Step-by-step guides · phone and storage
How to free up space on your phone without deleting photos
Free up space on your phone by starting with what you can spare, and checking your backups before deleting photos, videos or documents.
Text drafted with artificial intelligence. The topic, the angle and the final review are Ibrahin's. How AI is used here
What has happened
When your phone warns it's running out of space, the usual reaction is to delete quickly. And photos are usually the first thing people go for, even though they're rarely what takes up the most.
Why it matters to you
If a photo is only on your phone, deleting it means losing it. And the bin isn't a backup: it empties itself after a while. Also, the “free up space” option in some clouds removes the phone copy and keeps the cloud one, while deleting from the gallery may delete it everywhere: it depends on the app.
What you can do
1. Before deleting anything, get the photos out
Check in your photos app that the backup has finished and open several old photos, not just the latest. If any are only on the phone, move them to your computer or a drive and open them there before going on.
2. See what takes up the most
In storage settings, sort by size. A single duplicate video frees more than a hundred photos.
3. Start with what doesn't hurt to lose
- The bin, after checking what's in it.
- Downloads you no longer need.
- Videos duplicated or forwarded several times through WhatsApp and other messaging apps.
- Apps you don't use, from the official settings.
- Temporary files, with the phone's own tool.
Do it in batches and check how much you've recovered after each one: you almost never need to delete everything.
4. What to avoid
- Installing an unknown “cleaner” app: it asks for too many permissions and doesn't clean better than the system.
- Deleting whole messaging folders by name: some are needed to restore conversations.
- Confusing “clear cache” with “clear data”: the second can take documents or chats with it.
The recommendation
Backup first, then the biggest and reversible stuff: downloads and duplicate videos. Photos last, and only once you've seen them open off the phone.
Sources
- Manage your photo and video storage — Apple
- Free up space on your device — Google Photos
Related
Review
Responsible for publication: Ibrahin. Date: 2026-09-02. Last checked: 2026-09-02.
Where to move the photos before deleting anything
The first step costs nothing: move the photos to your computer or an external drive and check that they open there. Until you have seen them open outside the phone, do not delete them from the phone.
If you also want a copy outside the house, look for one where you can get a single photo back without a fight, and where you know what you will be paying in a few years, which is where these things go wrong.
Where to buy it
Paid links. They open an Amazon search using this guide's criteria. If you buy something after following one, Ibrahin earns a commission and you pay the same price.
- 2 TB external hard drives, to move the photos ontoamazon.es · paid link
- 1 TB external SSDs: no moving parts, and fasteramazon.es · paid link
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. You only need one if you do not already have a computer or a drive to move them to. No specific model is linked because none has been tested here: the search applies the criteria and the decision is yours.
How this recommendation was made
Amazon searches checked on 9 October 2026: they show drives from well-known brands such as Seagate, Toshiba, WD, Samsung or SanDisk. Prices change without notice: check before buying.
This guide contains paid Amazon links, marked as such. If you buy after following one, Ibrahin earns a commission and you pay the same price. No recommendation in this text depends on that commission.