Not Enough Space to Update Your iPhone? How to Make Room

Apple says you need enough storage on your iPhone to download an update. When there isn’t, iPhone can make some room itself by temporarily removing app data, without deleting your personal information.

Let iPhone remove apps temporarily

During a wireless update, you might see a message asking to temporarily remove apps because the update needs more space. Apple says to tap Continue to let the system remove them; after installation, those apps are reinstalled automatically. If you tap Cancel, you can delete content yourself instead.

Make room yourself

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   Step 1: Offload unused apps

   Go to Settings › General › iPhone Storage and tap Enable next to Offload Unused Apps. Offloaded apps keep their documents and data. You can also turn on Settings › Apps › App Store › Offload Unused Apps, which removes unused apps when storage is low.

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   Step 2: Delete apps you don’t use

   In iPhone Storage, apps are listed with the space each one uses. Tap one, then Delete App.

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   Step 3: Clear photos and videos

   Merge duplicates in Photos › Collections › Utilities › Duplicates and delete large videos you don’t need. Then empty Recently Deleted, where deleted photos stay for 30 days.

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   Step 4: Try the update again

   Go to Settings › General › Software Update and tap Download and Install.

Does updating with a computer need less space?

Apple says you can use a computer to update if the update doesn’t appear on your iPhone: the Finder on a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, or iTunes on an older Mac or a Windows PC. But if you need more space, both of Apple’s articles tell you to free up storage on the iPhone itself.

If the update still won’t install

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   Step 1: Delete the downloaded update

   Go to Settings › General › iPhone Storage, find the update in the list of apps, tap it, then tap Delete Update.

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   Step 2: Download it again

   Go to Settings › General › Software Update and download the latest update.

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   Step 3: Use a computer

   Apple says that if you don’t see the update in the list or the problem happens again, update using a Mac or iTunes.

CleanX

Clear photos and videos quickly with CleanX

If photos and videos fill your iPhone, CleanX groups duplicate and similar photos and similar screenshots, lists blurry shots, and shows how much space they take. Pick what to delete, or compress a large video to a smaller size. Deleted items go to Recently Deleted in Photos, so empty it afterwards to get the space for the update.

• Duplicate and similar photos, with the space each group takes
• Compress large videos
• Scanning is free; deleting and compressing need CleanX Pro

See everything CleanX does →

After the update

• Offloaded apps stay on your Home Screen; tap the icon with the cloud symbol to reinstall one.
• Storage looks full again? See what System Data is on iPhone.