iOS/iPadOS Tutorials
Last updated: November 16, 2023
Delete Downloads on iPhone

How to Delete Downloads on iPhone

Blog->iOS/iPadOS Tutorials->How to Delete Downloads on iPhone

Downloaded files on your iPhone aren’t always obvious. It can be difficult to find and locate them because they’re stored in different locations. This difficulty can create a problem when you want to delete downloaded files to claim more storage space on your iPhone. But, don’t fret because there are solutions.

We have tested and analyzed the best approaches to delete downloads on iPhone, and we’ll explain them in this article.

Types of Downloads and Their Impact on Storage

The location of downloaded data on your iPhone depends on what application you used to download it. Here are examples:

  • 🌐 Web Browser: Files downloaded from Safari or other web browsers are stored in the “Downloads” folder within your iPhone’s Files app. You can access them by going to Files > Downloads.
  • 🖼️ Media: Images and videos downloaded from the likes of X (Twitter), Facebook, Reddit, etc., are usually stored in the Photos app. Sometimes, videos will be saved under “Downloads” in the Files app, but you can head there and save them to the Photos app.
  • 📧 Mail and Messages: Attachments in your Apple Mail and Messages apps are stored within the apps, but you can also save them to Files or Photos for easier access.
  • 📁 Third-Party Apps: Files downloaded from third-party apps like Dropbox, Google Drive, etc., have their section in your Files app.

Media files (music, images, and videos) occupy significant space on your iPhone. Content apps and games can also occupy a large space on your device. They tend to cache data on your device and, consequently, occupy more storage space. However, you can delete both raw and cached data to claim more space.

Comprehensive Methods to Delete Downloads on iPhone

We tested different approaches to remove downloads from an iPhone. We’ll explain and rank each one according to ease of implementation, efficiency, and additional costs. The best methods to clear downloads on iPhone include:

Method 1: Manage Downloads in Files App

Ease of Implementation Method efficiency Additional Costs
5 out of 5 5 out of 5 0

The easiest way to delete downloaded files is by removing them directly from the Files app. Examples of files that go to this location include PDF and Word documents, videos, audio, etc. You can remove them both from local storage and from iCloud to save space.

Follow these steps to delete them from local storage:

  1. Open the Files app.
  2. Tap On My iPhone under Locations.files on my iphone
  3. Open the Downloads folder.files on iphone - download folder
  4. Tap and hold any file you want to delete till a menu pops up. Click Delete. delete files on iphone
  5. Alternatively, click the three-dotted menu (…) on the top-right corner and tap Select. click the three-dotted menu
  6. Choose the files you want to delete and click the trash icon at the bottom menu. This is the bulk deletion option.choose the files you want to delete

Follow these steps to get rid of downloads on iPhone iCloud storage:

  1. Open the Files app.
  2. Tap iCloud Drive under Locations.
  3. Open the Downloads folder.downloads folder on iphone
  4. Tap and hold the file you want to remove until a menu pops up. Tap Delete.tap hold the file you want to remove
  1. Alternatively, click the three-dotted menu (…) at the top-right corner and tap Select. delete downloads on iphone
  2. Choose the files you want to remove and tap the trash icon at the bottom menu.choose the files you want to remove from your iphone

This method is easy to implement and very efficient at deleting downloads from your iPhone.

Method 2: Delete Downloads from Web Browsers

Ease of Implementation Method efficiency Additional Costs
5 out of 5 4 out of 5 0

Whether you’ve downloaded a batch of PDFs from a work email link, snagged some concert tickets from a booking site, or saved images from a social media platform, these files aren’t always apparent. Below, we will provide examples of how to delete files downloaded from a web browser.

  1. Open the Safari app.
  2. Tap the arrow icon next to the search bar/website tab and click Downloads. This icon will be visible only if you have previously downloaded files via Safari.safari downloads on iphone
  3. On the list of Downloads, Swipe left on the file you want to remove and tap the Delete button.safari - delete downloads

Follow these steps if you use Google Chrome:

  1. Open the Google Chrome app.
  2. Tap the three dots in the bottom right corner and click Downloads from the menu that pops up.chrome downloads on iphone
  3. Clicking Downloads will redirect you to the folder in the Files app where Chrome stores all your downloaded files.
  4. Select and delete the ones you want.delete chrome downloads on iphone

The steps are similar to the above for other browsers.

Method 3: Check Downloaded Images

Ease of Implementation Method efficiency Additional Costs
5 out of 5 5 out of 5 0

You can find downloaded images in your Photos app and delete them. You can find them in different albums depending on the app you downloaded the photos from. For example, some apps like Snapchat and WhatsApp create separate albums for all photos you download from them, while others just send the photos directly to your library, which you can find in the Recents album.

Follow these steps to delete downloaded files on iPhone via the Photos app.

  1. Open the Photos app.
  2. Open the album you want to delete photos or videos from.
  3. Tap and hold the photo or video until a menu pops up. Tap Delete and Delete Photo/Video to confirm the action.delete photo or video on iphone
  4. If you want to delete multiple photos simultaneously, tap Select at the top-right corner after opening the album and choose all the files you want to remove from the Photos app. delete multiple photos on iphone
  5. Tap the trash icon at the bottom menu and Delete [Number Of] Photos to confirm the action. select multiple photos iphone
Note that deleted photos and videos aren’t removed from your iPhone immediately. Instead, they are sent to the Recently Deleted folder, where they remain for 30 days before permanent deletion. The rationale of this feature is to allow you to recover that cherished picture you mistakenly deleted.

However, you can permanently delete the photos before the 30-day period by following these steps:

  1. Open the Photos app.
  2. Head to the Albums section. select albums iphone
  3. Scroll down and find the Recently Deleted folder under Utilities.select recently deleted
  4. Tap Select at the top-right corner. select button in the recently deleted
  5. Choose the photos and videos you want to remove and tap Delete at the bottom-left corner > Delete From All Devices to confirm the action.choose the photos and videos you want to delete

It’s easy and very efficient to get rid of downloads on iPhone via this method.

Method 4: Remove Downloaded Content from Media Apps

Ease of Implementation Method efficiency Additional Costs
4 out of 5 4 out of 5 0

You can remove content directly from media apps like Apple Music, Netflix, YouTube, Podcasts, etc. Downloaded content in these media apps often consumes the most space on an iPhone, and removing them is an effective way to claim more free space along with cleaning your Gallery. You can clear downloaded files manually and also clear cached files from these apps.

The steps to clear downloaded files manually depend on the app, but let’s see a few examples.

Apple Music

  1. Open the Apple Music app.
  2. Head to the Library section.apple music library
  3. Select Songs.songs on iphone
  4. Click the three dots next to the song you want to delete and tap Remove > Delete from Library.remove songs on iphone

YouTube

  1. Open the YouTube app.
  2. Head to the You section. youtube you section
  3. Tap Downloads.youtube downloads on iphone
  4. Tap the three-dotted button next to the video you want to remove and tap Delete from Downloads.youtube delete from downloads

The steps differ depending on the app, but it’s not difficult to decipher. It’s usually a variation of the steps in the above examples.

Content apps usually store cached files on your iPhone to allow them to run faster and improve your usage experience. Removing cached files requires deleting the app and installing it again. You can follow the below steps:

  1. Open your iPhone’s Settings app.
  2. Tap General > iPhone Storage, and you’ll see a list of all the apps on your phone.iphone storage
  3. Tap the app you want to remove, and you’ll see two options: Offload App or Delete App. Tap Delete App and confirm the action.iphone delete app
  4. Head to the App Store and download the app again.

Note that deleting cached files can affect your experience on a specific app. For instance, content might take longer to load because they are no longer cached by the app.

Method 5: Clear Downloads from Mail and Messages

Ease of Implementation Method efficiency Additional Costs
5 out of 5 4 out of 5 0

We’ve observed that users frequently overlook email and message attachments, which can accumulate and occupy substantial amounts of phone memory, sometimes reaching hundreds of megabytes or even gigabytes. Consequently, addressing this type of downloads on iPhone can be highly effective in freeing up phone memory space.
You can delete large attachments and downloads directly from the Apple Mail or Messages app.

Apple Mail

  1. Open the Mail app.
  2. Select a message that includes one or more attachments.select a message that includes one or more attachments
  3. Tap the trash icon at the bottom-left corner.delete mail on iphone

Messages

  1. Open the Messages app.
  2. Tap and hold a message that includes one or more attachments until a menu pops up.messages app - select a message with one or more attachements
  3. Tap Delete and Delete again to confirm the action.delete messages on iphone

Method 6: Use Third-Party Apps for Managing Downloads

Ease of Implementation Method efficiency Additional Costs
4 out of 5 4 out of 5 3 out of 5

You can use third-party apps to manage downloads on your iPhone. These apps aggregate all your iPhone downloads in one spot and make it easy to get rid of them. They allow you to remove downloads from an iPhone in one swoop instead of juggling different apps to delete files individually.

However, ensure you choose a trusted app to avoid security risks. These apps can send your downloads to external servers for processing, and they could be stolen from there if the administrators don’t have good security practices. You don’t want hackers snooping on your sensitive files.

Examples of the best iPhone storage cleaner apps include Clean Doctor, Smart Cleaner, and iCleaner. These apps aggregate your downloads in one spot, and you can delete them easily to get more storage on your iPhone.

FAQ

You can delete all your downloads at once by heading to the Files app > Downloads > Select > Select All and tap the trash icon.
Open the Settings app and tap Safari from the list of apps. Then, tap Downloads and change “Store Downloaded Files On” to iCloud Drive, On My iPhone, or Other (and choose a specific folder in this case).
Open the Settings app and tap App Store from the list of apps. Disable the App Downloads toggle button under the Automatic Downloads menu.
If you download an attachment on your iPhone, you’ll find it in the Files or Photos app. Go to the relevant app, select the attachment, and tap the trash icon to get rid of it.

Conclusion

We have explained the best methods to delete downloads on iPhone. Follow the steps we’ve described, and you shouldn’t have any problems with removing downloads from your iPhone to create more storage space.

Stefan is a freelance writer and has been passionate about technology his entire life. Even though he holds an MSc in geological engineering, his inclination toward technology and writing has driven him to become an advocate for Windows and Mac and what they can provide the world with. Given his expertise and knowledge about technology, he can deliver high-quality content that can easily be understood by a broad audience.
Scroll to top