If your Apple Watch is running out of space, you might notice it struggling to update, sync, or perform routine tasks.

Fortunately, it’s easy to upgrade your storage options or clear out the digital clutter on your watch to free up space. Let’s explore the causes of full storage, how to check available space, and the best ways to free up storage on your Apple Watch.

Why Is my Apple Watch storage full?

The storage on your Apple Watch storage is limited, ranging from 8GB to 32GB, depending on what model you have. It’s so easy to use up space on your Apple Watch if you’re not careful. Here are some of the main culprits.

  • Music and podcasts: Automatically synced playlists or downloaded podcasts can take up a lot of space.
  • Photos: Synced photo albums can quickly consume space on your Apple Watch.
  • Apps: When it comes to storage, all apps are not created equally, and many take up a surprising amount of room on your Apple Watch.
  • System Data: Updates and cached files add up over time.

Understanding what’s taking up space is the first step to solving the problem.

How to check Apple Watch storage

Checking storage on your Apple Watch is simple. Follow these steps:

  1. Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
  2. Go to General > About.
  3. From here, you will be able to see your available storage and what’s taking up the most space.

Alternatively, you can check directly on your Apple Watch:

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Go to General > Storage.
  3. Review the breakdown of storage usage.

How to make more room on your Apple Watch

Here are some practical steps to clean up your Apple Watch storage:

1. Remove unnecessary apps. Many apps store data on your Apple Watch. Delete or offload apps you rarely use.

  • On your Apple Watch: Long press on an app icon until the apps jiggle, then tap the X and confirm.
  • On your iPhone: Open the Watch app, scroll to ‘Installed on Apple Watch,’ tap an app, and toggle off ‘Show App on Apple Watch.’

2. Delete downloaded music and podcasts.

  • Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
  • Go to ‘Music or Podcasts.’
  • Adjust your sync settings to remove unnecessary playlists or episodes you’ve already listened to.

3. Reduce photo syncing

  • In the Watch app on your iPhone, go to Photos.
  • Select a smaller album or limit the number of synced photos.

4. Clear cached data. Cached files can accumulate over time. While there’s no direct way to clear the cache on the Apple Watch, restarting it can help:

  • On your watch, press and hold the side button until you see the ‘Power Off’ slider.
  • Turn off the watch, then turn it back on.

5. Use CleanMy®Phone to get rid of clutter

Managing cluttered storage on your iPhone helps streamline your Apple Watch, too. With the CleanMy®Phone declutter module, you can get rid of blurry or duplicate photos that are syncing to your Apple Watch.

Learn more about CleanMy®Phone and download it here.

What Is "Other" in Apple Watch storage?

The "Other" category includes:

  • Cached files
  • System data
  • Temporary files

This data is managed automatically by the system, but if it’s taking up too much space, you can:

  • Restart your Apple Watch.
  • Unpair and re-pair the watch to your iPhone, which clears most temporary files.

How to delete apps on Apple Watch

To remove apps and free up space:

Method 1: On the Apple Watch

  1. Press the Digital Crown to see all apps.
  2. Long press an app until the apps jiggle.
  3. Tap the X and confirm to delete.

Method 2: On the iPhone

  1. Open the Watch app.
  2. Scroll to Installed on Apple Watch.
  3. Tap the app you want to remove and toggle off Show App on Apple Watch.

By following these steps, you can easily manage and free up space on your Apple Watch, ensuring it works smoothly and efficiently.