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How to Free Up WhatsApp Storage Without Deleting Chats: A Step by Step Guide

How to Free Up WhatsApp Storage Without Deleting Chats: A Step-by-Step Guide

WhatsApp lets you free up storage without losing your chat history on both iOS and Android

Written by Sheldon Pinto, Edited by Rohan Pal | Updated: 12 September 2026 16:00 IST

How to Free Up WhatsApp Storage Without Deleting Chats: A Step-by-Step Guide

Photo Credit: Reuters

Here’s how you can free up WhatsApp storage on your device

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Highlights

WhatsApp’s storage manager tool is available on both iOS and Android devi
It displays the storage taken up by different types of media on your devi
Users can view, select and delete media and other files here conveniently

Everyone's WhatsApp messaging experience isn't the same. While some use the messenger for casual conversations, others also use WhatsApp for work and some even for business. That's how many of us end up receiving everything from the usual “good morning” messages and photos to shared family photos of loved ones, lengthy video files, and even large documents in our chats. This also means your WhatsApp storage fills up quickly. Depending on how much internal storage your phone has, you will soon see a “Storage is Full” message suggesting you free up space to keep using the app.

An even bigger and more common issue is failed backups, which can result from too little cloud storage space and too many files in your app.

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So, how do you keep WhatsApp running like a well-oiled machine? This is where the app's built-in storage manager can be used.

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Benefits of using the WhatsApp Storage Manager

The WhatsApp storage manager is a simple and easy-to-use tool that can prevent failed backups and free up space if used wisely. You can find it under the ‘Storage and Data' section in WhatsApp Settings, labelled as ‘Manage storage'.

This hidden tool shows how much storage WhatsApp and the media saved in the app take up. It also shows the remaining free space on your device, whether it's Android or iOS. It will give you a clear view of which items hidden between your chats are larger than 5MB. It also shows messages forwarded many times across groups, which can create duplicate files. You may be surprised by how many unnecessary files you have received over time across different groups. The goal is to review and delete them.

Scroll a bit lower to see individual chats and group chats. This lengthy list will give you a good idea of which group or one-on-one chat uses the most space. Keep in mind that the less space these media files take up, the smaller your cloud backup will be. The smaller the cloud backup, the fewer problems one has when switching to another device. A smaller footprint also means WhatsApp uses less of your cloud storage quota.

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Besides regularly visiting the storage manager and cleaning up files between chats, it is also a good idea to turn off ‘Media auto-download'. You will have to review and download each file, but this setting is useful if you're part of too many group chats that you don't check often. Enabling ‘disappearing messages' for certain groups is also a good idea when you don't check them often.

How to Use Storage Manager to Free Up WhatsApp Storage

Open WhatsApp on your Android or iOS device
Tap on the ‘You' menu item from the bottom menu bar on iOS, or tap the three-dot menu at the top-right corner on Android
Once in Settings, scroll down to ‘Storage and data' and then ‘Manage storage'
Once inside the storage manager, feel free to tap on the ‘Larger than 5MB files' section. Here, you will be able to view, select and delete files or forwards that you don't need
Simply tap and hold to select an item or ‘Select all' to delete all items
Next, head back to the ‘Manage storage' page and enter the section called ‘Forwarded many times'.
Here, you can view, select, and delete all forwarded videos, documents, and audio recordings you have received across various groups at once.
Tap and hold to select an item, or ‘Select all' to delete all items

Once the unnecessary files have been deleted, you will see the amount of used storage drop significantly, indicating that your WhatsApp storage size is now smaller than before. If you're not satisfied with the results, you can drill down into individual chats and delete each media item separately.

You have to keep in mind that files deleted here will also be deleted from your phone's Photo gallery or the Files app. So, take your time and don't rush.

FAQs

How long does it take to complete the media deletion process?

This depends on how many files you have on WhatsApp and whether you delete them as a group or individually.

Is the built-in storage manager available on both iPhones and Android smartphones?

Yes, it is available on both platforms and in the same sections under Settings

Can I prevent backup failures using the WhatsApp storage manager?

Yes, it is advisable to trim media items and keep smaller chat backups.

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Further reading: WhatsApp, WhatsApp Chat Storage, WhatsApp Manage Storage, How to

Sheldon Pinto

Email Sheldon Pinto

Sheldon Pinto is based in Mumbai, and has several years of experience in reviewing smartphones and gadgets. As a Senior Reviewer at Gadgets 360, you will always find him deeply immersed in his reviews, switching from one phone to another. When the battery dies out, Sheldon is always browsing the web for a good sci-fi movie or reading up on cars and bikes. He also loves creating lists of interesting places to eat and travel. Sheldon is available on Twitter at @shellshocd, and you can mail him at ...More