iPad storage won't free up

My iPad storage was full to the point of crashing (30.9 GB-ish out of 32 GB) so I went to delete files and apps to free up space. I know for sure I've deleted at least 4.5 GB of space, but somehow the details now say it's 31.1 GB full.


I've calculated the components of the storage myself and they only total to about 21.1 GB. Also, in the bar indicator (refer to screenshot), it shows that the apps (red) is taking like 100% of it, which doesn't even add up because not only did I calculate the apps to be taking less than 20GB, I also have 6GB taken up by system (should be grey, but not showing).


Why is my storage acting like this and is there a fix to it? How do I ACTUALLY free up space? I've tried restarting the iPad several times to no avail. please i've permanently deleted so many works only for it to be for nothing



iPad Pro 9.7-inch WiFi

Posted on Sep 7, 2022 12:41 AM

Reply

Similar questions

3 replies

Sep 7, 2022 1:14 AM in response to isabelva

You need to free up free, internal 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 or, if a newer Mac with a much newer macOS, use the macOS Finder to do the device backup and/or some other offsite, “cloud” data storage/backup services, like Google Drive/Photos, BOX, DropBox, 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).

In addition, uninstall any games that appear to be using a sizable chunk of your iPad's internal storage, as well!



Then, thin out/delete any music/videos/movies/TV shows/podcasts/screen recordings/photos-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 and later, it’s now called 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 iPad models with a Home button, 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



For much newer, larger screen iPad models, without a Home button, try the new hard reset procedure for the new 2018/2020 iPad Pro and iPad Air 4 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 sleep/wake/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.


ALL iOS/iPadOS devices need to maintain, at the very least, a minimum of between 3-6 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.



If not all of this solves your iPad storage issues, your ONLY other option is to do a complete backup, erase and restore of your iPad model.

Tap the links below.


How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support


How to factory reset your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support


Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings - Apple Support


Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup - Apple Support



Good Luck to You!


Sep 7, 2022 1:11 AM in response to isabelva

You completely filled your iPad with data!

You should never, ever do this with ANY computer or computing device. Ever.


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

Minus approx. 6.5 GBs for iOS/iPadOS leaves between 23-24 GBs.

Minus 3-6GBs, for iOS/iPadOS system operational reserve, that MUST BE MAINTAINED AT ALL TIMES, to ensure/insure normal, expected operation of iOS/iPad OS, leaves approx. between 18-20 GBs of actual, usable data storage space.


Even with 20 GBs of actual, usable internal data storage space in an Apple iOS/iPadOS device,

a 32 GBs data storage devices are, now, more quickly, becoming the “new” low storage 16 GBs internal data storage space devices, today, a 32 GBs Apple iOS/iPadOS device has 3-4 times the internal data storage space of older base model, low internal data storage,16 GBs. internal data storage Apple iOS/iPadOS devices.


In reality and in use, in 2022, a 32 GBs internal data storage device is kind of a joke and of limited usefulness, when up to 2TB of internal data storage ( approx. 1.8 TBs or usable internal data storage ) portable tablet devices exist today.


Apple just put an end to 32 GBs devices, in September 2021, with the base model iPad now offering 64 GBs of internal data storage ( approx. 50 GBs of actual, usable internal data storage ), which, for a few more years, anyways, has enough storage to make an iPad useful for longer period of time before data storage fills up.


Purchasing a low storage Apple device, to save on the cost of the device, is a false economy.


You need to free up, at least, 6-7 GBs more of internal data storage space.


Sep 12, 2022 9:53 PM in response to MichelPM

I've said in my ask that I've already Permanently deleted many files but the storage usage hasn't gone down, and the storage information seems to be false because it shows that it's ENTIRELY used up by apps (red). Are you saying I should backup everything in my iPad and purge everything from it (basically factory resetting it), and then bring things back to fix the mysterious storage usage that comes from nowhere? Is it guaranteed that this will work? I don't want to wipe my iPad blank-slate clean only for the problem to still persist.


I know how cleaning up storage works, it's just that I seem to have 10GB of usage coming from nowhere, the storage bar says all 31GB is taken up entirely by red (simply false, it says I have 6GB of system usage among other things but no grey on the bar), and PERMANENTLY deleting files and apps did not make the number go down. Is the storage info now just messed up forever because I went over the 20GB of storage capacity you mentioned, even though my apps and files aren't taking up 20GB?

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

iPad storage won't free up

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