How to clean up iPhone junk, delete junk files to free up iPhone storage

After a period of use, you will notice that your iPhone or iPad is getting slower and slower, and the remaining free space is too little. It's time to clean up your iPhone or iPad by deleting unnecessary junk files to free up the occupied free space.

Empty the photo trash on iPhone

Did you know that when you delete photos and videos from your iPhone, they don't disappear immediately? Instead, the Photos app cleverly stores them in an album called Recently Deleted . This is like a temporary holding area where your deleted items will be kept for 30 days, giving you a chance to recover them if you need them. But if you're sure you'll never need them again, you can delete them to free up storage space.

To empty the Recently Deleted folder in Photos, you'll need to open the Photos app. Then, go to the Albums tab at the bottom. Scroll down and find the Recently Deleted folder .

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Steps to delete all recently deleted photos on iPhone

Tap Select and select all the photos and videos you want to delete. Tap the 3-dot button in the lower right corner and select Delete . A confirmation pop-up will appear. Tap Delete from all devices .

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Empty Apple Mail Trash

Keeping your inbox clean means taking care of trash in Apple Mail. Just like in the Photos app, emails you delete don't disappear immediately. They go to the Trash folder, where they stay until you decide to delete them permanently. Emails with attachments can take up a lot of storage space, so it's a good idea to empty your Trash folder regularly .

To get started, open the Mail app. Navigate to the Trash folder . Tap the Edit button , then tap Select All . With all the messages selected, you can tap the Delete button and confirm your decision to remove them.

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Clean up recently deleted notes

Notes you've previously deleted will be placed in the Recently Deleted folder. If you're sure you won't need these notes anymore, you can safely delete them immediately.

Launch the Notes app on your iPhone. Navigate to the Recently Deleted folder . Inside the Recently Deleted folder, you'll see all of your deleted notes.

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Steps to empty recently deleted folder in notes

If you're ready to get rid of them, tap the Edit option in the top right. You'll then see a Delete/Delete All button in the bottom right corner of the screen. Tap it, confirm, and all those old notes will be gone forever.

Remove recently deleted files

Just like photos and notes, any files you delete using the Files app don't disappear immediately. They're moved to a separate Recently Deleted folder . To access and empty it, you'll need to open the Files app.

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Steps to empty the recently deleted folder in the Files app

Once you are signed in, tap on the Browse tab at the bottom. This tab shows you the different locations and folders on your device. In this list, you will find the Recently Deleted folder . Now, to delete them, tap on the three dots icon located at the top right. This will bring up a context menu with a few options. Select Select . Now you can tap on the Delete/Delete All button at the bottom and confirm.

Clear cache in iPhone apps

In addition to the Recently Deleted folder, many iPhone apps store their own caches, which store information to help them load faster. Over time, these caches can take up a lot of space. Clearing them can free up space and sometimes improve your iPhone's performance.

One of the most important caches to clear is the cache in Safari, Apple's web browser. The Safari cache stores elements of websites you visit, like images and web pages, so they load faster the next time you visit.

To clear your Safari cache, you'll need to open the Settings app . Scroll down until you find Safari and tap it. In Safari's settings, look for an option that says Clear History and Website Data . Tapping this will clear your cache along with your browsing history and cookies. A pop-up window will ask you to confirm this action.

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Steps to clear Safari cache on iOS

Keep in mind that websites may load significantly slower the first time you visit them after clearing your Safari cache. This is because Safari needs to re-download the elements it previously stored.

Good luck!

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Isabella Humphrey

Update 15 December 2024