Short answer: you can free a lot of space without losing a single photo or app. Turn on Optimize iPhone Storage for iCloud Photos, offload apps you rarely use (their data stays), compress big videos, convert large photos and RAW files to HEIC, and move old videos to a computer or USB-C drive. Together these often free 10–50 GB.
Steps
- Optimize photos with iCloud: Settings › Apps › Photos, turn on iCloud Photos and choose Optimize iPhone Storage. Originals stay in iCloud and the iPhone keeps smaller versions. You'll need enough iCloud storage for your library.
- Offload unused apps: Settings › General › iPhone Storage › [app] › Offload App. The app goes, its documents and data stay, and one tap reinstalls it.
- Compress videos you keep: a 4K video re-encoded at 1080p takes a fraction of the space and still looks sharp on a phone. iOS has no built-in compressor; see how to compress a video on iPhone.
- Convert big photos to HEIC: JPEG, PNG and RAW photos are much larger than HEIC. See HEIC vs JPEG.
- Turn Live Photos into stills for photos where the motion doesn't matter. Each Live Photo carries a short video.
- Move old videos off the iPhone: copy them to a computer or a USB-C drive with the Files app, check the copies, and only then remove them from the iPhone.
- Set the camera to save space from now on: Settings › Camera › Formats › High Efficiency, and Record Video › 1080p at 30 fps for everyday clips.
What each method saves
| Method | Typical saving | What you give up |
|---|---|---|
| Optimize iPhone Storage | Most of your library's size | Originals download when you open them (needs internet) |
| Offload apps | The app's size (100 MB–4 GB each) | Re-download the app when you need it |
| Compress videos | 50–80% of each video | Some detail, hard to see on a phone at 1080p |
| JPEG/PNG → HEIC | About 50% per photo | Nothing visible |
| RAW → HEIC | 80–90% per photo | RAW editing latitude |
| Live Photo → still | About half of each Live Photo | The short motion clip |
| Move to computer or drive | Whatever you move | Access on the iPhone itself |
The honest catch
"Without deleting anything" means without losing anything you care about. The space still has to come from somewhere: smaller versions, re-encoded files or copies stored elsewhere. Before you remove originals, check the new version and keep a backup of anything precious. Deleted originals go to Recently Deleted for 30 days, so you can still change your mind.
Doing it with Spaceclear
Spaceclear does the conversions that iOS can't, all on your iPhone:
- Compress Videos in High, Balanced or Small, with the estimated saving shown first. Date, location and HDR are kept.
- Convert to HEIC for big JPEG and PNG photos, and RAW to HEIC for ProRAW, edits included.
- Live Photo to still, keeping date, place and favorites.
Spaceclear saves the new versions first, then lets you review and remove the originals. The free plan includes one video compression and ten conversions a day. If you're also open to deleting real clutter, its scan finds duplicates and near-identical shots too (free up iPhone storage).
FAQ
How can I clear storage on my iPhone without deleting photos?
Turn on Optimize iPhone Storage with iCloud Photos, convert large photos to HEIC and compress videos. You keep every photo; only their size changes. Or copy photos to a computer and remove them from the iPhone after checking the copies.
Does offloading apps delete my data?
No. Offloading removes the app itself but keeps its documents and data on the iPhone. Reinstalling it from the Home Screen icon brings everything back, as long as the app is still in the App Store.
Does compressing videos lose quality?
A little, but at 1080p on a phone screen it's hard to see. Keep the originals of videos you might want to edit or show on a big TV, or store those originals on a computer.
Updated 2026-11-13