Having too much data stored by the Facebook app on your iPhone can take up valuable storage space and slow down your phone. Here are some tips to help reduce the amount of Facebook data on your iPhone.
Check Your Facebook App Storage Usage
The first step is to check how much storage space is being used by the Facebook app. To do this:
- Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage
- Scroll down and select Facebook
- This will show you how much total storage is being used by the Facebook app and a breakdown of what types of data are taking up space
Some common categories where Facebook stores data include:
- Documents & Data – cached information like your newsfeed, messages, etc.
- Cache – temporary app files that can often be deleted
- Log Data – diagnostic/crash logs from the app
- Photos & Videos – media content uploaded or saved within the app
Knowing how much space Facebook is using overall and in each category will help guide clearing efforts.
Temporarily Disable Automatic Photo/Video Downloads
One of the biggest Facebook storage hogs can be automatically downloaded photos and videos. Facebook automatically saves photos and videos that you view in the app to your phone’s storage.
To help limit this, you can temporarily turn off automatic downloads:
- Go to the Facebook app Settings
- Select Media and Contacts
- Turn off “Save Photos” and “Save Videos”
With downloading disabled, you’ll only save media you explicitly choose to. Just remember to re-enable it later if you want auto-saving turned back on.
Reduce Photo/Video Upload Quality
If you frequently upload photos and videos directly from your iPhone to Facebook, the full-resolution versions can take up a lot of unnecessary space.
You can tweak the Facebook app’s uploading preferences for smaller file sizes:
- Go to Facebook Settings > Media and Contacts
- Under Photo Upload Quality, select “Standard Definition”
- Under Video Upload Quality, select “720p”
The Standard Definition and 720p options will still look decent but significantly reduce how much storage each upload takes.
Remove Cached Data and Log Files
The Facebook app caches information on your phone to speed up loading times. But over time, this cached data can build up and take up space. Deleting it can provide a quick storage boost.
To remove cached data and logs:
- Go to iPhone Settings > General > iPhone Storage
- Select Facebook
- Tap Offload App
This will delete any cached/temporary content and diagnostic logs while keeping your core Facebook data intact.
Delete Downloaded Videos
If you watch a lot of Facebook videos directly in the app, these can accumulate and eat up storage, especially longer videos.
To remove any downloaded videos:
- Open the Facebook app and tap the Menu icon (three horizontal lines)
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Select Media and Contacts > Videos
- Tap “Delete All Videos”
This will remove all videos saved locally on your phone. You can always re-download any you still want to view later.
Manage Large Files
Sometimes a few very large files are the culprit taking up most of your Facebook storage. Things like full-resolution photos, long videos, and documents can be hard to spot but consume a lot of space.
To find and manage large files:
- Open the Facebook app and tap the Menu icon
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Media and Contacts > Photos or Videos
- This will display a list of your largest photos and videos. Review the list and delete any unneeded large files.
You can also sort your camera roll or files app by size to find and remove any other large files taking up Facebook storage.
Remove Unused Apps Linked to Facebook
If you’ve logged into any third-party apps using your Facebook account, they may store data that counts against your Facebook storage.
To remove unused linked apps:
- Open the Facebook app and tap the Menu icon
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Select Apps and Websites
- Remove any apps you no longer use by tapping the “X”
This ensures old apps aren’t continuing to take up Facebook storage space if you’ve stopped using them.
Clear Old Facebook Notifications
Over time, old Facebook notifications can build up and take up storage space. Clearing these out periodically can recover a chunk of storage.
To clear Facebook notifications:
- Open the Facebook app
- Tap the Menu icon, then Notifications
- Select a notification category, like All Notifications or Messages
- Tap Manage Notifications, then Clear All
Repeat for each notification type to remove all old Facebook notifications.
Remove Download HD Option
Facebook’s HD download option automatically retrieves high-resolution versions of photos and videos, which take up much more storage.
Disabling this forces lower resolutions:
- Open Facebook and tap the Menu icon
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Media and Contacts
- Toggle off “HD Video Downloads” and “HD Photo Downloads”
With this disabled, all downloads will be standard definition versions to minimize storage impact.
Back Up and Delete Old Messages
Your Facebook message history can quickly consume storage, especially if you’ve used Messenger for years.
If you want to reduce storage but keep the messages, you can back them up:
- Open Messenger and tap your profile photo
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Request Account Info > Create File
This will create a downloadable archive with your message history. You can then delete old chats in the app to free up space.
Manage Media Stored by Messenger
In addition to chat logs, the standalone Facebook Messenger app can also store a lot of media like photos, videos and voice messages.
To manage this Messenger media storage:
- Open Messenger and tap your profile photo
- Go to Storage Usage > Manage Storage
- Review your largest files here and delete any you no longer need
The Messenger media management tools help you identify and clean up space-hogging files exchanged in your chats.
Reduce Number of Messenger Group Chats
Group chats with lots of members and frequent messages can take up a disproportionate amount of storage in Messenger.
To reduce this:
- Open Messenger and tap your profile photo
- Go to Active Chats to view your current chats
- Leave any low-value group chats you don’t really need to remain in
While not always ideal, leaving unnecessary group chats can significantly cut Messenger storage usage.
Delete Large Messenger Attachments
Just a few large files like long videos sent in Messenger can eat up storage.
To find and remove them:
- Open a Messenger chat
- Tap and hold on an attachment thumbnail
- Tap Remove to delete any large, unneeded attachments
You can also sort your camera roll by size and delete old Messenger attachments from there.
Reduce Number of Messenger Chat Heads
Messenger’s Chat Heads feature uses device storage to keep small shortcut icons accessible. The more you use Chat Heads, the more space they occupy.
To reduce the number of icons:
- Open Messenger and tap your profile photo
- Go to Chat Heads
- Turn off Chat Heads for conversations you don’t need quick access to
Limiting Chat Heads to your most important conversations will cut down on storage usage.
Take Advantage of Facebook Storage Management Tools
In addition to the above manual methods, Facebook also offers built-in storage manager tools:
Use Storage Manager
Facebook’s Storage Manager lets you bulk delete content to reclaim space:
- Open the Facebook app and tap Menu
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Storage Manager
- Review your saved content and tap to delete anything unneeded
The Storage Manager provides an easy way to clear a lot of Facebook data at once.
Manage Space From Settings
You can also manage media content and clearing options right from Facebook’s Settings:
- Open Facebook and tap Menu
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Review options under Media and Contacts and Space Management
Here you can delete videos, reduce upload sizes, and enable auto-deletion of old posts and messages.
Use Temporary Deactivation
If you want a nuclear option, temporarily deactivating Facebook will clear all cached data. Just remember you lose access during this time.
- Open Facebook and tap Menu
- Select Settings & Privacy > Your Facebook Information > Deactivation and Deletion
- Choose “Deactivate Account” and confirm
Once deactivated, Facebook will remove all stored information from your phone.
| Storage clearing method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Disable auto-downloads | – Prevents large amount of future data storage – Easy quick fix |
– Have to manually download all media – Temporary solution |
| Reduce upload quality | – Smaller uploads = less storage needed – Maintain ability to upload |
– Loses full quality versions of uploads |
| Clear cached data/logs | – Quickly frees up sizable space – Temp data safe to remove |
– May lose some non-critical info |
| Delete old videos | – Removes potentially very large files – Recovers lots of space fast |
– Permanently deletes those videos |
Prevent Facebook from Re-Filling Storage
Once you’ve cleared space used by Facebook, you’ll want to prevent it from quickly re-accumulating. Here are some tips to maintain lower storage usage going forward:
Change Auto-Download Defaults
Adjust your auto-download preferences to be more selective about saving media:
- Open Facebook and tap Menu > Settings & Privacy
- Go to Media and Contacts
- Edit Download Options to only get what you really need
For example, set videos to Wi-Fi only, disable high-resolution downloads, etc.
Limit Photo/Video Uploads
Only upload media you really need to share. Use discretion when posting from your camera roll.
Also, continue to use reduced upload quality settings to minimize each upload’s footprint.
Remove Facebook If Unused
If you rarely use Facebook, consider deleting the app entirely to prevent any passive storage buildup.
You can access Facebook from the mobile browser or use a web app wrapper when needed instead.
Regularly Check Storage Use
Make it a habit to periodically check your Facebook and Messenger storage usage under iPhone settings. This allows you to spot increases early and take preventative action.
Enable Auto-Removal of Old Posts
You can enable an option to automatically delete old Facebook posts after a set time period:
- Open Facebook and tap Menu > Settings & Privacy
- Go to Your Facebook Information > Manage Account
- Turn on “Limit Old Posts” and select a duration
This will regularly purge old content so it doesn’t pile up endlessly.
Back Up and Remove Messages
Frequently back up your Facebook messages to prevent massive chat histories from accumulating. You can then delete old messages without losing them entirely.
Use Messenger’s Remove Message option after backing up to free up significant space.
Conclusion
Facebook and Messenger can silently consume more and more storage over time as you use them. Taking proactive storage management steps allows you to reclaim space and prevent excessive buildup going forward.
Regularly monitoring your storage usage, limiting downloads and uploads, and utilizing built-in management tools will help maximize the available space on your iPhone.
With a storage-conscious approach, you can continue enjoying Facebook and Messenger without either hogging your limited phone capacity.