Short answer: open Settings › General › iPad Storage and look at the biggest categories. On iPads it's usually downloaded videos (Netflix, TV, YouTube), big games and creative apps, the Photos library and Files downloads. Remove offline episodes, offload apps you don't use, clean up photos, then empty Recently Deleted.
Steps
- Open Settings › General › iPad Storage and wait for the bar to load. Tap the recommendations iPadOS shows, if any.
- Downloaded videos: in each streaming app (Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, the TV app), open its Downloads section and remove what you've watched.
- Apps and games: sort the list by size. Tap an app to Offload App (keeps data) or Delete App (removes data too).
- Photos: remove duplicates, similar shots, screenshots and long videos, then empty Photos › Collections › Utilities › Recently Deleted (on iPadOS 18, scroll down to Utilities).
- Files: open the Files app, go to On My iPad and the Downloads folder, sort by size and delete what you don't need.
- Messages: iPad Storage › Messages › Review Large Attachments.
- System Data: if it's very large, restart the iPad and see what System Data is.
What fills an iPad
| Category | Why it's big on iPad | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Streaming downloads | Movies and series for flights and kids | Delete watched downloads; set apps to remove them automatically |
| Games | Single games can take several GB | Offload games you're not playing |
| Creative apps | Procreate, LumaFusion and notes apps keep large projects | Export finished projects to Files or a computer |
| Photos & videos | Same library as your iPhone with iCloud Photos | Clean up, or turn on Optimize iPad Storage |
| Files downloads | PDFs, installers, ZIPs, videos | Sort Downloads by size |
| System Data | Caches and temporary files | Restart; it shrinks on its own |
iPad full, iCloud has space
iCloud storage doesn't add room to the iPad. If your photo library is large, go to Settings › Apps › Photos and choose Optimize iPad Storage. Originals stay in iCloud and the iPad keeps smaller versions. This frees iPad space, not iCloud space (how Optimize works).
Shared iPads and kids' iPads
Kids' iPads fill up with games and screen recordings. Check Photos › Collections › Media Types › Screen Recordings: long recordings of games are often several gigabytes. On a family iPad signed in with a parent's Apple Account, remember that deleting photos with iCloud Photos on deletes them on the parent's iPhone too.
Cleaning the photo library with Spaceclear
Spaceclear runs on iPad (iPadOS 18 and later) as well as iPhone. It finds duplicates, similar shots with the best one kept, bursts, screenshots, blurry photos, screen recordings and the biggest videos, and can compress the videos you keep. Spaceclear Pro works on all your devices with the same Apple Account. It can't remove app downloads or System Data; those are the steps above. See also how to find the biggest videos.
FAQ
Why is my iPad storage full with System Data?
System Data holds caches, logs and temporary files. It can grow when an app keeps caching or an update didn't finish. Restart the iPad, install pending updates and reinstall apps with big caches. It usually shrinks within a day.
Can I add more storage to an iPad?
Not internally. iPads with USB-C can use an external drive or SD card reader in the Files app, which is great for videos and documents. Apps and the Photos library still need internal storage.
Why can't I update my iPad because storage is full?
iPadOS needs several gigabytes free to install an update. Free space with the steps above, accept the offer to temporarily remove apps, or update from a computer. See not enough storage to update.
Updated 2026-11-13