Free up app storage

Free up YouTube storage

YouTube on the phone is mostly the app plus offline downloads. Premium (and some regions) can save videos under Downloads. Smart Downloads can add more on its own. Watch history and playlists stay on your Google account.

See how much space YouTube is using

1. Open YouTube and tap your profile picture.
2. Open You / Library.
3. Tap Downloads (or the Downloaded filter).

That list is what is saved on this phone. For settings and remaining space:

1. Tap your profile picture > Settings.
2. Tap Background and downloads (some versions say Offline).

YouTube does not have a WhatsApp-style Free up Storage chat list. Downloads are the main local files.

iPhone (system total)

1. Open iPhone Settings > General > iPhone Storage > YouTube.

Android (system total)

1. Open your phone Settings > Apps > YouTube > Storage or Storage and cache.

Delete downloaded videos

1. Open You / Library > Downloads.
2. Tap the menu on a video.
3. Tap Delete from downloads / Remove download.

Start with long videos and playlists. Deleting a download does not unlike the video or remove it from YouTube.

Delete all downloads

1. Open YouTube Settings > Background and downloads.
2. Tap Delete downloads (some versions say Delete all downloads).
3. Confirm Delete.

Limit Smart Downloads

1. Open Downloads, tap the menu, then Settings, or use Background and downloads > Adjust Smart downloads.
2. Turn Smart Downloads off, or set a custom storage limit.
3. Turn on Download over Wi-Fi only if you still want some offline videos.

Smart Downloads can refill the phone after you delete files. Turn it off if you are trying to keep YouTube small.

Lower download quality

1. Open Settings > Background and downloads.
2. Tap Download quality.
3. Pick a lower quality so new downloads take less space.

Clear YouTube cache on Android

1. Open your phone Settings > Apps > YouTube.
2. Tap Storage or Storage and cache.
3. Tap Clear cache.

Do not tap Clear storage / Clear data unless you mean to reset YouTube. That signs you out. Downloads may also be removed.

iPhone does not offer a separate YouTube cache button. Delete downloads inside YouTube, then offload the app in iPhone Storage if the total stays high.

Reinstall the app if storage is still high

If you already cleaned media and YouTube still looks huge, a fresh install can clear leftover cache and temp files that are hard to reach by hand.

1. Watch history and playlists stay on your Google account. Downloads live only on this phone and will need to be saved again.
2. Delete the app from your phone.
3. Restart your phone.
4. Install YouTube again from the App Store or Google Play.
5. Sign in and restore from backup if the app offers it.

This often frees a lot of space. You may need to download some media again after restore.

What to do next

After YouTube is lighter, check your photo library for duplicates and similar shots. That is what Dedupo is for.

More app guides: Free up app storage.