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How Much Space Are Your Videos Using?
Before you start deleting, it helps to see exactly how much storage videos are consuming. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and tap Photos. You will see a breakdown that includes videos alongside photos. This tells you whether a cleanup will make a meaningful dent.
| Video Format | Approx. Size per Minute |
|---|---|
| 4K 30fps (HEVC) | ~170 MB |
| 4K 60fps (HEVC) | ~400 MB |
| 1080p 60fps (HEVC) | ~130 MB |
| 1080p 30fps (HEVC) | ~60 MB |
| Slow-mo 240fps | ~300 MB |
Even modest video libraries can consume 10–30 GB. The steps below cover every place videos hide on your iPhone.
Step-by-Step: How to Delete Videos on iPhone
Delete a Single Video (Photos App)
Open the Photos app and navigate to the video you want to remove — either through Recents or via Albums > Media Types > Videos. Tap the video to open it, then tap the trash icon in the bottom-right corner. Tap Delete Video in the confirmation sheet. The video moves to Recently Deleted and will be permanently removed after 30 days (or immediately if you empty Recently Deleted manually).
Delete Multiple Videos at Once (Select Mode)
Open the Photos app, tap Albums, scroll down to Media Types, and tap Videos. Tap Select in the top-right corner. Tap each video thumbnail you want to delete — a blue checkmark confirms each selection. You can also tap and drag across thumbnails to select a row quickly. Once you have selected everything, tap the trash icon and confirm Delete X Videos. For large libraries this is much faster than deleting one at a time.
Use Swype Photo Cleaner to Swipe Through All Videos
Swype Photo Cleaner has a dedicated Videos Smart Group that pulls every video in your library into a single review queue. Open the app, tap Videos, then swipe left to delete or right to keep. It shows the file size of each video so you can prioritize the largest ones first. Every deletion goes through the standard Recently Deleted flow, so nothing is permanently lost without your knowing. This is the fastest way to clear out a large video library — especially if you have hundreds of clips scattered across different months.
Delete Downloaded TV Shows and Movies (Apple TV App)
Downloaded movies and TV episodes live outside the Photos app. Open the Apple TV app, tap Library at the bottom, then tap Downloaded. Swipe left on any title and tap Delete Download, or tap the title, then the three-dot menu, and select Remove Download. A single movie can be 3–8 GB, so this step alone can recover significant space. The same principle applies to Netflix and other streaming apps — check their individual download libraries under their own in-app settings.
Delete Videos from Messaging Apps
Videos received via Messages or WhatsApp are saved separately from the Photos app and can accumulate quickly. In Messages: open a conversation, tap the contact name or group name at the top, tap Info, scroll to the Photos section, and tap See All Photos. Tap Select, choose videos, then tap Delete. In WhatsApp: go to Settings > Storage and iCloud Usage > Manage Storage, tap a contact, and delete large media files directly.
Empty Recently Deleted to Reclaim Storage Now
Deleted videos are not truly gone until the Recently Deleted album is cleared. Until then, they still count against your storage. Open the Photos app, tap Albums, scroll down to Utilities, and tap Recently Deleted. Tap Select in the top-right, then tap Delete All at the bottom-left. Confirm the deletion. Your storage will update within a few seconds.
How to Check How Much Space Videos Are Using
To get a precise number, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and tap Photos from the app list. You will see the total storage used by the Photos app. While iOS does not break out photos and videos separately in this view, the Swype Photo Cleaner app shows you the exact video total so you know how much you stand to recover.
If you want a broader view of your storage situation, read our guide on how to free up space with iPhone photos and our full walkthrough on what to do when iPhone storage is full.
iCloud Videos: A Critical Warning
If you use iCloud Photos, your iPhone is not the only place your videos live — they are synced across every Apple device on your account. This is great for backup purposes, but it means that deleting a video on your iPhone also deletes it from iCloud and your iPad, Mac, and any other linked device.
If your goal is simply to free up local storage without losing the video permanently, consider two alternatives:
- Optimize iPhone Storage — Go to Settings > Photos and enable Optimize iPhone Storage. This keeps a low-resolution preview on your device while the full-resolution original stays in iCloud. Your storage is freed without deleting the video.
- Download and back up manually first — If you want full control, download the original to a Mac or external drive before deleting from iCloud Photos.