System takes too much space

iPhone 11 Pro 64GB

iOS 26

Reset never performed.

iOS takes ~13GB

System data takes ~20GB



Every new version is a nightmare, and I have to remove photos and other apps to install new apps. It's not because I have too many photos or apps, but because the system takes up half of my device's storage. I've tried deleting several photos and apps, but the system data doesn't seem to be changing. I'm looking for a way to free up system space that doesn't require a reset.



[Edited by Moderator]

iPhone 11 Pro, iOS 26

Posted on Oct 1, 2025 5:34 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 1, 2025 6:35 AM

OK. There is NO way to selectively clean System Data. The suggestion for closing Safari Tabs for some works, but not for everyone, depending on how many open tabs they have. And it's NOT bad System Data Management. Your phone is a computer, you just happen to be able to make phone calls with. There are many things your phone needs to have at the ready for it to work.


There is one sure way to reduce System Data and that is to backup your phone, then restore it from backup. This link explains how to do that --> Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup - Apple Support


You will see System Data reduced after you restore the phone. But over time it will continue to grow and you can't stop it. Hence why I suggest that in today's world, a 64 GB iPhone simply isn't enough anymore.

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 1, 2025 6:35 AM in response to gaet00

OK. There is NO way to selectively clean System Data. The suggestion for closing Safari Tabs for some works, but not for everyone, depending on how many open tabs they have. And it's NOT bad System Data Management. Your phone is a computer, you just happen to be able to make phone calls with. There are many things your phone needs to have at the ready for it to work.


There is one sure way to reduce System Data and that is to backup your phone, then restore it from backup. This link explains how to do that --> Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup - Apple Support


You will see System Data reduced after you restore the phone. But over time it will continue to grow and you can't stop it. Hence why I suggest that in today's world, a 64 GB iPhone simply isn't enough anymore.

Oct 1, 2025 5:52 AM in response to gaet00

Your system data contains a lot of necessary things for your phone to run. It contains your cache, system fonts and various temporary and system-related files necessary for the device's operation and performance. 20 GB isn't really out of line. For example, if you use Safari a lot and you have many webpages open in Safari, closing all the pages, will reduce System Storage.


You can backup your iPhone, then restore it from backup, which will reduce System data, but over time it will naturally grow again.


This is probably not what you want to hear, but 64 GB of total storage as you have on your iPhone 11, just isn't enough anymore. Apple only sells iPhones now with a starting storage level of 256 GB. Maybe it's time for you to consider upgrading to an iPhone with more memory.


Oct 1, 2025 6:09 AM in response to lobsterghost1

Thanks for your reply but I suppose that much of the system data is used as conseguence of a bad memory management and this is what happened after I closed all Safari tabs:


After the previous screenshot, I’ve just created this topic, sent a couple of messages on Telegram and cleaned the Safari tabs as suggested by you. So I continue asking for a method to clean the memory in a efficient way because this device is still supported by iOS and I shouldn’t be enforced to take a new device.



[Edited by Moderator]

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System takes too much space

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