Running out of storage on your phone? Here are five easy ways to free up space

By | April 15, 2025

Struggling with Low Storage on Your Phone? Here Are Five Simple Tricks to Free Up Space Without Deleting Your Favourite Apps, Photos, or Files

Running out of storage on your smartphone can be one of the most frustrating issues, especially when you’re trying to install new apps, take photos, or download important files. Modern smartphones have become an essential part of our daily lives, serving not only as communication devices but also as photo albums, music players, and workstations. However, they don’t always come with enough storage to keep everything you need, and many devices no longer offer expandable storage options, such as microSD cards. This leaves users scrambling to find ways to free up space without deleting their favorite apps, photos, or files. Fortunately, there are several effective ways to tackle this issue without compromising on the content that matters most to you.

Whether you are an iPhone or Android user, you’ll find that there are several simple methods that can help you recover storage on your phone. Let’s explore five easy tricks to free up space and keep your device running smoothly.

1. Clear Cache and App Data

One of the most common reasons your phone runs out of space is the accumulation of cached data and app data over time. Apps like social media, browsers, and music streaming platforms store temporary files to improve performance and loading times. However, these files can quickly add up and take up significant storage. Fortunately, clearing the cache is a simple way to free up some space.

For Android users:

  • Go to Settings > Storage > Cached Data.
  • You’ll see the total amount of cached data stored on your phone. Tap on it to clear the cache. This will remove temporary files for all apps, freeing up space without losing any important data.

For iPhone users:

  • Instead of directly clearing cache, iPhones offer an option to “offload” apps. Offloading apps removes the app itself but retains its data so that you can reinstall it without losing any information.
  • Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
  • Scroll down to find the apps that take up the most space, and select “Offload App”. This will free up storage while keeping your app data intact for later use.

Clearing cache and offloading apps is a fast and simple way to reclaim space without affecting your personal content, such as messages, app settings, and login credentials.

2. Review Photos and Videos

Another major culprit when it comes to storage consumption is the photo gallery. While photos and videos are essential for capturing memories, they can quickly accumulate and take up valuable storage on your device. If you find that your photo gallery is using more space than you’d like, there are a few ways to manage this.

For iPhone users:

  • Go to Settings > General > [Device] Storage and find the Photos section.
  • If your photos are taking up over a gigabyte, consider transferring them to cloud storage services like iCloud or Google Photos.
  • Once uploaded, delete the photos from your phone and clear the Recently Deleted folder to ensure that the space is fully freed up.

For Android users:

  • You can use Google Photos or other cloud services to back up your photos and videos.
  • After uploading, delete the files from your device and clear the Recently Deleted album.

By backing up your photos and videos, you can free up significant storage while keeping your memories safe in the cloud. Additionally, apps like Google Photos provide free, unlimited storage for photos (though with some compression), making it an excellent solution for anyone struggling with limited storage.

3. Remove Unnecessary Files

Over time, we accumulate a variety of files on our phones that we no longer need. These can include downloaded movies, old app installation files, documents, and other miscellaneous files. It’s easy to forget about these files, but they can take up a large amount of storage.

To free up space, go through your device and remove any unnecessary files. For iPhone users:

  • Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and review the Documents & Data section.
  • Identify apps or files that no longer serve any purpose and delete them.

For Android users:

  • You can use the built-in Files app or third-party apps like CCleaner to easily scan for and remove unnecessary files.
  • Look for things like large downloaded movies or old APK files from app installations.

By cleaning out these unnecessary files, you can instantly free up space without having to sacrifice important apps or content.

4. Use Lite Apps or Web Versions

Many popular apps, especially social media apps, take up a lot of storage space due to their large size and resource-heavy features. Instead of keeping full versions of these apps, consider using “lite” versions or web versions to save storage space.

For example, apps like Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and Twitter offer lightweight versions designed to use less storage and data. These apps work similarly to their full versions but are more streamlined and use fewer resources.

You can also access many of these apps through their web versions via a browser. This way, you can still stay connected without taking up valuable space on your phone. Lite apps perform well and let you keep your essential apps without consuming excessive storage.

5. Leverage Cloud Storage

Cloud storage solutions are one of the best ways to manage limited storage space on your device. By uploading your documents, photos, videos, and even app data to the cloud, you can free up storage on your phone while still keeping your files accessible. Cloud services like Google Drive, iCloud, and OneDrive offer flexible storage options.

For iPhone users:

  • Use iCloud to back up important files and documents. You can also back up photos directly to iCloud to reduce the space they take on your phone.

For Android users:

  • Google Drive offers 15GB of free storage, which you can use for documents, photos, and videos. You can also back up your entire device with Google One, which provides more storage for a monthly fee.

Cloud storage not only helps you save space but also allows you to access your files from any device with an internet connection, adding convenience and security.

Conclusion

Running out of storage on your smartphone doesn’t have to be a constant hassle. By implementing these five tricks—clearing cache and app data, reviewing photos and videos, removing unnecessary files, using lite apps, and leveraging cloud storage—you can free up significant space without losing any valuable content. These strategies help keep your phone running smoothly, ensuring you can continue capturing memories, installing apps, and accessing your files without worrying about storage limits.