15 iPhone Settings to Change Right Now to Save Storage Space

Most iPhone storage guides tell you to delete stuff. That's the obvious (and painful) approach.

But what if your iPhone was wasting storage because of default settings that don't make sense for most users? What if you could save 20-50GB just by changing a few toggles?

After years of obsessing over iPhone storage (and building an app to manage it), I've found 15 settings that make a massive difference. Most people don't know they exist.

Let's go through each one.

Camera Settings (Biggest Impact)

1. Change Video Recording Quality

Location: Settings → Camera → Record Video

Default: 4K at 30fps (350MB per minute) Recommended: 1080p at 30fps (130MB per minute)

Savings: ~60% reduction in video file sizes

This is the single most impactful change you can make. 4K looks identical to 1080p on phone screens. You're storing 2.5x more data for quality you'll never see.

When to keep 4K: If you edit video professionally or plan to view on large screens.

2. Disable HDR Video (If You Don't Need It)

Location: Settings → Camera → Record Video → HDR Video

Default: On Recommended: Off (unless you watch on HDR displays)

Savings: ~30% reduction in video size

HDR video creates larger files with extended color data. Unless you're watching on an HDR TV or monitor, you won't see the difference—but you'll feel the storage impact.

3. Turn Off Apple ProRes (iPhone Pro Only)

Location: Settings → Camera → Formats → Apple ProRes

Default: Available (not on by default) Recommended: Off (unless you're a professional editor)

Why it matters: ProRes video is ~6GB per minute. If you accidentally record in ProRes, a 5-minute video uses 30GB. Make sure this is off.

4. Reduce Slo-Mo Quality

Location: Settings → Camera → Record Slo-mo

Default: 1080p at 240fps Recommended: 1080p at 120fps

Savings: ~50% reduction in slo-mo file sizes

240fps is overkill for most slo-mo shots. 120fps still looks great and uses half the storage.

5. Use High Efficiency Format

Location: Settings → Camera → Formats

Default: High Efficiency (HEIF/HEVC) on newer phones Recommended: High Efficiency

Why: If you're on "Most Compatible" (JPEG/H.264), switch to High Efficiency. You'll get the same quality at ~40% smaller file sizes.

Caveat: Some older computers/apps don't support HEIF/HEVC. If you transfer files often, "Most Compatible" might be necessary.

Photos Settings

6. Enable "Optimize iPhone Storage"

Location: Settings → Photos → Optimize iPhone Storage

Default: Download and Keep Originals Recommended: Optimize iPhone Storage (if you use iCloud Photos)

Savings: Up to 50-70% of photo storage

With this enabled, your iPhone stores thumbnails locally and keeps full-resolution photos in iCloud. The originals download automatically when you view them.

Requirement: You need an iCloud storage plan (50GB minimum for most people).

7. Reduce Photo Capture Quality (iPhone Pro)

Location: Settings → Camera → Formats → Photo Capture

Default: 24MP / 48MP (on Pro models) Recommended: 12MP (unless you crop/edit heavily)

Savings: ~50% reduction in photo file sizes

48MP photos are great for cropping and professional editing. For everyday photos, 12MP is more than enough—and uses half the storage.

Messages Settings

8. Auto-Delete Old Messages

Location: Settings → Messages → Keep Messages

Default: Forever Recommended: 1 Year (or 30 Days if you're aggressive)

Savings: Potentially 5-20GB over time

Messages accumulates every photo, video, and file anyone has ever sent you. Auto-deletion keeps this from becoming a storage black hole.

Warning: You'll lose old message history. Consider this carefully.

9. Disable Low Quality Image Mode (Or Enable It)

Location: Settings → Messages → Low Quality Image Mode

Default: Off Recommended: Depends on your priorities

If ON: Images you SEND are compressed. Saves recipient bandwidth but reduces quality they receive.

If OFF: Images sent at higher quality but your uploads use more data.

This doesn't directly save YOUR storage, but it affects how images are shared.

10. Review Large Attachments Regularly

Location: Settings → General → iPhone Storage → Messages → Review Large Attachments

Recommended: Check monthly, delete what you don't need

Not a setting per se, but this view shows you the biggest storage hogs in Messages. One 5-minute video from a group chat can be 500MB.

App Settings

11. Enable "Offload Unused Apps"

Location: Settings → App Store → Offload Unused Apps

Default: Off Recommended: On

Savings: 3-10GB typically

This automatically removes apps you haven't used in a while, but keeps their data. When you tap the app, it reinstalls with all your data intact.

Best for: Apps you use rarely but want to keep configured (airline apps, hotel apps, specialty tools).

12. Disable Automatic Downloads

Location: Settings → App Store → Automatic Downloads

Recommended: Disable "Apps" and "App Updates" if storage is tight

Why: This prevents apps from automatically downloading to your device when you buy them on another device. Also stops updates from downloading in the background.

Trade-off: You'll need to manually update apps.

Safari Settings

13. Clear Website Data Automatically

Location: Settings → Safari → Clear History and Website Data (manual)

For automatic management: Settings → Safari → Advanced → Website Data → Remove data periodically

Savings: 1-5GB for heavy Safari users

Safari caches everything you browse. If you never clear it, this grows indefinitely.

Tip: Set a monthly reminder to clear Safari data.

14. Disable Safari Preloading

Location: Settings → Safari → Preload Top Hit

Default: On Recommended: Off

Why: Safari preloads websites it thinks you'll visit, using storage and data. Turn this off to prevent unnecessary caching.

System Settings

15. Disable Automatic Software Update Download

Location: Settings → General → Software Update → Automatic Updates → Download iOS Updates

Default: On Recommended: Off (download manually when ready)

Savings: 2-8GB when updates are pending

iOS updates download automatically and sit on your device until you install them. This can tie up gigabytes of storage. Download only when you're ready to install.

Bonus: Settings That DON'T Save Much Storage

People often think these help, but they don't:

Reducing Mail fetch frequency — Email doesn't take much space Disabling Background App Refresh — Saves battery, not storage Turning off Siri — Siri data is relatively small Lowering screen brightness — Has zero impact on storage

Focus on the big wins: Camera settings, Messages, and Photos optimization.

The Complete Settings Checklist

Print this or screenshot it:

Camera (Do First):

• Video: 1080p at 30fps
• HDR Video: Off (unless needed)
• ProRes: Off (unless professional)
• Slo-mo: 1080p at 120fps
• Format: High Efficiency

Photos:

• Optimize iPhone Storage: On
• Photo Capture: 12MP (Pro models)

Messages:

• Keep Messages: 1 Year
• Review Large Attachments: Monthly

Apps:

• Offload Unused Apps: On
• Automatic Downloads: Off (optional)

Safari:

• Clear Website Data: Monthly
• Preload Top Hit: Off

System:

• Auto iOS Download: Off

Expected Total Savings

If you implement all these settings:

Your actual savings depend on your usage patterns. Heavy video shooters see the biggest impact from camera settings. Heavy texters benefit most from Messages changes.

The Settings I Actually Use

Full transparency—here's my personal setup:

Camera:

• 4K at 30fps (I compress old videos with Bonsai, so I keep original quality for recent footage)
• HDR Video: Off
• High Efficiency: On

Photos:

• Optimize iPhone Storage: Off (I compress videos instead of using iCloud for everything)

Messages:

• Keep Messages: 1 Year
• I review large attachments monthly

Apps:

• Offload Unused Apps: On

Safari:

• I clear data monthly

Why 4K if I recommend 1080p? I built Bonsai specifically so I can shoot in 4K (quality when needed) and compress later (storage when needed). If you use Bonsai or similar tools, keeping 4K makes sense. If you don't actively compress videos, dropping to 1080p is the smarter default.

One Setting Won't Save You

Here's the truth: No single setting will solve storage problems.

If you have 100GB of old 4K videos and you change to 1080p going forward, you've only fixed future storage growth. The existing 100GB is still there.

For existing storage:

• Compress old videos (with Bonsai or other tools)
• Delete message attachments
• Clear Safari cache
• Empty Recently Deleted

For future storage:

• Use the settings in this guide
• Monthly maintenance (5-10 minutes)
• Compress videos older than 30-60 days

Settings + maintenance = sustainable storage management.

The Philosophy Behind These Settings

Apple's defaults optimize for quality, not storage. That made sense when iPhones had basic cameras. But now:

• 4K is default when 1080p looks identical on phones
• HDR is enabled even though most screens aren't HDR
• Messages keep everything forever
• Safari caches everything

These defaults assume unlimited storage (or that you'll buy more).

By changing defaults to match how you actually use your phone, you take back control. You're not sacrificing quality—you're eliminating waste.

Your iPhone can work for you, not against you. It just requires understanding what's happening and making intentional choices.

Changed your camera settings but still have 50GB of old 4K videos? That's where Bonsai comes in. Compress your existing library and keep using these new settings for the future. Try free with 10 conversions.