How to find and remove ’Other’ files from iPhone and iPad

The 'Other' category in iPhone and iPad's storage doesn't have to take up so much space.

The "Other" category on your iPhone and iPad is basically where all of your caches, settings preferences, saved messages, voice memos, and… well, other data is stored. There is no simple way to identify and remove data in the Other storage category. With a bit of patience, you can reduce the amount of space it takes up on your iPhone or iPad. Follow the steps below to get started.

• How to check your iPhone or iPad's storage space
• How to check your iPhone or iPad's storage space using iTunes
• How to clear Safari caches and the offline Reading List
• How to delete old iMessage and Mail data
• How to restore your iPhone or iPad from a backup

How to check your iPhone or iPad's storage space

You can quickly see what apps are taking up space on your iPhone or iPad by checking out the Usage folder in the Settings app.

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap General.

   

3. Tap iPhone [or iPad] Storage.

Your device's storage is mapped out on a grid showing what is taking up space. If you scroll down to your apps, you'll see, listed by size, apps that are taking up the most space on your device.

How to check your iPhone or iPad's storage space using iTunes

When connected to iTunes, you can see a graph of your iPhone or iPad's storage categories in the device Summary section. This is where you will distinctly see how much space the Other category is using.

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer.
2. Open iTunes if it does not open automatically.

3. Click on the device icon in the upper left corner of the screen.

   

4. Click on Summary in the menu on the left side of the iTunes window.

   

5. Hover your mouse over the Other section at the bottom of the iTunes window to see how much space the category is using.

   

How to clear Safari caches and the offline Reading List

Some culprits that takes up Other space on your iPhone and iPad are history and website data in Safari. These are useful for accessing websites quickly, but are not a necessity.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap General.

3. Tap iPhone [or iPad] Storage.

   

4. Scroll down and tap Safari.
5. Tap Website Data

6. Scroll down and tap Remove all Website Data.

   

7. Swipe to the left on Offline Reading List.

8. Tap Delete.

   

When you go back to your storage list, you will note that Safari no longer shows any data.

How to delete old iMessage and Mail data

When you use the Mail app, a cache of all the documents, pictures, and videos you have viewed on your iPhone or iPad are stored on your device. This makes reloading them faster the second time around. But, you don't necessarily want to reopen that kitty GIF that your coworker sent you two years ago. So, you can remove the caches by deleting and reentering your email account information.

Similar to emails, all of the pictures and videos you receive through MMS are stored in the Other category in your storage. You can delete entire conversations, set messages to delete after a certain period of time, or delete individual images and attachments.

As of iOS 11, Apple has made it very easy to clear out these caches automatically. You can enable auto-delete for old iMessages, review large email attachments and remove them from your iPhone or iPad, offload unused apps, and delete music or movies that you've downloaded to your device, but don't actively access anymore.

We've got a detailed guide for freeing up storage by setting your iPhone or iPad to automatically clear caches for emails and iMessages.

How to free up storage space on your iPhone

How to restore your iPhone or iPad from a backup

One of the biggest culprits of unusually large amounts of Other category taking up space on your iPhone or iPad is a wonky bug in the system. The best way to track down and remove corrupted files is to burn it all down and start over. Don't worry. You can back up your device before you delete everything. That way, you can start fresh without starting over.

How to restore your iPhone or iPad from a backup

Still not fixed?

If you're still getting an Out of Storage error on your iPhone and removing data in the Other category doesn't seem to have done the trick, you can try offloading some additional content from your device.

Out of Storage error message on your iPhone or iPad? Here's the fix!

Questions about Other storage?

If you've got other questions about clearing your Other storage, or you have some best practices of your own, let us know in the comments!

Updated October 2018: Updated for iOS 12.