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How-To

Updated March 7, 2026

By Jack Smith, iOS Developer at DB Labs

How to Reduce Photo File Size on iPhone

iPhone photos keep getting larger as camera sensors improve. A single ProRAW photo on an iPhone 15 Pro can exceed 75MB. Here are six proven ways to reduce photo file size on iPhone — both for new photos going forward and for images already in your library.

Quick answer: To reduce photo file size on iPhone, go to Settings > Camera > Formats and choose High Efficiency (HEIC) — this cuts file sizes by roughly half compared to JPEG. For photos already in your library, use the Mail trick (share via Mail, choose a smaller size) or the Shortcuts app to batch-resize. The fastest overall fix is to delete photos you no longer need using Swype Photo Cleaner.

How to Reduce Photo Size (6 Methods)

  1. Switch camera format to HEIC (most impactful)

    Go to Settings > Camera > Formats and tap High Efficiency. This switches your camera from JPEG to HEIC format. HEIC photos are typically 40–50% smaller than equivalent JPEG files at the same visual quality. This is the single biggest change you can make going forward. On devices that do not support HEIC, iOS automatically converts photos to JPEG when you share them — so compatibility is not an issue for most workflows.

  2. Turn off ProRAW and ProRes (iPhone 12 Pro and later)

    If you have an iPhone 12 Pro or newer, go to Settings > Camera > Formats and check whether Apple ProRAW or ProRes Video are enabled. A single ProRAW photo can be 25–75MB. Unless you are doing professional post-processing, keeping these off will dramatically reduce per-photo file size. Toggle them off under the Pro section and shoot in HEIC instead.

  3. Enable Optimize iPhone Storage

    Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos and select Optimize iPhone Storage. With this enabled, iCloud stores full-resolution originals in the cloud while keeping smaller, device-optimized versions on your iPhone. This does not reduce the file size of the originals, but it frees up local storage by keeping smaller previews on-device. Your full photos are still accessible whenever you need them.

  4. Resize existing photos with Shortcuts

    Open the Shortcuts app and create a new shortcut. Add the Select Photos action, then add the Resize Image action (set Width to 1920px or 1080px). Add a Save to Photo Album action at the end. Run this shortcut and select the photos you want to resize. The resized versions are saved as new photos — you can then delete the originals. This is permanent compression, not reversible, so apply it only to photos where you do not need the original full resolution.

  5. Use the Mail trick to compress a photo

    Open a photo in the Photos app and tap the Share button. Tap Mail and address the email to yourself. Before tapping Send, iOS shows a banner at the bottom with size options: Small (about 300KB), Medium (about 700KB), Large (about 2MB), or Actual Size. Choose Small or Medium and send it. Open the email on your iPhone, save the attached compressed photo, then delete the original if you want to keep only the smaller version.

  6. Delete unnecessary photos with Swype

    The fastest way to reduce your overall photo storage is to delete photos you do not need. Swype Photo Cleaner lets you review your entire camera roll quickly — swipe left to delete, swipe right to keep. Most people have hundreds or thousands of blurry shots, duplicates, and screenshots they will never look at again. Deleting these is the most effective way to free up storage without any quality trade-off.

Pro tip: Combine these methods for maximum effect. Switch to HEIC for all new photos, enable Optimize Storage to move originals to iCloud, and use Swype to delete the photos you no longer need. Together, these can free 10–30GB on a typical iPhone.

HEIC vs JPEG: File Size Comparison

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the format Apple switched to in iOS 11. It uses the HEVC compression algorithm, which is far more efficient than the decades-old JPEG standard. Here is what the difference looks like in practice:

ScenarioJPEG SizeHEIC SizeSavings
Typical outdoor photo (12MP)4.5 MB2.2 MB~51%
Indoor low-light photo3.8 MB1.9 MB~50%
Portrait mode photo5.2 MB2.6 MB~50%
1,000 photos total~4.0 GB~2.0 GB~2 GB
10,000 photos total~40 GB~20 GB~20 GB

The visual quality difference between HEIC and JPEG at equivalent settings is negligible to the human eye. HEIC can actually preserve more detail in shadows and highlights, making it technically superior in image quality while also being smaller.

Compatibility note: HEIC is supported on all modern platforms — iOS, macOS, Windows 10/11, and most social media apps. When you share a HEIC photo via AirDrop to an older Mac or Windows PC, iOS can automatically convert it to JPEG. Go to Settings > Camera > Formats and look at the Transfer to Mac or PC section — set it to Automatic to enable this conversion.

Adjust Camera Resolution Settings

Newer iPhones offer multiple resolution options that significantly affect file size. On the iPhone 15 and 16 series:

To check and adjust on iPhone 15 Pro and 16 Pro: go to Settings > Camera > Formats. Under Photo Capture, you will see options for the main camera resolution. For everyday photos, 24MP HEIC gives excellent quality at much smaller file sizes than 48MP or ProRAW.

Resize Existing Photos with Shortcuts

The Shortcuts app is the most powerful free tool for batch-resizing existing photos. Here is a more detailed walkthrough:

  1. Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the + button to create a new shortcut.
  3. Tap Add Action, search for Select Photos, and add it. Toggle on Select Multiple.
  4. Add another action: search for Resize Image. Set Width to 1920 pixels (good for sharing) or 1080 pixels (smaller size). Leave Height blank to maintain aspect ratio.
  5. Add a final action: Save to Photo Album and select your desired album.
  6. Tap Done and name the shortcut something like "Compress Photos."
  7. Run the shortcut, select the photos you want to resize, and the compressed versions are saved to your Photos library.
Warning: Resizing is a one-way operation — you cannot get the original resolution back from the resized copy. Keep the originals until you have confirmed the resized versions are sufficient for your needs.

The Mail Compression Trick

The Mail trick is a quick way to compress one or a few photos without installing any apps. When you share a photo via Mail, iOS offers to resize it before sending. Here is the full workflow to compress and save the result:

  1. Open the Photos app and select the photo(s) you want to compress.
  2. Tap the Share button (box with arrow pointing up).
  3. Tap Mail. In the To field, type your own email address.
  4. Tap Send. Before sending, a banner appears at the bottom of the screen with four size options.
  5. Tap Small (around 320x240px, ~60KB) or Medium (around 640x480px, ~300KB) depending on how compressed you need it. For sharing online, Medium is usually sufficient. Small is good for when file size is critical.
  6. Open the Mail app, find the email you sent to yourself, and tap the photo attachment to save it to your library.
  7. Delete the original full-size photo if you only need the compressed version.

This works best for 1–5 photos. For batch compression of many photos, use the Shortcuts method or a dedicated third-party app.

Delete What You Don't Need

Here is a perspective shift: the most effective "file size reduction" is deleting photos you would never intentionally view again. The average iPhone user has thousands of these — blurry shots, accidental captures, duplicates of the same scene, screenshots of temporary information, and burst sequences where only one frame is actually good.

Deleting 2,000 unwanted photos at 2MB each frees up 4GB — more than any compression technique would save on the same photos. And unlike compression, deletion has no quality trade-off.

The challenge is that manually reviewing a camera roll of 10,000+ photos is daunting. Swype Photo Cleaner makes this fast by presenting one photo at a time in chronological order. Swipe left to delete, swipe right to keep. Most people can review 100+ photos per minute once they get into the flow. A 30-minute session can clear hundreds or thousands of photos — and several gigabytes of storage.

For more on managing storage overall, see the Complete iPhone Storage Guide and our guide on reducing photo file sizes on iPhone.

Delete the Photos You Don't Need — Fast

Swype Photo Cleaner is the fastest way to clean up your camera roll. Swipe left to delete, right to keep. 100% on-device, no uploads, free to download.

Download Swype Free

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best format to reduce iPhone photo size?

HEIC is the best format for reducing iPhone photo size. HEIC files are typically 40–50% smaller than JPEG files at the same visual quality. To switch, go to Settings > Camera > Formats and select High Efficiency. Your iPhone will shoot in HEIC by default, and automatically convert to JPEG when you share photos with apps or devices that do not support HEIC.

Does changing camera format affect existing photos?

No. Changing the camera format in Settings only affects new photos taken after the change. Existing photos in your library remain in their original format. To reduce the size of existing photos, use the Mail trick, a Shortcuts shortcut to resize them, or delete the ones you no longer need using Swype Photo Cleaner.

How much space does HEIC save vs JPEG?

HEIC typically saves 40–50% storage compared to JPEG at equivalent quality. A typical 12MP iPhone photo in JPEG is around 3–5MB; the same photo in HEIC is around 1.5–2.5MB. On a library of 10,000 photos, switching to HEIC can save 10–25GB of storage. The exact savings depend on your iPhone model, scene complexity, and lighting conditions.

Can I reduce the size of photos I already took?

Yes, in a few ways. The Mail trick lets you compress individual photos by sharing via Mail and selecting a smaller size. The Shortcuts app can batch resize photos using the Resize Image action. However, compression always involves some quality trade-off. For large libraries, the most effective approach is to delete photos you no longer need using an app like Swype Photo Cleaner.