How to free up space on iPad

Every time you turn on your iPad , are you told that the available storage space on the device is running out? Are you unable to update iOS to the latest version available because you don't have enough space on your iPad? It's a classic, I won't tell you how many times I've found myself in the same situation.

Unfortunately, Apple tablets, as well as iPhones, do not allow you to expand the memory via microSD and if you do not buy the more expensive models with a greater amount of storage available, you have to learn to "struggle" continuously with the little space available on the device. Would you like some advice on how to free up space on iPad ? Well then here I am! I'm ready to lend a hand and help you free up space on your Apple-branded tablet.

Obviously don't expect "miraculous" solutions, those do not exist. The only thing I can do is suggest common sense practices that you can put in place to better manage the space on your iPad. With a little effort, you should be able to achieve the desired result without giving up too much data or applications. I wish you a good reading and a lot of fun!

How to free up memory space on iPad

The free space inside your iPad is really very tight and in fact you really regret choosing the basic memory cut. Now you can't even install an app inside your iPad anymore, so you'd like to figure out how to free up memory space on iPad .

Don't worry, below I will give you some useful tips that you could try to use to try to free up space inside your iPad's memory so that you can get back to using it normally.

How to free up system space on iPad

You want to know how to free up system space on iPad , don't you? The first suggestion I can give you in this case is to proceed with the uninstallation of all those apps that you never use, which therefore occupy part of the internal memory unnecessarily.

To uninstall apps from iPad , just keep your finger pressed on its icon and select the items Remove app and Delete app .

Alternatively, you can use a convenient iPadOS feature, which allows you to automatically remove the apps you don't use and consequently free up space.

To use it, open the Settings app , recognizable by the gear icon and go to Generations> iPad Space . In this section you will have an overview of the space occupied and the space still free on your device and immediately below you will find a Advice section with the item Remove app you do not use : tap the Enable button next to the item to enable the automatic removal of apps that you do not use. In this case, the app will only be deleted, which you can always download again from the App Store , while the data and documents relating to the app will not be removed.

Finally, always remember to install any pending operating system updates , since until it is installed, the temporary file needed to install the update is saved in the memory of your iPad, taking up different useful space.

To install an update, open the Settings app , go to General> Software update and, if there is an update awaiting installation, tap on the Install now button . If the button is disabled, remember that at least 50% battery remaining or connection to power is required to install an update. If you need more information on how to update iPad , read the tutorial I dedicated to the topic.

How to free up space on iPad "other"

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Following the instructions I gave you previously, you went to the iPad Space section , which provides you with a summary of the status of your iPad's memory and which apps take up the most space.

Analyzing in detail what the internal space is occupied by, you noticed the presence of the System data item , but by touching it you simply find the indication Other system data , very generic, with the amount of memory occupied, which in your case is several GB. You have no idea what this system data is taking up all this space, so you'd like to figure out how to free up space on the “other” iPad , right?

The “Other System Data” category, formerly known only as “Other” collects data that does not fit into the other main categories, namely Apps , Photos , Media Files , Messages , and Books . Specifically, this is generally the space occupied by the cache of Safari and apps in general, as well as the temporary files necessary for the installation of a system update.

Usually you should not act on this particular category, since as you understand these are files used directly by the operating system, but if your iPad has a rather narrow memory cut, it might be useful to try to reduce the space occupied by this category of data, perhaps trying to free iPad space with iTunes or Finder (if you use a Mac) for those applications that allow you to store data through the file sharing function .

For more information on how to act on the “other” category, take a look at my tutorial on the subject (even if I'm talking about the iPhone, the directions to follow are the same).

How to free up photo space on iPad

You got carried away a little and took several photos with your iPad's camera, but this led to the internal memory filling up fast, as you have a model with a rather narrow memory cut.

You don't want to delete photos on your iPad and consequently lose them permanently, but you still want to figure out how to free up photo space on iPad , don't you? Don't worry, in this case you could transfer the photos from your iPad to your PC (Windows or Mac), take a look at the tutorial I just linked to if you don't know how to proceed, in order to keep them safe.

In addition, I also recommend that you take a look at my tutorial on how to use iCloud Photos , a service from Apple that allows you to upload your photos to the cloud and at the same time optimize the space occupied inside your iPad. This way you can always have your photos close at hand, but at the same time reduce the space they take up on your device.

A possible alternative to iCloud Photos (which offers 5GB of online space in its free version, as it relies on iCloud Drive ) is Google Photos , which offers 15 GB of free (as it relies on Google Drive ).

How to free up iPad space with iCloud

You need to free up the space on your iPad, since the memory is now totally full, but at the same time you would like to avoid having to move files to your PC, as you would prefer to have them always at hand at any time.

In this case, my advice is to use iCloud , which is Apple's cloud storage system that integrates perfectly with your iPad. How do you say? Have absolutely no idea how to free up iPad space with iCloud ? Don't worry, I'm here to help you.

You should know that when you create an Apple ID , a cloud storage space on iCloud is automatically activated, which guarantees you 5 GB of cloud space completely free. If, however, you need to have more space available, you can purchase subscription packages, which start at € 0.99 per month for 50 GB of additional space. Alternatively, the Apple One subscription is available which with prices starting from 14.95 euros per month offers 50 GB of space on iCloud Drive, as well as the possibility of using services such as Apple Music , Apple TV + and Apple Arcade .

To be able to move files to your iCloud space, you must first enable some functions, so open the Settings app , recognizable by the gear icon, and tap on your Apple ID entry at the top. From here, tap on the iCloud item and set the iCloud Drive lever to ON , through which you can move files to the Apple cloud directly through the File app . Furthermore, you can do the same thing with photos too, just tap on the Photo item , set the iCloud Photo lever to ONand set the check mark on the item Optimize iPad space .

To move files from internal memory directly to iCloud Drive , instead, all you have to do is open the Files app , recognizable by a blue folder icon. Then, from the side menu, tap on the iPad item , hold down on the file you want to move to the cloud and from the menu that appears on the screen, tap on the Move item : from the menu that appears on the screen, tap on the iCloud Drive item and finally on the Copy button located in tall.

Do you have a lot of music files inside your iPad, which inexorably take up a lot of space in your iPad memory? In this case, I recommend that you use a music streaming service such as Apple Music or Spotify , which, upon payment of a monthly subscription, will allow you to save a lot of space, since the music is streamed through an Internet connection .

How to free up space on iCloud iPad

In an attempt to free up space on your iPad you have filled all the space you had available on iCloud , so now you need to free up some space and this is the problem you asked yourself: how to free up iCloud space from iPad ?

No problem, I'll explain how to proceed best. Grab your iPad, open the Settings app and tap on your Apple ID name at the top. Then tap on the iCloud item and then on Manage space : in this section you will find a list with all the data that take up space within iCloud. For example, if you notice that the Backup item takes up a lot of space, tap on it, tap on the device you want to delete the backup and finally tap on the Delete backup button .

If, on the other hand, you notice that the Photos section takes up too much space and you are not interested in having a backup of the photos on iCloud, tap on the Photos item and then on the Deactivate and delete button : from now on you will have 30 days to be able to download the photos. photos or videos on iCloud, so you don't lose them.

For more information on how to free up iCloud space, take a look at my tutorial on the topic that I just linked to.

How to free up space on iPad using external drives

The last piece of advice I want to give you in order to free up space on your iPad is to use external drives, for example a USB key or an external hard drive , in which to go to directly save your files.

Didn't you know about this possibility and now you are wondering how to free up space on iPad using external drives ? Don't worry, I'm here to help you.

With the release of iPadS 13 , Apple has finally made it possible to use USB drives as external memory, so using a USB-C or Lightning adapter , depending on the iPad model in your possession, you can connect a USB stick and copy inside the files that take up space inside your iPad directly from the File app , which you find by default within all iPad models.

How do you say? Don't have a proper adapter for your iPad, but still have no idea which one to choose? Don't worry, you can choose one of those I propose below. Just be careful to choose the one with USB-C port if you have an iPad with this connector (e.g. iPad Pro), or the one with Lightning port if you have an iPad equipped with this connector (e.g. week / eighth generation iPad).