How to do it
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Check both numbers
For the phone, open Settings, tap General, then tap iPhone Storage. For iCloud, open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud. They are two different totals.
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Turn on Optimize iPhone Storage
Tap Settings, your name, iCloud, then Photos. Turn on Sync this iPhone. In iOS 27 or later, tap iPhone Storage. Make sure Optimize iPhone Storage is on, so full-resolution photos and videos stay in iCloud and space-saving copies stay on the phone.
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Open the recommendations
Back in iPhone Storage, tap Show All under the recommendations, read each description, then tap Enable or open it to see what you can delete.
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Remove what is not photos
Check the biggest apps, Messages attachments, downloaded videos, and files in the Files app. Apple lists these as the common sources of storage use.
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Delete for real
Deleted photos stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days. To free the space sooner, open Recently Deleted in Photos and delete them there.
Why doesn’t iCloud space help?
Apple’s page on managing photo and video storage treats them as two places to check: device storage in Settings, General, iPhone Storage, and iCloud storage under your name, then iCloud. By default your photos and videos are stored on the device in their original, high-resolution version, which uses a lot of space. With iCloud Photos, Optimize Storage is on by default and keeps full-resolution versions in iCloud, with space-saving copies on the phone when needed (Apple: Manage your photo and video storage). Without it, iCloud having room doesn’t move anything off the phone.
What does Optimize iPhone Storage change?
Space-saving copies still take some room, and the setting only helps photos and videos. Apple’s storage categories also include Apps, Messages, Mail, Media and Other. If those are what’s big, the phone stays full no matter how much iCloud has left. For the photo side in detail, see Optimize iPhone Storage.
What if the photos and videos are the problem?
PicWay’s Smart tidy has Large videos and Duplicate items. You can compress a large video, and the space is freed only after you delete the original. The full walk-through is in free up iPhone storage.