TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps, but over time, it can take up a significant amount of storage on your iPhone. Cached videos, drafts, and downloaded content can pile up, slowing down your device and affecting its performance. Here’s a complete guide to reducing TikTok storage on your iPhone.
Step 1: Check TikTok Storage Usage
Before clearing data, it’s useful to see how much storage TikTok is using:
- Open Settings on your iPhone.
- Tap General.
- Select iPhone Storage.
- Scroll and tap TikTok.
Here, you can see the total storage used by the app, including app size and documents & data (cache, drafts, saved videos).
Step 2: Clear TikTok Cache
TikTok automatically stores cached videos to improve app performance, but this can take up a lot of space. Clearing the cache doesn’t delete your account or downloaded videos:
- Open TikTok on your iPhone.
- Tap your profile icon at the bottom-right corner.
- Tap the three horizontal lines (menu) at the top-right corner.
- Go to Settings and Privacy.
- Scroll down and tap Free up space under the Cache & Cellular Data section.
- Tap Clear next to Cache.
This will instantly reduce the storage TikTok uses without affecting your drafts or saved videos.
Step 3: Delete Drafts
Drafts are videos you’ve started but haven’t posted. They can take up a lot of storage:
- Open TikTok and go to your profile.
- Tap Drafts.
- Select the drafts you no longer need and delete them.
Deleting old drafts can free up several hundred megabytes, depending on video length.
Step 4: Remove Downloaded Videos
Videos downloaded from TikTok are stored locally on your iPhone:
- Open TikTok.
- Go to your profile.
- Tap Videos and find downloaded content (marked with a download icon).
- Delete videos you no longer need.
You can also back them up to iCloud or another cloud storage before deleting.
Step 5: Offload TikTok App
iOS offers an option to offload apps while keeping your data. This deletes the app but saves your account and settings:
- Open Settings → General → iPhone Storage.
- Tap TikTok.
- Select Offload App → confirm.
- Reinstall TikTok from the App Store.
This can free up significant storage by removing temporary app data.
Step 6: Manage Media in TikTok Settings
TikTok allows you to control how media is stored:
- Open TikTok → Profile → Settings and Privacy.
- Tap Free up space.
- Review options like Remove Cache, Clear Watch History, or Delete Unnecessary Data.
Regularly cleaning these can keep TikTok storage low.
Step 7: Restart Your iPhone
After clearing cache, drafts, or downloaded videos, restart your iPhone to refresh storage calculations and ensure the app runs smoothly.
Extra Tips
- Limit auto-download of videos by going to Settings and Privacy → Data Saver Mode.
- Delete unnecessary liked videos from your Liked Videos list.
- Keep your iPhone storage above 10% to avoid performance issues.
ALSO READ: How to pause TikTok videos
