Learn how photos and videos take up storage space on your iPhone and iPad, and how to optimize storage on your devices and save space with iCloud Photos.
The photos, music, apps, and other content you use and enjoy on your iPhone and iPad take up space in your device's storage capacity. Depending on your device, it can fill up quicklythe size of the storage capacityand how much content you have. If you see a message that your device storage is full, you can free up space by using iCloud Photos or deleting content on your device.
Check how much storage space you have
See how much storage you have left on your device and in iCloud, and which apps are taking up the most space.
Device storage
Go to Settings.
Tap General.
Tap [device] Storage.
Maybe you'll see itrecommendationsto optimize your storage space, a list of your apps and the amount of space they all use.
iCloud storage
Go to Settings.
Tap your name.
Tap on iCloud.
You can see how much space you have left in iCloud and whether you need itupgrade your storage plan. Tap Manage account storage to see how apps are using your storage.
Store your photos and videos in iCloud
By default, your photos and videos are saved on your device in the original high-resolution version. This means they take up a lot of space on your iPhone and iPad. OfiCloud-foto'syou can free up more space on your device and still access your entire collection in full resolution anywhere.
Get started with iCloud Photos:
Tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos.
Tap Sync This iPhone. In iOS 15 or earlier, tap to enable iCloud Photos.
Choose Optimize iPhone Storage to save space on your device.
When Optimize Storage is enabled, full-resolution photos and videos are stored in iCloud and space-saving copies are saved to your device as needed. Andas long as you have enough space in iCloud, you can store as many photos and videos as you want.
If you need more storage space
When you sign up for iCloud, you automatically get 5 GB of free storage space. If you need more iCloud storage, you canupgrade to iCloud+.
If you need more storage space on your device, you can do thattransfer the photos and videos you don't want to store in iCloud to your computer.
If you need more help with your storage plan, for example if you purchased more storage but can't see it in your account,contact Apple support.
Metrecommended for youin iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 or later, you can check for photos, large files, or backups that you may no longer need and delete.
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