How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone by Reducing System Data and Clearing Cache

When using an iPhone, you may encounter warnings about low storage even if you haven't installed many apps or taken numerous photos. If you check the bottom of the iPhone storage screen in the Settings app, you might find that 'System Data (previously Other)' is taking up several GBs. System data accumulates from the operating system cache, log files, and temporary resources, so by following a few safe cache-clearing steps, you can recover a significant amount of wasted space.

1. Delete Safari Website Data and Browser Cache

Using Safari for an extended period can lead to the accumulation of images, cookies, and offline browsing data from visited websites in your system data. Regularly clearing website data can provide immediate relief in terms of storage space.

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Scroll down and tap on Safari.
Scroll to the bottom and select Clear History and Website Data.
Choose the time period for deletion (e.g., All Time) and confirm by tapping Clear History.

Keep in mind that this action may log you out of websites, so it's a good idea to check your account information for important sites before proceeding.

💡 Editor's Practical Tip: Conversations and Photos Remain Intact Clearing the 'cache data' in apps like KakaoTalk or Instagram does not delete valuable photos or texts from your chats. It simply removes temporary thumbnail files saved for quick access to previously viewed images, allowing you to reclaim several GBs of precious storage space without worry.

2. Adjust Message Retention Period and Organize Large Attachments

High-quality photos, videos, and voice memos exchanged via iMessage or SMS are stored in system data indefinitely unless deleted. You can set a retention period to automatically clean up older files.

Go to Settings > Messages.
Tap on Keep Messages in the 'Message History' section.
If it's set to the default 'Forever', change it to 1 Year or 30 Days.
When prompted to delete old messages, select delete.

3. Clear Offline Cache from Streaming and Social Apps

Apps like KakaoTalk, YouTube, Netflix, and music streaming services create temporary caches of several GBs for faster loading. You need to clear this cache directly from each app's internal settings to reduce system data.

KakaoTalk: Go to Settings > More > Manage Storage > Proceed with 'Clear Cache Data'
Music and Video Apps: Delete downloaded content from the offline storage list that you no longer listen to or have finished watching.

4. Force Restart Your iPhone and Sync with Your Computer

If system data still hasn't decreased after the above steps, temporary log files may be stuck in memory, preventing the system from properly reclaiming space. In this case, you should either turn off your device and turn it back on or connect it to a computer to refresh the index.

Force restart your iPhone to prompt the operating system to automatically clean up unnecessary temporary logs.
Connect your iPhone to your Mac's Finder or Windows' Apple device (iTunes) app using a cable.
The storage space index between your computer and iPhone will sync, significantly reducing miscalculated or stuck system data caches.

⚠️ Essential Check Before Syncing: Backup Important Data Before proceeding with the sync operation using a cable, please double-check that your valuable contacts and photos are safely backed up to iCloud or your PC.

📌 Editor's 3-Point Summary

Clear Safari history and website data to reclaim GBs of space in just minutes.
Empty offline temporary caches in KakaoTalk and video streaming apps.
Resolve stuck system logs by rebooting the device and syncing with a PC/Mac via cable.

How to Check Storage Space on iPhone and iPad - Official Apple Support Guide