Clear Browsing Data
Safari:
- Settings → Safari → Clear History and Website Data
This frees hundreds of MB instantly.
12. Delete Old Screenshots
Screenshots build up quickly and often go unnoticed.
Use your gallery’s “Screenshots” folder and delete old ones.
13. Remove Offline Downloads (Netflix, Spotify, YouTube, Maps)
Streaming apps save offline content that can take a lot of storage.
Common storage hogs:
- Netflix offline videos
- YouTube offline downloads
- Spotify offline playlists
- Google Maps offline maps
Check each app and delete offline content you don’t use.
14. Compress Photos and Videos
You can reduce photo and video file size without noticeable quality loss.
Apps that compress files:
- Google Photos
- Photo Compress
- Video Compressor
This is useful for people with many photos.
15. Delete Old Voice Notes & Call Recordings
Voice notes from WhatsApp and call recording apps stack up and take storage.
Review and delete those you don’t need.
16. Clear App Downloads (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook)
These apps store temporary photos and videos to load content faster. Over time, the files become extremely large.
Fix:
- Clear cache (Android)
- Offload/Reinstall (iPhone)
This often frees 1–3 GB instantly.
17. Check Hidden Folders
Some apps create hidden folders that accumulate junk.
Android:
- Open a file manager
- Enable “Show Hidden Files”
- Delete unnecessary folders
Be careful not to delete system files.
18. Move Files to SD Card (Android Only)
Many Android phones allow storing photos, videos, and even apps on an SD card.
Steps:
- Insert SD card
- Move files from Internal Storage → SD Card
This frees internal storage instantly.
19. Reset Storage Statistics
Sometimes your phone incorrectly reports that storage is full due to system bugs.
Fix:
- Restart your device
- Clear Play Store or App Store cache
This refreshes storage calculations.
20. Factory Reset (Last Option)
If storage is still full even after cleaning everything, your system may be corrupted or full of hidden junk files.
Before resetting:
- Backup your photos
- Save WhatsApp data
- Backup contacts
Reset:
- Settings → System → Reset → Factory Reset
This gives you a clean phone with maximum available storage.
Final Thoughts
Phones run out of storage mainly because of large photos, videos, duplicated files, app caches, and unused apps. By carefully clearing unnecessary files and using cloud storage, you can free dozens of gigabytes without deleting important data. Regular maintenance, such as clearing cache and removing unused apps, helps keep your phone fast and ensures you never run out of space again.
With this guide, your phone should now have significantly more storage, better performance, and fewer “storage full” warnings in the future.