Storage space on the iPhone can be a hot commodity, especially if you’ve had your device for long periods. The iPhone saves photos, videos, text messages, System Data, and more. So, how can you delete System Data to free up space on your device?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a simple way to clear System Data on an iPhone. Instead, you can clear your Safari browsing history, delete app cache, remove old iMessage attachments, and delete old media. Most of these methods are accessed through iPhone Storage in the General Settings menu.
Don’t worry if you need to free up space on your iPhone. We cover straightforward solutions in the article below. Read on for everything you need to know.
What is System Data on an iPhone?
Smartphone storage space can be minimal, especially on iOS devices. iPhones store various media like videos, photos, music, text messages, and more. But what exactly is System Data?
System Data includes caches, logs, system resources, non-removable components, and other miscellaneous data.
Some components of System Data include non-removable resources like fonts, offline language translations, and Siri voices. Most of these items don’t take up much storage space but can add up over time.
How to View System Data on Your iPhone
System Data can take up large amounts of storage space on your iPhone. Apple iOS stores different cache and log files from songs, videos, and other media. They’re typically stored under System Data, and you can view them with the steps below:
- First, launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Select General.
- Click iPhone Storage.
- You’ll notice a bar chart indicating your iPhone storage space with several categories like photos, apps, videos, etc. In addition, you’ll see System Data or Other storage in gray color. This is your System Data.
iOS is responsible for organizing and resolving the System Data so it doesn’t take up too much space. As a result, System Data may not be a problem for most users, but it can take anywhere from less than 1 GB to over 50 GB of storage capacity.
How Do You Clear System Data?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a simple way to clear System Data on an iPhone, and if it’s less than 5 GB, you may not be bothered. However, as you use your device, you’ll need extra storage space, and 5 GB becomes a hot commodity.
Although you can’t completely delete System Data, you can reduce it to less than 2 GB with a few different solutions below.
Clear Your Safari History and Cache
Clearing your Safari history and cache is an easy fix that clears up some storage space. Follow the steps below to start:
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Locate and select Safari.
- Scroll downward and select the Clear History and Website Data option.
- You’ll see a confirmation pop-up. Click Clear History and Data to remove your Safari history, cookies, and various browsing information.
Note: Following these steps will close any open tabs on your iPhone. You may want to bookmark important tabs you have open before clearing your Safari history and website data.
Delete Chrome Browsing History
You can also delete your Google Chrome browsing history to free up additional storage space.
Here’s how:
- Launch the Chrome app on your iPhone.
- Click the Three-Dot icon at the bottom of the app.
- Click History.
- Now, select Clear Browsing Data and confirm the time range.
- Click Clear Browsing Data once more to confirm your choices.
How to Clear the Cache on Your iPhone
Besides clearing your Safari history and cache data, you can also remove the app cache by “offloading” them. Offloading app data frees up storage space while leaving your user information intact. In addition, Offloading allows you to redownload an app and start right where you left off.
Here’s how:
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Select General.
- Click iPhone Storage.
- You’ll notice a comprehensive list of all the apps on your device. Select the app you’d like to clear and click Offload App.
- A pop-up message will appear stating the app will be deleted, but the documents and data will stay. Click Offload App again to confirm your choices.
How to Remove Old iMessage Attachments
Another way to clear up storage space on your iPhone is to delete old iMessage attachments. Every attachment, video, or picture you send is stored on your iPhone until it’s manually removed.
Old iMessage attachments can take up loads of storage space and be a privacy concern in some cases.
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Select General.
- Click iPhone Storage.
- From the list of apps, click Messages.
- Now you can select Review Large Attachments and delete old photos and videos. This can clear well over 2 GB of storage space in some cases.
Alternatively, you can manually delete attachments for individual conversations in the iMessages app.
Other Tips for Clearing Up Storage Space
There are other ways to clean up your iPhone and increase storage capacity. For example, removing old photos, videos, and junk files can easily save storage space. We cover several methods you can use in more detail below.
Remove Old Photos
One method is to skim through all your photo albums and delete old pictures, but that can take quite some time. You also may end up deleting photos you didn’t mean to. So instead, you can remove the Recently Deleted Album by following the steps below.
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Select General.
- Click iPhone Storage.
- From the list of apps, click the Photos app.
- Now, click Empty next to the Recently Deleted Album.
- You can also click Review Personal Videos to view a list of the largest videos on your device.
Be sure to look through these lists carefully so you don’t remove essential media. Alternatively, you can upload old photos to iCloud to save local storage space. The Apple paid plan provides additional storage of up to 50 GB instead of the usual 5 GB.
Delete Old Podcasts
You can save loads of storage space by deleting old podcasts, especially if you subscribe to multiple episodes.
The Podcast app on the iPhone automatically saves new episodes and keeps them available until you finish them. Although this is a helpful feature, it can eat at your storage space if you aren’t aware of it.
Instead, launch the Podcast app and select the podcast you want to delete data for. Then, click and hold the episode you want to remove and confirm Remove Downloads.
Doing so can save you several gigabytes of storage space in some cases.
Delete “Other Storage” on Your iPhone
The iPhone categorizes all the files, apps, and items saved on your device. Junk files and cache that don’t fit the other categories are listed as “Other Storage.” These items could be the cache files from streaming music or other media.
Here’s how to delete Other Storage on the iPhone:
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Select General.
- Click iPhone Storage.
- You’ll notice a graph at the top of the page indicating how much data Other Storage is using. You can clear the app data for individual software to clean junk files on your device.
Remove Junk Files
Another way to free up storage space on your iPhone is to remove junk files. Junk files include logs, caches, and cookies for individual apps. These items can slow down your device and take up valuable storage space over time.
Simply launch Settings, go to General, and find iPhone Storage. Afterward, open individual apps to remove downloads and data documents.
Remove Offline Videos
Some video players, like YouTube Premium or VLC Players, save offline clips. For instance, you might download YouTube videos to your iPhone for a plane trip. Over time, these items accumulate and take up storage space.
Sadly, the iPhone Store list doesn’t identify specific video-hogging storage and doesn’t allow you to delete individual documents on your device.
Instead, you’ll need to launch the YouTube app, navigate to Library, Downloads, and then delete offline videos by clicking Delete from Downloads.
Update Your iOS Software + Restart Regularly
Updating your iOS version can free up storage space and improve your device. But unfortunately, you’ll need to have enough storage space ahead of time to install the latest version.
Follow the steps below to update your iPhone software to the latest version.
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Navigate to General.
- Now, click the Software Update option.
- You’ll see the latest software update if it’s available. Then, select Download and Install to install the new iOS version. This may take a few minutes in some cases.
Now that your iPhone has finished updating, you can go back to iPhone Storage to view how much storage space System Data is taking up.
On top of updating the operating system, we recommend that every few weeks you restart your phone, or even set up auto-restarting for the best performance. Though it will restart during software updates automatically (usually after asking the user’s permission earlier in the day).
Try Factory Resetting Your iPhone to Clear Up Space
Factory resetting your iPhone returns it to the original manufacturer configuration and deletes all your photos, apps, settings, and personal data. It can help clear up storage space but is usually used as a last resort for software glitches and complications.
Although you’ll lose your data, you can follow the steps below to begin:
- First, start the Settings app on the iPhone.
- Tap General and choose Transfer or Reset Device.
- Afterward, hit Erase All Content and Settings.
- If prompted, enter your passcode or Apple ID user information. Then, approve your choice to delete your iOS iPhone data.
- Lastly, wait for your device to finish factory resetting all the information. Depending on the circumstance, this may take several minutes to complete.
Create an iTunes Backup Before Factory Resetting
Factory resetting your iPhone can free up storage space. However, you’ll want to create an iTunes backup beforehand so you don’t lose important data. The process is simple; you’ll need a computer, your iOS device, and a USB cable.
Follow the steps below to begin:
- Connect your iOS device to your computer or Mac with a compatible USB cable.
- After connecting, launch the iTunes App. Your PC or Mac may automatically launch the app or prompt you to open it.
- From the iTunes App, select the Phone-Shaped icon in the upper left-hand corner of the app.
- Select Summary from the side menu.
- Scroll down to Backups and click Back Up Now.
A backup may take a few minutes to be created, but all your important information is now saved.