How to check storage on iPhone, and what the numbers mean

Find the storage screen

Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. The screen takes a few moments to calculate, so wait until the list stops changing.

The headline number at the top shows how much of the phone's capacity is used. If it is close to full, the phone may already be clearing caches and offloading content in the background, which is why figures can shift while you look.

Below that is a bar split into colors. Apple's storage article lists the categories you may see: Apps, Photos, Media, Mail, Apple Books, Messages, iCloud Drive, plus space for the system itself and other data such as caches and logs. Below the bar sit recommendations, and below those every app ranked by how much space it uses, with the date you last used it.

Read an app's details

Tap any app to see two numbers. App Size is the app itself. Documents and Data is everything it has stored: downloads, caches, offline files and your content. That split tells you what to do next.

• Mostly app size: offloading or deleting the app frees the space. See how to delete apps.
• Mostly documents and data: open the app and remove downloads, or clear its content from inside.
• Photos: the figure covers your library. Videos, screenshots and duplicates are usually the bulk of it.
• Messages: tap it to reach large attachments sorted by size. Our guide to large attachments explains the options.

Use the recommendations

The suggestions at the top change with what is on your phone. Common ones include offloading unused apps, reviewing large attachments in Messages and emptying Recently Deleted. Apple notes you can tap Show All to see every recommendation. Each one explains what it does before you enable it, so read it first; some act on everything at once.

iPhone storage versus iCloud storage

The two are often confused. iPhone storage is the physical space on the phone, fixed when you bought it. iCloud storage is space in your Apple Account online, shared across your devices and used for backups, iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive and Mail. To see it, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud.

The two also behave differently when you delete. Removing an app frees iPhone storage only. Deleting a photo with iCloud Photos on frees space in both places, because the deletion syncs.

A "storage full" warning can refer to either one. If it mentions iCloud, deleting apps will not help; our guide to freeing up iCloud storage will. If it is the phone, start with the list above.

You can also check from a computer. Apple notes that a Mac shows the device in Finder and a Windows PC shows it in the Apple Devices app, each with a storage bar split by content type.

Once you know where the space is, the next step is usually photos and videos. Freeing up iPhone storage walks through the biggest wins, and System Data explains the grey block at the end of the bar.