The way to clear System Information on iPhone, delete Different storage

I’m certain this sounds acquainted: You’re making an attempt to put in the most recent iOS launch, improve to a brand new iPhone, take pictures or report video, or simply obtain that cool app everybody’s speaking about, and your iPhone says the storage is full.

You’ve already deleted each app you don’t suppose you want, and there’s nonetheless not sufficient area in your iPhone. So that you open Settings, faucet Common, then iPhone Storage, and, certain sufficient, your iPhone is full. Worst of all, a big chunk of it’s simply listed as Different (renamed System Information in iOS 15). What’s that presupposed to imply? How do you eliminate it? The System Information/Different storage sections are mysterious and complicated, and there’s nobody reply that works for everybody, however hopefully, this information will show you how to take care of this downside.

Newest iPhone launch: iPhone 16e (March 2025), iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Professional and 17 Professional Max (September 2025)

Newest iOS launch: iOS 26.2 (December 2025)

Newest iOS beta: N/A

The way to view your iPhone storage

To see how a lot storage all of your apps and knowledge are taking on in your iPhone’s storage, open the Settings app, choose Common, then iPhone Storage. On the prime, you’ll see a bar graph exhibiting your whole iPhone storage and which sorts of knowledge are filling it up. Beneath that, you’ll discover a checklist of purposes in your cellphone and the way a lot room they take up, each for the app itself and its saved knowledge.

It could take a number of seconds to your iPhone to point out the graph, because it takes time to scan and analyze its storage. Even after the chart first seems, you’ll need to wait a number of seconds extra for it to stabilize, because the app checklist and storage sizes can change whereas your cellphone completes its evaluation.

What’s System Information (or Different) on iPhone?

Your iPhone Storage menu will divide that bar up prime into acquainted classes like Apps, Media, Images, and Mail, but additionally a System Information (iOS 15 and later) or Different class that’s generally very giant. It’s widespread for System Information to be within the 5GB to 20GB vary, but when it’s means over 20GB, it has most likely grown uncontrolled. You’ll be able to scroll all the best way all the way down to the underside of the app checklist the place you will note iOS, that are the recordsdata required by the system and are often round 10GB, and System Information, that are recordsdata aside from apps and downloads which are collected by iOS. Faucet on System Information to see how a lot area it’s taking on.

The System Information/Different class is huge and different as a result of it’s an actual catch-all class. It contains system caches, logs, Siri voices (if you happen to’ve downloaded a couple of), updates, and a lot extra. One of many greatest culprits for System Information/Different rising out of hand is streaming plenty of music and video. Once you obtain video or music from the iTunes Retailer, TV app, or Music app, it’s listed as Media. However streams have caches used to make sure easy playback, and people are categorized as System Information/Different.

Safari’s caches can begin to develop fairly giant, too. And if you happen to ship tons of texts with photos or video, the caches for that may begin to replenish plenty of area. Your iPhone is meant to handle these caches to maintain your storage from changing into utterly full, nevertheless it doesn’t all the time do an important job.

We focus on the right way to delete Different storage on a Mac and the right way to delete System Information on a Mac separate articles.

The way to cut back the dimensions of System Information/Different on an iPhone

You’ll be able to’t eliminate System Information/Different completely, however you possibly can generally cut back its dimension.

First, let’s attempt clearing your Safari caches. Open Settings > Safari and select Clear Historical past and Web site Information. In case you have a lot of Safari tabs open in your iPhone, you would possibly need to shut most of them, too.

You may additionally need to change Messages to save lots of fewer previous messages. Open Settings, then Messages, and scroll all the way down to the Message Historical past setting. By default, Preserve Messages is about to Ceaselessly, however you could need to change it to 1 12 months and even 30 Days to cut back the info that the Messages app caches. Simply beware that doing this may imply previous messages shall be deleted–so in case you have any messages you need to maintain discover a method to again them up.

Lastly, return to iPhone Storage and have a look at the apps checklist. Many of the apps retailer knowledge that’s categorized as Apps, however some will maintain caches which are categorized as System Information/Different. If, say, the Podcasts app is taking on a few gigabytes of area, it’s seemingly largely cached knowledge. Deleting the app and re-downloading it’d put a dent within the System Information/Different class.

The way to liberate area taken up by iOS

Whereas Apple enables you to delete inventory iOS apps that you just don’t need to liberate area, the system nonetheless takes up fairly a little bit of room, in some instances 25GB or extra. Nevertheless, if you happen to’re working an iPhone 15 Professional or later and have Apple Intelligence enabled, it’s taking on greater than 10GB of area. Merely turning it off will show you how to reclaim it. Head over to the Apple Intelligence & Siri tab in Settings and flip the toggle. The free area gained’t present up in storage instantly, however the system will be capable to use that area to put in updates and apps. And you’ll all the time flip it again on later.

The nuclear choice: Backup and reset your iPhone

You’ll be able to undergo your iPhone making an attempt to delete each little cache that might develop the dimensions of System Information/Different storage, however if you happen to actually need to make it as small as potential, you should again up your cellphone and reset it. This may take a short while. One of the simplest ways to do that is to make use of your Mac or PC.

On a Mac working macOS 10.15 Catalina or later:

1. First, join your iPhone to your Mac with the bundled USB-C-to-Lightning cable.
2. When prompted in your iPhone, faucet “Belief” and enter your passcode.
3. Within the Finder sidebar in your Mac, choose your iPhone below Areas.
4. Click on the Common tab.
5. Choose “Again up all the knowledge in your iPhone to this Mac.”
6. To encrypt your backup knowledge and defend it with a password, examine the “Encrypt native backup” field.
7. Click on Again Up Now.
8. Observe: It’s also possible to join your iPhone to your laptop wirelessly if you happen to arrange syncing over Wi-Fi.

Foundry

On a Mac working macOS 10.14 Mojave or earlier, or a PC

On a PC or a Mac with macOS 10.14 or earlier you need to use iTunes to again up your cellphone. After you join your iPhone to your Mac or PC, choose your iPhone by clicking the little cellphone icon within the higher left, and below Backups, select “This Laptop” and examine the “Encrypt native backup” field to guard your backup with a password. Then click on the button to Again up now.

Reset and restore

When the backup is completed, disconnect your iPhone, head to Settings > Common > Reset, and choose Erase All Content material and Settings. This can return your iPhone to its manufacturing unit settings, similar to while you took it out of the field. When it restarts and it’s within the preliminary setup course of, re-connect it to your laptop with iTunes open, and comply with the directions on the display screen to revive your gadget.

That is the longest and most concerned method to cut back the dimensions of System Information/Different storage, nevertheless it’s additionally the very best. There’s simply no method to get it any smaller than it will likely be after a contemporary reset and restore.