How to clear System Data on iPhone, delete Other storage

I’m sure this sounds familiar: you’re trying to install the latest version of iOS, upgrade to a new iPhone, take photos or record videos, or just download that cool app everyone is talking about, and your iPhone reports that storage is full.

you already deleted all applications you don’t think you need it and there is still Not enough space on your iPhone. So you open Settings, click Generalthen iPhone storageand of course your iPhone is full. The worst thing is that huge part of it is simply listed as “Other” (renamed to “System Data” in iOS 15). What is this supposed to mean? How to get rid of this? The System Data and Other Storage sections are cryptic and confusing, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer, but hopefully this guide will help you overcome this problem.

Latest iPhone version: iPhone SE (March 2022), iPhone 16, iPhone 16 plus, iPhone 16 pro, iPhone 16 pro max (September 2024)

Latest iOS version: iOS 18.2.1 (January 2025)

Latest iOS beta: iOS 18.3

How to View Your iPhone’s Storage

To see how much space all your apps and data are taking up on your iPhone, open the Settings app, select Generalthen iPhone storage. At the top, you’ll see a bar graph showing the iPhone’s total storage capacity and the types of data that fill it. Below you’ll find a list of the apps on your phone and how much space they take up, both for the app itself and its stored data.

It may take a few seconds for the graph to appear on your iPhone as scanning and analyzing its memory takes time. Even after the chart first appears, you’ll have to wait a few more seconds for it to stabilize, as your list of apps and storage sizes may change while your phone completes its analysis.

What is system data (or other data) on iPhone?

Your iPhone’s Storage menu will split that top bar into familiar categories like Apps, Media, Photos, and Mail, as well as System Data (iOS 15 and later) or Other categories” which sometimes Very big. Typically, the system data volume is in the range of 5 to 20 GB, but if it is more than 20 GB, it is probably out of control. You can scroll down to the bottom of the list of apps, where you’ll see iOS (files required by the system, which typically take up about 10GB), as well as system data (files other than apps and downloads that are collected by iOS. Tap on System data to see how much space it takes up.

The System Data/Other category is large and varied because it is truly a universal category. It includes system caches, logs, Siri voices (if you have downloaded more than one), updates and much more. One of the main reasons for system data/others to get out of control is streaming a lot of music and videos. When you download Video or music from the iTunes Store, TV app, or Music app is indexed as Media. But streams have caches used to ensure smooth playback, and they fall under the System Data/Other category.

Safari caches can also become quite large. And if you send tons of text with images or videos, the caches for that can start to take up a lot of space. Your iPhone is supposed to manage these caches to keep your storage from filling up completely, but it doesn’t always do the job well.

We are discussing how to remove Other storage on Mac And how to delete system data on Mac separate articles.

How to Reduce System Data/Other Size on iPhone

It is impossible to completely get rid of the System Data/Other partition, but sometimes you can reduce its size.

First let’s try clearing the Safari cache. Open Settings > Safari and choose Clear history and website data. If you have many Of all the Safari tabs you have open on your iPhone, you might want to close most of them.

You can also change Messages to save fewer old messages. Open Settings, then Messagesand scroll down to Message history parameter. By default, Save messages set to Foreverbut you can change it to 1 year or even 30 days to reduce the amount of data cached by the Messages app. Just remember that this will mean old messages will be deleted, so if you have any messages you want to keep, find a way to back them up.

Finally, go back to your iPhone storage and look at the list of apps. Most applications store data that is classified as Applicationsbut some retain caches categorized as “System Data/Other”. If, say, the Podcasts app is taking up a couple gigabytes of space, chances are it’s mostly cached data. Uninstalling an app and downloading it again may affect the System Data/Other category.

Nuclear Option: Backup and Reset Your iPhone

You can go through your iPhone trying to remove every little cache that can increase the size of system data/other storage, but if you really want to make it as small as possible, you need to back up your phone and reboot it. This may take some time. The best way to do this is to use your Mac or PC.

On a Mac running macOS 10.15 Catalina or later:

1. First, connect your iPhone to your Mac using the included USB-C-to-Lightning rod.
2. When prompted on your iPhone, tap Trust and enter your password.
3. In the Finder sidebar on Mac, select your iPhone under Locations.
4. Click the button General tab.
5. Select “Back up everything on your iPhone to this Mac.”
6. To encrypt your backup data and protect it with a password, select the Encrypt local backup checkbox.
7. Click Back up now.
8. Note. You can also connect your iPhone to your computer wirelessly if you’ve set up Wi-Fi syncing.

On a Mac running macOS 10.14 Mojave or earlier, or on a PC.

On a PC or Mac running macOS 10.14 or earlier, you can use iTunes to back up your phone’s data. After connecting your iPhone to your Mac or PC, select your iPhone by clicking the small phone icon in the top left corner, and under Backups, select This PC and check the Encrypt local backup box to password protect your backup. . Then click the button to Back up now.

Reset and recovery

Once the backup is complete, turn off your iPhone and go to Settings > Preferences. General > Rebootand select Delete all content and settings. This will return your iPhone to factory settings as if you took it out of the box. Once it restarts and the initial setup process begins, reconnect it to your computer with iTunes open and follow the onscreen instructions to restore your device.

This is the longest and most complex way to reduce the size of system data/other storage, but it is also the best. There is simply no way to make it smaller than it will be after a new reset and recovery.