An easy way to quickly clear storage space is to clean up junk files on your iPhone. These files are stored as logs, cache, and cookies in individual apps. Over time, this “junk” can slow down your iPhone and clog its memory. Clean up junk files on your iPhone by opening Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Open individual apps to delete downloads and data files.

You can also uninstall and reinstall apps to clear your iPhone’s junk files and update your apps at the same time.

Delete offline videos

I tend to forget about video players, which also hog storage space on iPhones. For example, I subscribe to YouTube Premium, which lets me download YouTube clips to my iPhone. I also subscribe to VLC Player, which I use to store and play videos.

Unfortunately, the iPhone Storage list doesn’t help you identify specific videos consuming storage, and it doesn’t let you delete individual files on your iPhone.

To delete video files on your iPhone, open the YouTube app, go to Library > Downloads, then delete the offline videos by tapping Delete from downloads.

If all fails, perform a factory reset

I clean my iPhone every few months — maybe more if I’m in immediate need of a cleanup. (For example, before traveling to Japan recently, I had to clear space on my iPad to download more videos to tide me over during the trip.)

But sometimes, you may need a complete factory reset. If you’re giving your old iPhone to a friend, the issue is less about getting rid of personal data, and more about making sure your iPhone is as clean as the day you bought it. When you perform a factory reset, you’ll wipe not just leftover files from your apps, but from iOS itself.

Be careful before you factory reset your iPhone — don’t make this choice lightly.

Before you do a factory reset, ensure that all your files are backed up and important settings are stored (or written down). Also, make sure all your passwords are backed up. When you’re done, be sure to protect your phone with an iOS security app.

To wipe your phone clean, go to Settings > General, then scroll down to Reset. Select Erase All Content and Settings. If you use iCloud, wait until all important settings are uploaded, then confirm.

The process can take a while. But in the end, you’ll have a fresh and clean iPhone.

But now that you know how to clear your iPhone of unnecessary downloads, data, and junk, you won’t need to perform a factory reset each time you want to clear some storage space.

Make sure to check out our guides to cleaning up your Windows PC and keeping your Android clean, too.