Hi everyone,
I recently checked my iPhone storage under Settings > General > iPhone Storage, and I noticed that “System Data” is taking up a huge chunk of space. It’s almost 20GB on my device, and I have no idea why it’s so large. I’ve already tried deleting apps, photos, and even cleared Safari cache, but the System Data part doesn’t really go down.
I don’t want to reset my iPhone completely if there’s another way. Has anyone managed to safely clear or reduce system data without losing important files? I’d really appreciate step-by-step suggestions or things that worked for you.
is there a way to clear cache without deleting apps?
Sadly no, iOS doesn’t give us that option (unlike Android). A few apps have their own “Clear Cache” button inside settings, but most don’t.
Restarting your iPhone does free up some space, but honestly, it’s a short-term fix. On my iPhone 12, I get maybe 1GB back and then it fills up again by the next day. It’s super frustrating, especially when the phone says “Storage Full” right when I need to take a photo. Not ideal, but it’s the quickest way when you’re stuck.
Restarting only gave me a tiny bit of space back too, so I started digging deeper. What actually made a difference on my iPhone was removing a few big apps that were storing hidden data. YouTube was sitting on almost 6GB of “Documents & Data,” and WhatsApp had a couple gigs of old media. After deleting and reinstalling both, my System Data dropped way more than it ever did from restarting.
So if your phone keeps filling up even after a restart, check the storage breakdown in Settings > General > iPhone Storage. The apps at the top are usually the ones causing the system to balloon.
What helped me:
Got back about 5GB. Not massive, but enough to install the next iOS update.
how do you find old backups on iPhone?
I’ve run into this “System Data eating all my storage” issue more than once, and the trick that helped me the most is a little weird but it works if your System Data is out of control (like over 25GB). Just a heads-up though: don’t do it all the time because cache actually helps your apps run faster. I only pull this out when storage goes crazy.
Here’s what I did step by step:
When I tried this, my System Data went from 32GB down to about 15GB in a couple of minutes. It felt like magic.
Extra tip: Instagram and Discord seem to hide a ton of cache in System Data. I deleted and reinstalled both, and that freed up another few gigs.
It’s honestly ridiculous that we even have to go through hoops like this, but until Apple fixes the System Data mess, this has been the only reliable way for me.
Clearing Safari history barely touches System Data. A full reset and fresh setup is the only thing that actually frees up storage.
The safer way is to back up first. I used iCloud backup, then erased the phone, and restored. Storage dropped, battery improved, and all apps/messages/photos came back without issues.
If I reset, will Face ID and all my logins be gone? I’ve got banking apps and authenticator codes, not sure if restore brings that stuff back.
After a reset you’ll need to redo Face ID and your passcode, but most apps remember your login once they reinstall. A few sensitive ones like banking will ask you to sign in again.
Ok dumb question but… how do you even back up properly? Just iCloud or do I need a computer for that?
I split it: Google Photos for pics, iCloud for the main backup. But if you want everything, do a full backup to a Mac/PC. That way nothing gets left behind.
For me, the main reason System Data was so huge turned out to be app cache. The only real fix I found was deleting and reinstalling the apps that were holding the most. On my phone, YouTube alone was using over 7GB, and Spotify was close to 3GB. After reinstalling them, my system storage dropped a lot.
So if your numbers look out of control, it’s worth checking apps that stream a lot of video or music, they’re usually the ones piling up hidden cache.
“System Data” is just a pile of caches, logs, and temp files, but sometimes it goes crazy and eats up storage. Mine was stuck around 21GB, and after a bit of digging I got it down to about 8GB. Here’s what I did:
After all that, I did a force restart (volume up → volume down → hold the side button until the Apple logo shows). Right after the reboot my System Data dropped like a rock.
Do a full backup first either iCloud or to your computer. Then erase the iPhone and restore it from that backup.
Doing it this way clears out the bloated system data and gives you a fresh start without losing your photos, apps, or messages. After the restore, the system storage should drop back to normal.
I kinda wonder the same thing… I don’t really do anything with System Data either. The only time I see it shrink is after a reboot, and even then it’s barely noticeable. Doesn’t really solve the problem.
Clear the App Store cache. Open the App Store and tap one of the bottom icons 10 times fast. No popup, but it works. I did it and a chunk of “System Data” disappeared right after.
What helped me most was setting Messages to keep stuff only for 30 days. Didn’t realize I had YEARS of videos and PDFs sitting there. Changed it, deleted the old stuff, and my system data dropped. Just save the good pics first.
System Data was eating almost 12GB on my iPhone. I went through Safari → Clear History & Website Data and also did the same in Chrome. That alone freed up about a gig. It’s not a magic fix, but it was the first time I actually saw the number drop.
I managed to shave mine down from 14GB to about 7GB on 14 pro max. It wasn’t one single trick, it was a combo:
After all that, I rebooted and storage finally looked normal. First time I’ve seen System Data actually shrink in months.
On my 12 mini the “Other/System” storage was bigger than my apps. None of the clears lasted. Only thing that actually worked: full backup to iCloud, wipe, restore. Dropped from 25GB to around 8GB. Everything else was just a band-aid.
Weird one but on my iPhone 15 Pro I cleared the Books app “reading goals” in settings and it instantly freed 600MB. I don’t even read on my phone but somehow that was hogging space.
same happening to me too on my 13 mini, restart only helps for a little bit.
same here on my iphone 15 pro, system data just keeps growing no matter what i try.
yep, iPhone 14 Plus, system data eating 18gb right now 😩.
iPhone 16 Pro here, system storage won’t shrink at all. feels like a bug.
having the exact problem on my 12 pro max after 18 update.