On your iPhone or iPad, the System Data category is where your caches, settings, saved messages, voice memos, and, well, any other random data is kept. Apple used to call this “Other storage” in older versions of iOS. Most of the time, these files are too small to have their own folders, so your iPhone or iPad puts them all in the System Data or Other folder. This article is about How to Clear iPhone System Data Storage.
Renaming Other to System Data makes it clearer what is in the folder, so it is better and less mysterious. Even so, there is no easy way to find the files in the folder and delete them because they are all in the same category. Below we have mention the How to Clear iPhone System Data Storage.
How to Clear System Data on iPhone Storage
How to view iPhone System Data storage
System Data can start out as a few gigabytes but can grow or shrink over time depending on how you use your iPhone or iPad. When users suddenly realize that their iPhone’s System Data has used up all of the storage space, this is a problem.
To avoid this unpleasant surprise and keep track of how much storage each category, like Apps, Photos, Media, iOS, and System Data, has used, iOS has a nice section that breaks down how much storage each category has used. Here’s how to look at the storage graph for System Data on an iPhone:
- Open Settings Tap General > iPhone Storage
- Check the light grey bar that says System Data for iOS 16 and Other Storage for iOS 15 and earlier.
To check the System Data of an iPad or iPhone on a Mac, just:
- Connect your iPhone or iPad to a Mac and open Finder or iTunes
- Choose the device and look at the bar at the bottom of the screen to see how much space it has.
How to clear System Data on iPhone
Now that you know how much space this unknown System Data is taking up on your device, you might be wondering how to get rid of it quickly. Well, there is no one way to clear iPhone system data, but if you really need to, you can get it down to less than 1 or 2 GB.
One of the most extreme ways to get more space on your iPhone or iPad is to restore it. This means making a copy of everything on your iOS device, resetting it to factory settings, and then restoring it from the copy. How to back up and restore an iOS device to clear System Data iPhone:
- You can back up your iPhone or iPad by connecting it to a Mac.
- Select your device in Finder or iTunes and click on it.
- Go to “General” and click “Back up all of your iPhone’s data to this Mac.”
- Check the “Encrypt local backup” box to keep account passwords and Health data safe.
- Tap “Back Up Now,” and then wait until it is done.
- Put your device away and go to Settings.
- Go to Settings > General > Reset.
- Choose “Erase All Content and Settings.”
- Tap Continue and do what it says to do to finish.
- Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac again.
- Open Finder or iTunes and choose iPhone or iPad.
- Go to General > Restore Backup
- Choose the most recent backup you made and click the “Restore” button.
How to reduce System Data on iPhone by clearing browsing history
Since it is not practical to do a full device reset every time you need more space, you can try a few other things to clear System Data on your iPhone. If you regularly delete your browsing history and website data, System Data will not take up as much space on your iOS device.
Even though saving your browsing history makes it easier to get to your favourite websites and makes browsing faster and more personalized, it can also invade your privacy, so you should not keep website caches for too long. Here’s how to clear System Data in Safari by getting rid of website data:
- Settings > General
- Choose the iPhone’s storage
- Scroll down to the list of apps and choose Safari.
- Tap Select Website Data Get rid of all website data.
Follow these steps to clear Chrome’s history if your iPhone’s System Data is a lot:
- Start up the Chrome app.
- Tap the three dots at the bottom of the screen.
- Click History > Clear Browsing Data
- Select the time range and tap Clear Browsing Data again.
How to clear System Data by deleting Message history
You can also set up your iPhone or iPad to delete messages on a set schedule, in addition to getting rid of any unnecessary attachments. Here’s how to clear out your iPhone’s system storage by turning on auto-delete in Messages:
- Click on Settings.
- Choose the Messages
- Tap and scroll down. Keep Messages
- Choose either one year or thirty days.
Once you have used this method to clear some System Data from your iPhone, you can look at your Notes and Voice Memos. System Data: When you save or open a note or voice memo that is linked to your iCloud account, it takes up space on your iPhone. It is a good idea to check your Notes and Voice Memos apps every so often and delete the files you no longer need by hand.
FAQ
What does system data mean in iPhone storage?
System Data is defined in iOS as “caches, logs, and other resources being used by the system at the moment.” This does not say what the data is, but it could include logs, temporary data stores, and other things that are not really part of any of the apps listed.
How do I clear system app data?
Open Settings, swipe to Apps, and tap it. Choose the app you want to delete or look for it. Tap Storage, then tap Clear data, followed by OK. This will delete the app completely and put it back to how it was before.
What eats up storage on iPhone?
Apps: Content from installed apps and the “On My iPhone/iPad/iPod touch” directory in the Files app, as well as downloads from Safari. Photos: Photos and videos that are stored in the Photos app. Music, videos, podcasts, ringtones, artwork, and Voice Memos are all types of media. Emails and the files they send with them.
