An iPad with full storage is laggy, unable to save or install new content, and more prone to glitches. Unfortunately, it’s easy to fill up your storage, considering that apps and files nowadays can “cost” tens of gigabytes worth of space. Another problem: there are several data types on an iPad to keep track of, and some of them aren’t straightforward to delete.
So, we created this guide. After a brief walkthrough of the data types we’ll be covering, we’ll demonstrate 8 methods to free up storage space on your iPad.
Table of Contents
Different Types of iPad Data to Clean Up
Before you go on your cleaning spree, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the types of data that should be on your checklist. Here’s a quick breakdown:
| Data Type | Description |
| General clutter | Just from daily use, your iPad likely has apps and media files you no longer need. They can easily take up gigabytes of storage space over time. |
| Attachments | Message attachments are automatically saved to your device’s local storage (and easily go unnoticed). |
| Downloaded media | Certain apps allow you to download media for faster or offline access. This can bloat the app’s storage “footprint” on your iPad pretty quickly. |
| Cache files | Cache files (or temporary files) are utilized by iPad apps and iPadOS itself for better efficiency and performance. Temp files can get fairly large and add up over time. |
8 Ways to Clear Up Storage Space on Your iPad
In this section, we’ll cover 8 different ways to free up storage space on your iPad. Each method targets different types of data that commonly take up a lot of space.
So, depending on your device usage, you might get more mileage from some methods compared to others. But we recommend doing them all to clean up your iPad as much as possible.
Method 1: Delete or Offload iPad Apps
For most users, application packages (or simply apps) take up the majority of space on their iPad. Modern apps size up to 20 GB or even 50 GB each! So, if you have iPad apps installed that you no longer or seldom use, we recommend two options: Delete or Offload.
Deleting an app erases its entire package on your iPad. Use this option for apps you won’t be downloading again. Offloading an app deletes the app’s installation files, but it keeps your user data (that is related to the app) stored locally. Use this option if you want to download the app again later.
Step 1. Open the Settings app.
Step 2. Tap General, then select iPad Storage.
Step 3. Scroll down to the list of apps installed on your iPad. Tap one that you want to delete or offload.
Step 4. Tap Offload App or Delete App, depending on your needs.
Step 5. You’ll see a pop-up at the bottom of the screen. Tap Offload App or Delete App again to confirm the action.
Method 2: Eliminate Photo Library Clutter
If you take a lot of photos and videos on your iPad or download media from other sources, your photo library has the potential to accumulate clutter. Blurry pictures, duplicates, old videos, and obsolete screenshots can easily take up dozens of gigabytes worth of storage space on your iPad.
These should be the next to go (after apps). If you can manually delete them via the Photos app, do so. But if you have a massive library, we recommend using a third-party app to do it faster.
For this demo, we’ll be using Clever Cleaner: AI Cleanup App because it’s completely free and doesn’t even display any ads (which is rare). It can help you clean up similar and duplicate photos, screenshots, Live photos, and “Heavies” (which are the largest files in your library).
Step 1. Download and install Clever Cleaner: AI Cleaner app from the App Store. Once it’s installed on your iPad, open it and make sure to grant Full Access to your library (don’t worry—it’s safe!).
Step 2. On the bottom of your iPad screen, tap the data type you want to clean up. You can tap Smart Cleanup to let Clever Cleaner get rid of the clutter for you (you can review them in your Recently Deleted album to confirm deletion). Or, tap the cluster of similar photos you want to review.
Step 3. Clever Cleaner will automatically choose the best photo among the collection, while marking the rest for deletion. You can also manually select the photos you want to keep. Then, tap Move to Trash.
Step 4. In the pop-up that appears at the bottom, tap Empty Trash to confirm deletion.
Step 5. Proceed to use Clever Cleaner to free up the rest of your library clutter. For example, have a look at the Heavies tab; this feature identifies the largest media items in your library. The stats at the top of each menu report how much storage space you’re able to reclaim per type!
You can also review the photos you sent to the Trash before deleting them permanently. To do so, tap the pop-up itself while avoiding the Empty Trash button.
Method 3: Clear Your iPad’s App Caches
iPad apps typically use caches to store assets directly on the device so they don’t have to keep fetching them over the internet every time. For example, a news app might store an article you read in the cache so that you can open it again without delay.
This can make apps run more efficiently, but the asset files can take up a lot of space over time—especially if they’re made up of images and videos.
Many apps provide some way in their interface to clear their cache. We’ll be using Spotify for this example, but the instructions should look similar for other apps that allow it.
Step 1. Open Spotify and tap your user profile icon in the top left corner of the main menu.
Step 2. In the dialogue window that appears, tap Settings and privacy.
Step 3. In the Settings menu, tap Storage.
Step 4. Finally, tap Clear cache.
You might notice that Spotify (or whichever app you cleared the cache for) slows down after you do this. It needs some time to rebuild its cache again from a completely fresh start.
Method 4: Remove Downloaded Media from iPad Apps
Most media streaming apps have a feature that allows you to download content to watch offline. It’s also easy to forget about them, yet downloads can reach up to gigabytes in size (depending on quality).
To demonstrate how to remove downloads from iPad apps, we’ll be using YouTube. However, most media streaming apps (like Netflix or Hulu) have roughly the same steps.
Step 1. Open YouTube (or whatever app you want to delete downloads from).
Step 2. In the bottom menu, tap your user icon. Then, scroll down to below your Playlists and tap Downloads.
Step 3. Tap the kebab menu beside the video you want to delete. Finally, tap Delete from downloads.
Method 5: Delete iMessage Attachments
Do you have iMessage enabled on your iPad? iMessage attachments have a size limit of 100 MB—not much individually, but 10 of those instantly take up 1 GB of storage space. They’re saved to your device automatically, so there are no delays when you scroll through your threads.
If you have hundreds of messages on your iPad, purging old or obsolete attachments can immediately free up loads of space.
Step 1. Open the Messages app on your iPad. Then, tap the conversation containing the attachments you want to delete and tap on your contact at the very top of the screen.
Step 2. On a contact’s “page”, you’ll be able to preview all the attachments that were sent to you by this contact. Tap See All for a closer look.
Step 3. On the top right corner of the screen, tap Select.
Step 4. Tap the media items you want to remove and tap Delete.
Step 5. A pop-up dialogue will appear in the middle of your screen, prompting you to confirm deletion. Tap Delete Attachments to do so.
Method 6: Utilize iCloud and the Optimize iPad Storage Setting
If you capture or save a lot of images on your iPad, this method is a great way to maximize your storage space. iCloud has a feature called Optimize iPad Storage; when it’s enabled, iPadOS automatically saves high-definition copies of your images to the server.
Lower-definition copies are saved on your device, which takes up much less space. But don’t worry—your HD photos will still be accessible (and will usually be downloaded automatically whenever you interact with them in the Photos app).
Step 1. Open the Settings app.
Step 2. Tap your Apple ID, then tap iCloud.
Step 3. In the Saved to iCloud section, tap Photos.
Step 4. Beside Sync this iPad, slide the toggle button to the ON position. Then, tap the Optimize iPad Storage setting to enable it (make sure it has a check mark beside it).
After enabling these settings, set your iPad aside and keep it locked and charged for at least an hour. This will give iOS ample time to complete the synchronization.
Method 7: Clean Your iPad’s Browser Cache
Like other iPad apps, browser apps utilize caches in order to load assets faster—but for websites. For example, Safari may save the header image of a webpage you visit often so it doesn’t have to keep fetching it over the internet. Useful, but this eventually takes up a noticeable amount of storage space.
In this section, we’ll show you how to manually clear the caches of Safari and Google Chrome. However, most modern iPad browsers should follow roughly the same steps.
Safari
To clear Safari’s browser cache on your iPad:
Step 1. Open the Settings app.
Step 2. On the left sidebar, scroll down to the very bottom of the menu and tap Apps. Then, on the right pane, locate and select Safari.
Step 3. Under the HISTORY AND WEBSITE DATA section, tap Clear History and Website Data.
Chrome
To clear Chrome’s browser cache on your iPad:
Step 1. Open the Google Chrome iPad app.
Step 2. Tap the meatball menu on the top-right corner of the window. Then, tap History.
Step 3. In the pop-up menu that appears, tap Delete browsing data… on the bottom left corner.
Step 4. Select a time range for the browsing data you want to delete. Then, tap Browsing data.
Step 5. Ensure that Cached and Image Files is selected (the rest are optional for the purposes of this guide). Then, tap Confirm.
Step 6. Finally, tap Delete data.
Method 8: Trigger Your iPad’s System Cache Cleaning Function
If you view your iPad’s storage allocation and notice that System Data or Other is taking up a lot of space, iPadOS’ system cache auto-cleaning operation may have been delayed.
You can trigger it manually by tricking iPadOS into thinking you’re capturing a large video file with the camera app. Once iPadOS thinks you need more storage space, it’ll start cleaning its system cache.
Step 1. Open the Settings app.
Step 2. On the left sidebar, select Camera. Then, on the right pane, tap Record Video.
Step 3. Select the highest video settings available. Then, open your iPad’s camera app and start taking a video. You’ll soon see the words Freeing Resources at the top of your screen.
Tips to Keep Your iPad Storage Space Under Control
While it’s impossible to avoid filling up your iPad’s storage space eventually, there are ways you can maximize it for a very long time. First, be intentional with the apps you install and the media you capture. Second, utilize and get familiar with third-party apps for cleaning and organizing your library. Finally, restart your iPad every few days to clear up RAM, stop background processes, and refresh system services.
