iPhone Storage Full? The 5-Minute iMessage Cleanup You’ve Been Ignoring

Decluttering your Apple devices isn’t a one-step process, but the Messages app is as good a place to start as any. All those pictures your friends send and the videos Mom shares can take up a serious amount of space after all. Our simple guide shows you how to quickly clear offending messages, whether you use an iPad, iPhone, Mac, or all three.

How to Delete Videos and Images From Messages on Your iPhone or iPad

You have two main options for deleting videos and images from the Messages app on iPhone or iPad. One is to do it directly in the Messages app. This is the more reliable method, and the one we cover first. The second option is to do it from Settings, which lets you focus on attachments and images that take up the most space.

You have a few more drastic options, too. For example, you can delete entire threads (swipe left on a thread) or change your settings so that all messages are deleted after 30 days or one year (Settings > Apps > Messages > Keep Messages).

Method 1: Delete Videos and Images Directly in the Messages App

1. Open the Messages app. 

2. Navigate to the conversation with the videos and images you want to delete.

3. Find the content you want to delete, and then press and hold it.

4. A small menu with options appears. Choose More.

5. Select multiple messages by tapping the circle to the left of them.

6. Tap the trash icon at the bottom left and confirm deletion.

7. Repeat the process by scrolling through your history to find more clusters of photos and videos you want to delete.

Deleting image in Messages app on iPhone (Credit: Apple/PCMag)

Method 2: Delete Video and Messages From the Settings

1. Go to Settings > General > iPhone/iPad Storage. Give this page a moment to load.

2. Find Messages and tap it.

3. The next page lets you see how much data conversations, photos, videos, GIFs, stickers, and other data take up. You don’t see a field if you have nothing that matches it. If you have a lot of big files, you see an option to Review Large Attachments, which gives you the fastest way to clear out space.

4. Tap Edit. You can now select any of the images and videos in the list to delete them in bulk. Tap the trash icon when you’re ready to delete them.

Deleting images in Settings app on iPhone (Credit: Apple/PCMag)

How to Delete Videos and Images From Messages on Your Mac

Like deleting videos and images from the Messages app on your iPhone, there are two primary ways to do it on a Mac. The first one lets you delete files on the spot, one by one, and is best for clearing media right away. The other option lets you delete content in bulk after sorting items by size or date. This second option is best for when you want to free up space quickly and get rid of a bunch of photos, videos, and other big files all at once.

Just like on the iPhone, you can also delete entire conversations on your Mac, which gets rid of the entire text history in addition to all the media in the thread. It’s a much more extreme option. To do that, just right-click or Ctrl-click on the conversation and select Delete.

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Messages app on Mac, with the option to delete a photo (Credit: Apple/PCMag)

Method 1: Delete Videos and Images From Apple Messages on the Spot

1. Open Messages on your Mac.

2. Navigate to the conversation where you received or sent the content you want to delete.

3. Find the image or video.

4. Right-click or Ctrl-click on it and select Delete.

5. Repeat for each video and image.

Method 2: Delete Videos and Images From Apple Messages en Masse

1. Go to System Settings > General > Storage.

2. Wait for your computer to calculate the storage usage. This can take a minute. When it’s done, the gray storage bar becomes multicolored, and you see a numerical summary of your storage use.

3. Find Messages below the bar graph and click on the info icon (‘i’).

4. A list of all the files you have in your Messages app appears. Using the Size option, sort from largest to smallest.

5. Now, you can review the content. Double-click on any file entry to open it in Finder, where you can preview it or open it fully to see it in a larger view. Delete the files you don’t want. You can select multiple adjacent files by holding down Shift while you select or select multiple files that aren’t next to one another by pressing and holding the Command key.

6. Click Delete at the bottom right or right-click and select Delete. Confirm you want to delete it. Click Done in the lower-right corner when you’re finished.

Deleting images on a Mac in Settings app (Credit: Apple/PCMag)

How to Save a Photo or Video From Apple Messages

If you find any images or videos that you want to save, you can make a local copy on your device and then back up the image and organize it for safekeeping later. Here’s how to save a copy:

• On a mobile device, press and hold the image or video. Tap Save to put a copy in your Photos app.

• On a Mac, right-click or Ctrl-click the image or video. You can select Add to Photos Library to save it there. Alternatively, you can copy the image and then paste it wherever you want to store it.

More Ways to Clean Your Tech

Need to tidy up more than just the images and videos in your Messages app? Check out our tips for freeing up space on an Apple Watch and sorting your files.

About Our Experts

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Experience

I’m an expert in software and work-related issues, and I have been contributing to PCMag since 2011. I launched the column Get Organized in 2012 and ran it through 2024, offering advice on how to manage all the devices, apps, digital photos, email, and other technology that can make you feel overwhelmed. That column turned into the book Get Organized: How to Clean Up Your Messy Digital Life. I was also the first product reviewer at PCMag to test fitness gadgets, including everything from early Fitbits to smart bras.

Currently, I’m passionate about the meaning of work and work culture, and I enjoy writing about how managers and employees can communicate better, with or without software. My most recent book is The Everything Guide to Remote Work. I also love a good workplace drama. 

In addition to writing about work, I cover online education, focusing on learning for personal enrichment and skills development. I have a soft spot for really good language-learning software. Although I grew up speaking only English, some twists and turns in life led me to learn Spanish, Romanian, and a bit of American Sign Language. I’ve studied at the university level, as well as at the Foreign Service Institute, where US diplomats and ambassadors learn languages.

My writing has also appeared in WIRED, the BBC, Gloria, Refinery29, and Popular Science, among other publications.

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Ruben Circelli

Writer, Software

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Experience

I’ve been writing about consumer technology and video games for over a decade at a variety of publications, including Destructoid, GamesRadar+, Lifewire, PCGamesN, Trusted Reviews, and What Hi-Fi?, among many others. At PCMag, I review AI and productivity software—everything from chatbots to to-do list apps. In my free time, I’m likely cooking something, playing a game, or tinkering with my computer.

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