If you are trying to find out what ‘Documents and Data’ is on the iPhone, this post is specially written to help you. Here, I will tell you what Documents and Data on iPhone is, and how to delete it to free up invaluable space on your iPhone.
Also, I will offer some quick tips to manage the space of your iOS device in a better manner.
What is ‘Documents and Data’ on iPhone?
iPhone seems to hog up space at a pretty fast pace. More than often, you’ll find your iPhone reminding you that it is low on storage. Apple has recently put a lot of efforts to counter the issue. However, the storage problem still exists. Sometimes when you go to the settings of any app, you’d notice ‘Documents and Data’ and you’ll find that it is consuming huge amounts of the storage. Basically, the Documents and Data are the cache files, logs, and cookies of the installed apps. There are two types of ‘Documents and Data’ present on your iPhone.
One is app-specific cache and cookies that are created and stored to make the app perform better and faster. The other is the iCloud related files for an app. These are the files and cache data from an app stored on iCloud. Both of these can consume massive amounts of storage. The bigger problem is that they keep expanding. As you keep using the apps more, the more cache files are created and the Documents and Data keep getting bigger. That’s why it is necessary that you know how to delete it to free up invaluable space.
How to Delete Documents and Data on iPhone?
Deleting the Documents and Data of the iPhone from time-to-time is necessary when you are a heavy user. However, the iPhone doesn’t provide any built-in way to do that. So, you’ll need to use special methods in order to clear the cache files and free up space. I’ll explain what you need to do here. As I mentioned earlier, there are two types of Documents and Data, so I’ll guide you on clearing both of them separately. But, keep in mind that clearing them will also clear any saved data, login details, and files from the app. So, only do this when you have already backed up the important data and files somewhere else also. I’d recommend backing up your iOS device before proceeding further.
1. Delete App-Specific Documents and Data
After you have backed up the important app data, follow the instructions mentioned below to delete the app-specific Documents and Data.
- Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Now tap on General and then tap on Storage & iCloud Usage.
- Next, tap on Manage Storage present under the Storage section.
- Here, find the app you want to clear the Documents and Data for and tap on it. I’d suggest clearing the cache files of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc as they are merely cached from pictures and videos you have scrolled. So, you won’t mind cleaning them to free up space.
- Now tap on the Delete app button to remove it from your iPhone.
- Finally, go to the App Store, find the app you deleted, and re-install it on your iPhone.
That’s it. You can now go back to Settings and check that the Documents and Data of the app will be of very small size. This is the only effective way to do this as Apple doesn’t provide a way to clear the cache files manually.
2. Delete Documents and Data from iCloud
Follow the instructions mentioned below in order to delete the Documents and Data of an app from iCloud.
- Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Now tap on General and then tap on Storage & iCloud Usage.
- Next, tap on Manage Storage present under the iCloud section. Make sure you are tapping on Manage Storage under the iCloud section and not under the Storage section.
- Here, scroll down a bit and you’ll see the Documents and Data section. Under this section, tap on the app for which you want to delete the Documents and Data.
- Next, select Edit and then select Delete. Alternatively, you can swipe left on the app and then select Delete.
- Finally, close the Settings app once you have cleared the Documents and Data for all the desired apps.
That’s it. You’ll notice that you freed up a good amount of the iCloud storage by doing this. Keep doing this once in a while to never run short of iCloud space.
Bonus- Use a Third-Party Cache Cleaner to Delete Documents and Data in iPhone
Since you kept reading this long, I have a small bonus for you here. If you don’t want to be in the hassle of manually deleting Documents and Data for you, you can seek aid from a good third-party cache cleaner to do the work for you. I’m listing here the 5 Best iPhone Cache Cleaner apps that you can use to automatically get rid of huge Documents and Data.
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- iFreeUp– Free to use, cool and advanced interface, able to clean all the junk files, and you can also set schedule cleanups.
- Cisdem iPhoneCleaner– Available for Mac, simple and easy UI, and able to get rid of all the unnecessary files and folders.
- CleanMyPhone– Simple to understand UI, offers all the basic features for cleaning and also protects your privacy.
- iMyFone Umate Pro– Offers a one-click cleanup feature to clear all the unwanted files, junk, and trash in bulk. Amazing UI that user-friendly as well, and offers some advanced features like wiping the device, etc.
- PhoneCleaner– Frees up space by deleting cache, junk, and trash files in a single click. Lightweight app and has a smooth and simple user interface.
Final Words
That’s how you can free up the invaluable storage space by deleting the unnecessary Documents and Data files. Now you know everything important about them. You can also visit the Apple thread related to this topic to interact with people like you and seek further help. For any queries, doubts, or suggestions, feel free to use the comment box. I’ll be glad to listen and help.
