Not Enough Space to Update iOS? Free It Up in 15 Minutes

Quick answer: check how much space the update needs in Settings › General › Software Update, then free a little more than that. The fastest wins are long videos, then near-duplicate retakes and screenshots — and you must empty Recently Deleted afterwards, or the space doesn’t come back.

Why this keeps happening

An update needs room twice over: once to download, once to unpack and install. So a phone that seems fine day to day can suddenly come up short. iOS also wants some free space to keep working smoothly, so aim to free a bit more than the update asks for.

Option 1: Clear a few big videos (fastest)

1. Open Photos › Collections › Media Types › Videos.
2. Look for long clips you no longer need — screen recordings, accidental pocket videos, old 4K footage.
3. Select them and tap the trash.

A minute of 4K at 30 fps is about 170 MB, so three or four long clips can be the whole update.

Option 2: Clear retakes and screenshots

If you’d rather keep your videos, photos you don’t need are the next target. Start with Apple’s free Duplicates album under Utilities, then old screenshots under Media Types › Screenshots. The step-by-step versions are in delete duplicate photos and delete all screenshots.

Option 3: Offload apps you don’t use

Settings › General › iPhone Storage lists apps by size. Tap one you rarely use and choose Offload App: the app goes, but its data stays, so reinstalling later puts everything back.

Don’t skip this: empty Recently Deleted

Everything you just deleted is sitting in Recently Deleted for 30 days. Open Photos › Collections › Recently Deleted, unlock it, tap Select, then More › Delete All. Now go back to Software Update — the space should be there. If it isn’t, see why storage is still full after deleting.

Which should you pick?