Hidden storage use on iPad

I have a 16 GB iPad. It says that only 1.5 GB of storage is available on the device but when I click on 'manage storage' I can only see about 2.5GB in total from the listed apps which I can do anything about. I appreciate that the OS will take up some space but I can't understand why so much is being used. Is there any way to free up more storage?

iPad (4th gen) Wi-Fi, iOS 10.3.3

Posted on Dec 30, 2017 10:29 AM

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Dec 31, 2017 7:41 AM in response to IainAW

Good morning IainAW,

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities!

I understand you are trying to free up as much space as possible on your iPad. The resources below will provide some things to try like confirming your iPad is set to "Optimized" if you are using iCloud Photo Library. Another place to look is in your Mail and Messages apps for attachments (photos, videos, documents) that are taking up space that you no longer need. In the Messages app, tap on a conversation, then tap the "i" icon to see the details. You will find all of the photos and videos there.
How to check the storage on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch​
Manage your photo and video storage
Take care.

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Jan 1, 2018 11:38 AM in response to rose_10

Thanks, but my email is only taking up around 100MB of space and my messages only 30MB. I have deleted all photos and videos. There is still around 12GB of memory usage on the device that I cannot see. What I want to know is what is taking up all this memory and how I can actually use it.

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Hidden storage use on iPad

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