Newsroom Update

The redesigned iPad Air and new iPad Pro with Apple silicon are now available. Learn more >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

iPad storage space issue

Getting a message that I have no more iPad storage but I've deleted multiple apps and pictures and not helping. Need suggestions on how to solve this issue or to add space !!

iPad, iPadOS 13

Posted on Aug 11, 2020 9:48 AM

Reply
Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Aug 17, 2020 2:13 AM

Your iPad is currently well beyond FULL!

You should never, EVER completely fill up ANY computer or computing device with data. EVER!


FYI.

The amount of available, practical, usable storage is based not only on how much iOS/iPadOS takes up but on the actual size that 1.0 GB is equivalent to, which for Apple 1.0 GB ≈1.075 GBs

Also, iOS/iPadOS devices need to maintain a minimum constant of between 2-4 GBs to ensure nominal, expected performance and function of iOS/iPadOS.

Also, my “current” installation of iPadOS 13.2.3 takes up approx. 5.5 GBs of my iPad's internal storage space.

Your version of iPadOS 13 maybe taking up more internal data storage than my version!


So, with all of this stated,

A 32 GBs storage iPad starts out with approx 30 GBs, after internal drive formatting.

Minus 5.5 GBs for iOS leaves 24.5 GBs.Minus 2-4 GBs for iOS iPadOS system reserve equals approx. between 20.5- 22.5 GBs of usable, practical data storage space.

Your iPad has far exceeded this amount and is waaaaay past the full data mark!


You need to do this first

You need to free up free data storage space on an iPad/iDevice.

You need to start by backing up your iPad to either Apple's iCloud ( you may need to pay for additional, monthly storage space ) or by connecting your iDevice to a computer running the latest iTunes and/or some other offsite, “cloud” data storage/backup services, like Google Drive/Photos, DropBox, BOX, Amazon Cloud Drive, Flickr ( for photos/images ), etc.


Then, delete any installed apps that you no longer use or use infrequently enough that they aren't missed (you can always reinstalled any purchased or free apps at some time later, as you need them).

A disclaimer to the immediate advice above, if you own a 8 or 9-year old iPad, you SHOULD ONLY delete apps that you have ever seldom used or no longer use as there is NO WAY now, in 2020, to retrieve these old apps from the iOS App Store, any longer.

( Third party iOS app developers have permanently removed all of their older, legacy apps from Apple's iOS App Store servers forever!

There are NO more older, common and popular third party apps for old 8 and 9-year old iOS devices, any longer! )



Then, thin out/delete any music/videos/movies/TV shows/podcasts/screen recordings/images/eBooks/

eMagazine/iBooks/audio books/Documents/PDFs, etc.



If you use a POP email account on your iPad, delete/thin out any old saved emails that maybe saved to your iPad.


To permanently delete photos/images off of your iDevice go into the Photos app and find the Recently Deleted folder/album and permanently delete any photos/images stored in that folder/album.


Also, you can check to see what other stuff is eating up all your valuable data storage space by going into the Settings App,,General Settings Panel, in the right hand column, tap Storage & iCloud usage panel ( in iOS 11, it’s iPad Storage ), in the top Storage Panel, tap the Manage Storage panel, wait for a list of apps to generate that will tell you how much space each app is taking up on your iDevice.


Then, for older iPads or iPads with a Lightning connector, do a hard reset of your iPad by holding down both the Home and sleep/wake buttons simultaneously until your iPad goes to black and restarts with Apple logo, then release the buttons.


OR


The new hard reset procedure for newer iPad Pro models


Try the new hard reset procedure for the new 2018/2020 iPad Pro models.


1. Press and Release the Volume Up button.


2. Then immediately Press and Release the Volume Down button.


3. Then, Press and Hold the Power Button at the top. You will see the Slide to Power off button, but keep on holding down the Power Button until you see the Apple logo, then let it go.


Once you have performed all the steps, wait for a few seconds and your 2018 iPad Pro will boot up completely to the iPad Pro’s Lock screen.


iOS devices and iOS/iPadOS need to maintain, at the very least, a minimum of between 2-4 GBs of free data storage space, AT ALL TIMES, to insure normal/nominal functionalities/operation and general overall performance of any iOS device running iOS/iPadOS.



Next,

Once you have completed all of this above, try this next.


Clear Other storage on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support



Good Luck to You!



5 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Aug 17, 2020 2:13 AM in response to rena232

Your iPad is currently well beyond FULL!

You should never, EVER completely fill up ANY computer or computing device with data. EVER!


FYI.

The amount of available, practical, usable storage is based not only on how much iOS/iPadOS takes up but on the actual size that 1.0 GB is equivalent to, which for Apple 1.0 GB ≈1.075 GBs

Also, iOS/iPadOS devices need to maintain a minimum constant of between 2-4 GBs to ensure nominal, expected performance and function of iOS/iPadOS.

Also, my “current” installation of iPadOS 13.2.3 takes up approx. 5.5 GBs of my iPad's internal storage space.

Your version of iPadOS 13 maybe taking up more internal data storage than my version!


So, with all of this stated,

A 32 GBs storage iPad starts out with approx 30 GBs, after internal drive formatting.

Minus 5.5 GBs for iOS leaves 24.5 GBs.Minus 2-4 GBs for iOS iPadOS system reserve equals approx. between 20.5- 22.5 GBs of usable, practical data storage space.

Your iPad has far exceeded this amount and is waaaaay past the full data mark!


You need to do this first

You need to free up free data storage space on an iPad/iDevice.

You need to start by backing up your iPad to either Apple's iCloud ( you may need to pay for additional, monthly storage space ) or by connecting your iDevice to a computer running the latest iTunes and/or some other offsite, “cloud” data storage/backup services, like Google Drive/Photos, DropBox, BOX, Amazon Cloud Drive, Flickr ( for photos/images ), etc.


Then, delete any installed apps that you no longer use or use infrequently enough that they aren't missed (you can always reinstalled any purchased or free apps at some time later, as you need them).

A disclaimer to the immediate advice above, if you own a 8 or 9-year old iPad, you SHOULD ONLY delete apps that you have ever seldom used or no longer use as there is NO WAY now, in 2020, to retrieve these old apps from the iOS App Store, any longer.

( Third party iOS app developers have permanently removed all of their older, legacy apps from Apple's iOS App Store servers forever!

There are NO more older, common and popular third party apps for old 8 and 9-year old iOS devices, any longer! )



Then, thin out/delete any music/videos/movies/TV shows/podcasts/screen recordings/images/eBooks/

eMagazine/iBooks/audio books/Documents/PDFs, etc.



If you use a POP email account on your iPad, delete/thin out any old saved emails that maybe saved to your iPad.


To permanently delete photos/images off of your iDevice go into the Photos app and find the Recently Deleted folder/album and permanently delete any photos/images stored in that folder/album.


Also, you can check to see what other stuff is eating up all your valuable data storage space by going into the Settings App,,General Settings Panel, in the right hand column, tap Storage & iCloud usage panel ( in iOS 11, it’s iPad Storage ), in the top Storage Panel, tap the Manage Storage panel, wait for a list of apps to generate that will tell you how much space each app is taking up on your iDevice.


Then, for older iPads or iPads with a Lightning connector, do a hard reset of your iPad by holding down both the Home and sleep/wake buttons simultaneously until your iPad goes to black and restarts with Apple logo, then release the buttons.


OR


The new hard reset procedure for newer iPad Pro models


Try the new hard reset procedure for the new 2018/2020 iPad Pro models.


1. Press and Release the Volume Up button.


2. Then immediately Press and Release the Volume Down button.


3. Then, Press and Hold the Power Button at the top. You will see the Slide to Power off button, but keep on holding down the Power Button until you see the Apple logo, then let it go.


Once you have performed all the steps, wait for a few seconds and your 2018 iPad Pro will boot up completely to the iPad Pro’s Lock screen.


iOS devices and iOS/iPadOS need to maintain, at the very least, a minimum of between 2-4 GBs of free data storage space, AT ALL TIMES, to insure normal/nominal functionalities/operation and general overall performance of any iOS device running iOS/iPadOS.



Next,

Once you have completed all of this above, try this next.


Clear Other storage on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support



Good Luck to You!



Aug 11, 2020 10:02 AM in response to rena232

You cannot add more physical space to an iPad. Your are limited with whatever the built in storage is on the device.


You need to figure out what is taking up all of the space and I get a feeling that it might be your “other” storage. Check Settings>General>iPad Storage. See if the “other” is taking up too much space. It should only take up a couple or a few gigabytes of space. If it is taking up considerably more than that, you may have some corruption causing the problem.

iPad storage space issue

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.