How I Freed Up Space on My iPhone Without Paying

I ran out of storage on my iPhone at the worst time. I was trying to take a picture, but my phone wouldn’t let me. A pop-up said, “Storage Full.” I panicked. I had no idea what was taking up so much space. I checked my settings and saw that photos, apps, and system files were eating it up.

I didn’t want to delete anything important, but I needed a quick fix. That’s when I started looking for ways to free up space without spending money. If you’ve been in the same situation, here’s what worked for me.

How I Freed Up Storage on My iPhone Without Spending a Penny

Running out of space was frustrating. I found ways to fix it without paying.

I Removed Apps I Didn’t Use

Some apps just sit there, taking up space. I got rid of the ones I barely opened. The best part? I kept my data for later.

• Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage
• Scroll down and find apps I didn’t use
• Tap on the app and select Offload App

This freed up space without deleting my saved files. If I needed the app again, I could reinstall it anytime.

I Let My iPhone Handle Photo Storage

Photos were eating up my storage. I let my iPhone shrink the ones on my device while keeping full-quality versions in iCloud.

• Go to Settings > Photos
• Turn on Optimize iPhone Storage

This saved me gigabytes while keeping all my pictures accessible.

I Cleared Safari’s Clutter

Websites store hidden files that pile up over time. Clearing them made my iPhone run smoother and gave me more space.

• Open Settings > Safari
• Tap Clear History and Website Data

This wiped out old browsing data, freeing up extra storage instantly.

How I Added More Storage to My iPhone Without Relying on iCloud

I needed extra space, but I didn’t want to buy iCloud storage. Instead, I found other ways to store my files.

I Used an External Storage Drive

My iPhone’s storage was full, but I didn’t want to delete anything. So, I moved large files to an external drive. It was quick and easy.

• Plug a Lightning-to-USB adapter into the iPhone
• Connect a compatible external drive
• Open the Files app and move videos, documents, and other large files

This freed up space instantly while keeping my files safe.

I Used Other Cloud Services

I didn’t want to depend on iCloud, so I stored my files elsewhere. Free cloud storage options worked just as well.

• Download Google Drive or Dropbox from the App Store
• Create an account and sign in
• Upload files directly from my iPhone

This gave me extra space without upgrading my iCloud plan.

How I Kept My iPhone Photos Without Running Out of Space

My photos were taking up too much storage. I needed a way to keep them without deleting memories.

I Regularly Deleted Unneeded Photos

I used to keep everything—blurry shots, duplicates, and screenshots I didn’t need. I started cleaning them out, and it made a big difference.

• Opened the Photos app and scrolled through my library
• Selected blurry, duplicate, and unwanted pictures
• Tapped Delete and cleared them from Recently Deleted

Now, my storage isn’t wasted on useless photos.

I Used Google Photos for Extra Space

I wanted free cloud storage without paying for iCloud. Google Photos gave me 15GB of extra space.

• Downloaded the Google Photos app from the App Store
• Signed in with my Google account
• Enabled Backup & Sync to upload my pictures automatically

Now, my photos are safe, and I don’t have to keep them all on my iPhone.

How I Made More Space on My iPad Without Buying a New One

My iPad was running low on storage, just like my iPhone. I used the same tricks to fix it.

I Managed Apps and System Storage

I didn’t realize how much space apps and system files were taking up. I made some quick changes to free up space.

• Offloaded unused apps through Settings > General > iPad Storage
• Turned on Optimize iPad Storage for photos
• Cleared Safari’s cache to remove junk files

These simple steps freed up space without affecting my daily use.

I Used an External Drive for Extra Storage

I needed more room for large files, so I connected an external drive. It was easier than I thought.

• Used a USB-C or Lightning adapter to connect the drive
• Opened the Files app and transferred documents, videos, and other large files
• Kept my most-used files on the iPad and moved the rest to the drive

Now, I don’t worry about running out of storage.

How I Cleared Hidden Junk from My iPhone

My iPhone was running slower, and I was running out of space. Clearing the cache helped fix both problems.

I Deleted Safari’s Temporary Files

Safari stored a lot of website data I didn’t need. Clearing it freed up space and made browsing faster.

• Opened Settings and tapped Safari
• Selected Clear History and Website Data
• Confirmed the action to remove cached files

Now, Safari runs smoother without unnecessary clutter.

I Cleared Cache from Other Apps

Some apps stored hidden files that took up space. Instead of digging through each one, I reset them by reinstalling.

• Went to Settings > General > iPhone Storage
• Selected apps that were using a lot of space
• Tapped Delete App, then reinstalled it from the App Store

This removed cached files while keeping my data backed up.

How I Fixed Storage Problems on My Android

My Android device was also running low on space. I found easy ways to free up storage.

I Used an SD Card for Extra Space

My phone supported expandable storage, so I moved apps and media to an SD card.

• Inserted a microSD card into the phone’s slot
• Opened Settings > Storage
• Moved apps and media files to the SD card

This saved my internal storage for system files and apps that couldn’t be moved.

I Used Google Photos for My Pictures

My photos were taking up too much space, so I backed them up for free.

• Downloaded the Google Photos app
• Signed in with my Google account
• Turned on Backup & Sync to upload all photos automatically

Once my photos were backed up, I deleted them from my phone without losing them.