System Data taking up 35+ GB on iPhone (iOS 18.5) — How to Clear?

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System Data taking up 35+ GB on iPhone (iOS 18.5) — How to Clear?

Hi everyone,

I’m using an iPhone running iOS 18.5, and I’ve noticed that the System Data is consuming over 35 GB of storage. It’s taking up a huge portion of my space, and I’m not sure how to reduce it.

I’ve already tried:

Restarting my phone
Offloading unused apps
Clearing Safari cache
Removing old messages and media

Despite these steps, the System Data size hasn’t changed much.

Any tips or steps I can follow to reduce it safely?

Thanks in advance!

iPhone 13 Pro, iOS 18

Posted on Jun 17, 2025 3:41 AM

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Answer 1

Jun 17, 2025 4:10 AM in response to avinash158

This has been issue for me and some others I've seen on Mac. System data took up so much space (for me 110gb, and a friend nearly 200gb). Nothing worked and nothing was reported by Apple that this was an issue they were going to fix. However, the one thing that worked for me was factory resetting my laptop. Given that all my things were backed to cloud services there was no real issues in doing that. So, if you're desperate, and have most/all things backed up, then that would likely work as it did in my experience. However, it is not confirmed, and what I did worked for me on Mac so your experience could vary. Really hope Apple explains this.

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System Data taking up 35+ GB on iPhone (iOS 18.5) — How to Clear?

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