How to find and delete large videos on your iPhone

Confirm that photos and videos are the problem

Before reviewing any videos, open Settings, tap General and then iPhone Storage. Apple describes the Photos category there as the photos and videos stored in the Photos app. If Photos is a small slice and apps or other data take most of the space, deleting videos will not help much.

The same Storage screen may offer recommendations for optimizing storage. Tap Show All to see them, read each description, and decide whether to enable one or review its contents. Apple’s page does not describe a dedicated tool for ranking individual videos by size, so for videos you will mostly be judging by what you see.

Review the Videos collection

In Photos, tap Collections and open Videos. Apple lists Videos among the default pinned collections, and it also appears under Media Types. You now see only videos, which removes photos from the decision.

As a general principle, a long clip tends to take up more space than a short one, and a single long video can outweigh a lot of photos. So start with the clips that run longest or that you recorded for a one-time purpose: a test recording, a screen recording you have already shared, or a video you sent to a friend. The Photos app does not tell you the exact size of each clip, so use length and your own memory as a guide rather than expecting precise numbers.

1. Open Photos, tap Collections, then tap Videos.
2. Open clips that look long or familiar and decide whether you still need them.
3. Look for duplicates of videos you already exported or shared.
4. Note which clips you want to save elsewhere before deleting the originals.

Save the videos that matter before deleting

For family moments and other irreplaceable footage, make an independent copy first. Copy the video to a separate location, open the copy, and confirm that it plays properly. Only then remove the original from your phone.

Be careful if you use iCloud Photos. Deleting a video on your iPhone also removes it from the other devices signed in to the same Apple Account, so another device in the same library is not a backup of that clip.

Delete in small, checked batches

To delete, open the video, tap the Trash button and confirm, or tap Select to choose several. Deleted items move to Recently Deleted and are removed permanently after 30 days, so the storage is not necessarily released straight away.

If you want a lighter-weight review, GallerySort lets you go through items with a swipe to keep or delete. It cannot promise how much space you will recover, because that depends entirely on which items you remove. Check iPhone Storage before and after a session and compare.

If space is still tight

If you have cleared the clips you do not need and the number barely moved, go back to the Storage screen. Other categories, such as apps, may be the real cause, and our guide on storage that stays full after deleting photos walks through that check.

Keep the habit small: look at the Videos collection after trips and events, when you remember why you recorded something and can decide quickly.