“Storage almost full” always shows up at the worst moment: in the middle of recording a video or right before a meeting. I make content every day, so I have had to learn how to free up storage on your phone and computer fast. This is my routine. It takes about 20 minutes and you can repeat it every month.
What is actually eating your storage?
In most cases it is the same four things: videos, WhatsApp media, apps you never open and duplicate files. Check first, delete second. Your phone and computer both show you a breakdown.
- iPhone: Settings, General, iPhone Storage.
- Android: Settings, Storage (or the Files by Google app, which has a Clean tab with suggestions).
- Mac: System Settings, General, Storage.
- Windows: Settings, System, Storage.
How do you free up storage on your phone in 10 minutes?
Start with what weighs the most. A single long 4K video can weigh more than hundreds of photos.
- Sort videos by size. Delete takes you will never use. Then empty “Recently Deleted” in Photos, because deleted items stay there for up to 30 days and still take space.
- Clean WhatsApp. Settings, Storage and data, Manage storage. You will see the largest files and the chats that weigh most. Turn off automatic media download for groups.
- Offload or delete apps you do not use. On iPhone, “Offload Unused Apps” removes the app but keeps its data. On Android, the storage screen shows apps you have not opened in a while.
- Clear app caches. Social and browser apps pile up cache. On Android you can clear it per app; on iPhone, reinstalling the heavy app often does the same.
- Delete old downloads. PDFs, voice notes, screenshots. Screenshots are my personal weakness.
How do you free up space on your computer?
Same logic: find the big files first. Your downloads folder is usually the worst offender.
- Sort your Downloads folder by size and delete installers, old exports and zip files you already unpacked.
- On Mac, the Storage screen shows recommendations and lets you review large files.
- On Windows, turn on Storage Sense so it cleans temporary files and the recycle bin automatically.
- Empty the trash. Sounds obvious; it is forgotten all the time.
Should you move everything to the cloud?
The cloud helps, but it is not magic. Move finished projects and old photos to cloud storage, confirm they open from another device, and only then delete the local copy. For anything critical, keep two copies in two different places.
My personal rule: raw footage lives on the phone only until it is edited. Once the video is published, the raw files go to the cloud or an external drive.
How do you keep it clean every month?
- Put a 20-minute “phone cleanup” in your calendar on the first Monday of each month.
- Leave automatic media download in WhatsApp off.
- Delete screenshots the same day you take them, once they did their job.
Small systems like this are what let one person run several projects. I wrote about that idea in systems vs hustle for solo founders, and about why I stopped improvising every day in stop living day to day. More about me on the home page.
— Patricio “King” Olivera
Frequently asked questions
Will offloading apps delete my data?
On iPhone, offloading removes the app but keeps its documents and data, so when you reinstall it everything comes back. Deleting the app, on the other hand, removes its data too.
Why is my WhatsApp taking so much space?
Mostly videos, photos and audio from groups that download automatically. Turn off automatic media download and use the built-in Manage storage tool to delete the biggest files.
Is it safe to delete files after uploading them to the cloud?
Only after you confirm the upload finished and you can open the files from another device. I keep a second copy of anything critical, like client work or family photos.
Ready for the next step?
Your phone is your office. If you want the rest of your business to run that clean too:
- Video editing done for you — see plans
- Talk to me on WhatsApp — quick answer
- Free AI audit — King Studio AI