How to free up iPhone storage (step-by-step)

If your iPhone is constantly yelling “Storage Almost Full”, the fastest wins are usually in your photo library (duplicates, near-duplicates, screenshots) and in videos (large files, repeated clips). This guide gives you a safe, review-first cleanup plan using CleanPro — on-device, no uploads.

Before you start: quick safety checklist

• Make sure you’re on Wi‑Fi and your phone is reasonably charged.
• If you use iCloud Photos, understand that deletions sync across devices.
• Remember: iOS deletions typically go to Photos → Recently Deleted first.

Step 1: Start with Smart Clean (one tap)

Open Smart Clean to scan multiple categories in one flow. You’ll see progress per category and can choose what to delete (or skip).

• Best for: quick wins and understanding where your biggest cleanup opportunities are.
• Tip: prioritize categories with the largest estimated savings first.

Step 2: Remove duplicate photos (highest ROI)

Next, run Duplicate Photos. CleanPro groups exact duplicates so you can keep one and delete the rest. Sort by largest to free up space faster.

If you’re specifically trying to delete duplicates, use the dedicated guide: Delete duplicate photos on iPhone.

Step 3: Clean similar photos + screenshots

After duplicates, near-duplicates and screenshots are usually the next biggest source of waste.

• Similar Photos: burst shots, retakes, “almost the same” images — keep the best. Guide: delete similar photos.
• Screenshots: review in a gallery and batch delete old captures you don’t need. Guide: delete screenshots.

Step 4: Handle videos (delete or compress)

Videos can dwarf everything else. CleanPro gives you two paths:

• Large Videos: find and delete the biggest files you don’t need. Guide: find large videos.
• Duplicate Videos: remove repeated clips while keeping your preferred version. Guide: delete duplicate videos.
• Media Compression: keep the video but reduce size with quality presets. Guide: compress videos.

Step 5: Clean up contacts (optional, but satisfying)

Contacts don’t usually take much storage — but they take mental space. If your address book is messy:

1. Create a local backup with Contact Backup & Restore.
2. Merge duplicates with Duplicate Contacts (preview the merged result first). Guide: merge duplicate contacts.

Step 6: Finish safely

• Review iOS “Recently Deleted” to confirm you’re happy with the cleanup.
• If you deleted too aggressively, restore from “Recently Deleted” (photos/videos) or use contact restore if needed.
• Repeat later — CleanPro is designed to make ongoing cleanup easier (and faster after the first scan).

Want privacy for specific items?

If your goal is privacy (not cleanup), use Secret Vault to store secret photos and contacts behind a PIN in encrypted storage.