Years of photos, videos, voice messages and GIFs in Messages can grow into one of the largest items on your iPhone, often several gigabytes, without you noticing.
See what Messages is using
Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage and tap Messages. You will see:
- Top Conversations, sorted by size.
- A breakdown of Photos, Videos, GIFs and Stickers and Other attachments.
- Review Large Attachments, if it is recommended.
Delete large attachments
- In iPhone Storage > Messages, tap Review Large Attachments, or tap a category such as Videos.
- Tap Edit, select attachments you do not need, and tap the Delete button.
Deleting an attachment here removes it from the conversation, but the text of the conversation remains.
You can also do this inside a conversation: tap the contact's name at the top, scroll to the photos or documents section, and delete items from there.
Keep photos you care about first
Photos received in Messages are not automatically in your Photos library. Before deleting, open any you want to keep, tap the share button, and choose Save Image or Save Video.
Delete old messages automatically
- Open Settings > Apps > Messages. (On older versions of iOS, Settings > Messages.)
- Scroll to Message History and tap Keep Messages.
- Choose 1 Year or 30 Days instead of Forever.
Your iPhone then deletes conversations, including attachments, older than that period. When you change this setting, iOS asks before deleting existing older messages.
Send smaller images
In Settings > Apps > Messages, turn on Low Quality Image Mode to send lower-quality images. This mainly saves mobile data, but it also reduces what you store in sent conversations.
Messages in iCloud
If Messages in iCloud is on, your messages are stored in iCloud and synced across your devices. Deleting a message or attachment on one device deletes it on all of them, and frees space in iCloud as well as on your iPhone.
Frequently asked questions
How do I delete all photos in iMessage at once?
Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages, tap Photos or Review Large Attachments, tap Edit, select the items, and delete them.
Does deleting Messages attachments delete them from Photos?
No. Messages attachments are separate from your Photos library unless you saved them there.
What happens when I change Keep Messages to 1 year?
Conversations and attachments older than one year are deleted. iOS asks for confirmation before deleting existing older messages.
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