cannot seem to free up space from ipad 10th gen running ios 16.0

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cannot seem to free up space from ipad 10th gen running ios 16.0

Hi Community,

I have an Ipad 10th Gen running IOS 16.0 with 64GB internal storage.

storage is at capacity, and i am unable to update any of my apps or the ios update due to a lack of storage.

i share an icloud with my wife, and any photos she takes come up in my photo library. i turned this setting off - "enable icloud photos" and then deleted a heap of videos ect to try an free up some space, it went from 64gb down to approx 55gb, but before i knew it, it was back to capacity, it was as if my ipad was still connected to the cloud and her photos and videos were continuing to be loaded onto the phone and take up storage- my apologies if this sounds very basic , but my knowledge on this subject is even more basic.

in the meantime, whilst i had the icloud photos switched to off, it continued to show all the new photos my wife had been taking, which seemed a bit strange to me. anyhow, i had a chat with my local computer store, and he advised to switch the icloud photos back on, and allow everything to sync up and that would free up storage, also i had ticked the "optimise storage on this device ".

i have hardly any videos or photos that i have actually taken using the ipad itself, and i assume that they should go to cloud anyhow? so how am i still sitting with well over 20gb of photo's and videos in the ipad storage dept.

ideally, i'd still like to have access to icloud photos on the device, but i'd be happy to not have them on there if it would free up some space on the ipad to conduct the essentia;l updates ect.

i'm hoping someone can help me out and suggest the best way to get some space back on my ipad.

Thanks

iPad, iPadOS 16

Posted on Nov 10, 2025 7:25 PM

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Answer 1

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LotusPilot

Community+ 2025

Level 10

301,640 points

Nov 11, 2025 3:51 AM in response to sharkydog

Regrettably, you are always going to struggle with an iPad that has so little internal storage. The 32/64GB devices are primarily intended for use in Educational settings, or in environments where the ability to store local data on the device is not required.

It is generally recommended that you maintain at least 4-6GB of free space at all times - as your iPad needs some temporary space to complete many tasks. When performing system software updates, you may temporarily require more...

A system software update requires sufficient space to be downloaded, unpacked and verified prior to installation - major version updates requiring considerably more space than an incremental point-update. The required space, to perform an OTA update, is typically double the stated space for the installed update; after the update is successfully completed, temporary files are automatically deleted - returning free space.

If your internal storage is full, or is insufficient for the task that you need to perform, your only option is to better manage the storage that you have - and delete unused Apps or unneeded data.

These support pages should prove to be helpful:

About storage on your device and in iCloud – Apple Support

What's the difference between device storage and iCloud storage? – Apple Support

Manage your iCloud storage – Apple Support

How to check the storage on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch – Apple Support

Clear Other storage on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

“Offloading” Apps can be a helpful method of creating temporary space for a software update:

https://9to5mac.com/2020/01/21/how-to-offload-apps-in-ios-to-save-space-without-deleting-their-data/

Additional information about creating sufficient space for installation of a software update can be found here:

If you need more space for an update on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

External storage options can often help with managing limited internal storage. Depending upon your iPad model, the iPad will either have a Lightning or USB-C port - and may therefore require either an Adapter or USB hub to connect the USB Storage device. If your iPad has a Lightning port, you’ll need an Apple Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter:

Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter

https://store.apple.com/uk/xc/product/MK0W2ZM/A

Using a Mac computer or Windows PC can help with system software updates - as the update package is initially downloaded to the computer, unpacked and verified by the computer, prior to the computer installing the updated system software on the target device.

As is, perhaps a workable remedy to perform an update is to ensure that you have either an iCloud or iTunes backup of your iPad - and then completely erase the iPad. With no user-data present, you should be able to update the iPad; once updated, you can restore your backup to the iPad.

How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

Erase all content and settings:

Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad > Erase All Content & Settings

After the reset, set-up the iPad with your AppleID - but do not restore the backup. Perform the system software update using whichever method works for you.

Finally, restore the backup to your iPad:

Restore all content to iPad from a backup - Apple Support

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