How to find and delete large videos on iPhone

To delete large videos on your iPhone, open Photos, tap Collections, scroll to Media Types, and tap Videos. Then open the long ones, check their size, and delete the ones you do not need. The Photos app cannot sort videos by size, so this takes a little work. Photos Cleanup has a Big videos pile that shows the biggest videos first, so you can start with the ones that matter most.

Why videos fill your iPhone

A video is many photos played one after another, with sound. A long clip, or one recorded in high quality, can take up far more room than a photo. A few forgotten videos can matter more than hundreds of small pictures. That is why videos are often the best place to start when your iPhone says it is full.

Method 1: In the Photos app

Photos can show you only your videos. It cannot rank them by size, but you can still find the big ones.

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap Collections at the bottom.
3. Scroll down to Media Types.
4. Tap Videos.

If you do not see Collections, look for the Albums view and scroll down to Media Types there. Menu names can change a little between iOS versions.

Each video shows its length in the corner of the thumbnail. Long videos usually take the most room, so look at those first.

Check the size of a video

1. Tap a video to open it.
2. Tap the Info button (a small “i”), or swipe up on the video.
3. Look for the file size in the details.

On recent iOS versions, this panel shows details such as the file name and size. Do this for the longest videos and write down the biggest ones.

Delete the videos you do not need

1. Go back to the Videos collection.
2. Tap Select at the top right.
3. Tap each video you want to remove, or drag your finger across several.
4. Tap the Trash button.
5. Confirm the delete.

Try iPhone Storage too

You can also look at what Settings says.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap iPhone Storage.
4. Look at the Recommendations near the top. If you see one about your videos, tap it.
5. Scroll down to Photos to see how much space it uses.

Not every iPhone shows a recommendation about videos. Apple decides when it appears, so do not worry if yours is missing. Videos you received in Messages are stored with Messages, not Photos. iPhone Storage may list them under Messages instead.

Method 2: The faster way with Photos Cleanup

Checking videos one by one is slow. Photos Cleanup does the sorting for you. Its Big videos pile puts your biggest videos first, so one swipe can free real space.

1. Download Photos Cleanup and open it on your iPhone.
2. Allow access to your photo library when the app asks.
3. Open the Big videos pile.
4. Watch the video. Videos play right on the screen.
5. Swipe left to delete it.
6. Swipe right to keep it.
7. Swipe up to add it to an album, like “Family trips”.
8. Tap Undo if you change your mind. It brings the last photo or video back.

You choose what each swipe does. You can also press and hold to open a ring of up to 7 albums. Slide to one and let go. That helps when a video is worth keeping and you want it in the right place.

Photos Cleanup shows how much storage your choices free up, so you can see the effect as you go. The videos are then deleted through your iPhone’s own Photos library, like any other deletion.

Learn more on the iPhone app page.

Don’t forget Recently Deleted

Deleted videos do not leave your iPhone right away. They go to the Recently Deleted album and stay for 30 days. They still take up space there. This is true for videos you delete in Photos and for videos you delete with Photos Cleanup.

To get the space back now:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap Collections, then scroll down to Utilities.
3. Tap Recently Deleted.
4. Tap View Album and unlock it with Face ID or Touch ID.
5. Tap Select, but do not pick any photos.
6. Tap the More button (the three dots).
7. Tap Delete All, then confirm.

Permanently deleted items cannot be recovered. Look through the album first. If you want a video back, select it and tap Recover instead.

Then open Settings, tap General, and tap iPhone Storage to see the new number. It can take a moment to update. If it still looks wrong, read why your iPhone storage is full after deleting photos.

Tips for managing videos

• Start with the longest videos. They are the most likely to be big.
• Delete the bad takes. Most of us shoot the same moment three or four times and keep every try.
• Keep the best clip and move it to an album before you delete the rest.
• Watch the first few seconds of each video before you delete it. A video you forgot about may be one you want.
• Clean your screenshots too. Our guide to deleting screenshots on iPhone takes about a minute.

Which way is better?

The Photos app works, and it costs nothing. If you only have a handful of videos, it is fine.

Photos Cleanup is better when you have many videos, or you do not know where the big ones are. You see the biggest first, you can watch each one, and you see how much space you free up. It is free for 1,000 photos each month, with ads. Pro, which you can get in the app, removes the ads and the monthly limit.

Whichever you pick, finish by emptying Recently Deleted. That is when the space comes back.