How to fix the storage full warning on your phone

What you will learn

In this guide, you will learn how to fix the “storage full” warning on your phone. When your phone runs out of space, it cannot take new photos, install apps, or work properly. You will learn simple ways to free up space without losing anything important.

What you need

• Your phone (iPhone or Android)
• A few minutes of time

The steps

Step 1: Check what is using your storage

First, see what is taking up the most space on your phone.

On iPhone: Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Wait a moment for the list to load. You will see a colored bar showing what is using your space, and a list of apps sorted by size.

On Android: Go to Settings > Storage (or Settings > Battery and device care > Storage on Samsung phones). You will see a breakdown of what is using your space.

Step 2: Delete old photos and videos you no longer need

Photos and videos usually take up the most space. Open the Photos app and look for:

• Blurry or duplicate photos you do not need
• Old videos you have already watched or shared
• Screenshots you no longer need

Select the ones you want to delete and tap the trash icon. Then go to the “Recently Deleted” folder and tap “Delete All” to permanently remove them.

Step 3: Clear message attachments

WhatsApp, iMessage, and other messaging apps save every photo and video people send you. These add up quickly.

On WhatsApp: Go to Settings > Storage and Data > Manage Storage. You will see files sorted by size. Select large files you no longer need and delete them.

On iPhone (iMessage): Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages. Review large attachments and delete the ones you do not need.

Step 4: Delete apps you do not use

Look through your apps and find ones you have not used in months. To check on iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Apps are listed with the last time you used them.

To delete an app, press and hold its icon on the home screen, then tap “Remove App” (iPhone) or “Uninstall” (Android).

Step 5: Clear your browser cache

Your web browser saves temporary files that can take up space over time.

On iPhone (Safari): Go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. Tap to confirm.

On Android (Chrome): Open Chrome, tap the three dots in the top right, go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Clear browsing data. Select “Cached images and files” and tap “Clear data”.

Step 6: Check your storage again

Go back to your storage settings (Step 1) to see how much space you freed up. You should now have more room for new photos, apps, and updates.

Helpful tips

• Back up photos first: Before deleting photos, you can save them to Google Photos or iCloud so you still have a copy. Learn how to back up your phone.
• Offload unused apps (iPhone): Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and turn on “Offload Unused Apps”. This removes apps you rarely use but keeps their data so you can reinstall them easily.
• Check downloads folder (Android): Open the Files app and look in the Downloads folder. Delete old files you no longer need.
• Streaming saves space: Instead of downloading music and videos, use streaming services like YouTube or Spotify. This uses Internet data but saves storage.