Why Does TikTok Take Up so Much Storage?
TikTok is one of the greatest social media apps as of now, but why does TikTok take so much space?!
It seems like TikTok storage is eating out all of your phone’s memory!
TikTok takes a lot of space on your phone - that’s something that many users have confirmed when they use the app on a daily basis.
Although the storage on TikTok works as it does on other apps, it is clear that there’s something special about this short-videos platform that directly affects your local storage more than other common platforms.
So, it is important for most users to learn how to reduce TikTok storage, and more importantly, understand how much space the app takes so you can properly manage it in the future.
This post will talk to you about:
- Why does TikTok take up so much storage?;
- What to do when TikTok takes too much storage?;
- How to reduce TikTok storage on your mobile phone.
Why Does TikTok Take Up So Much Storage?
TikTok takes up so much space on your phone because, unlike other applications, such as Instagram and Facebook, TikTok is composed only of videos.
This means that you download more data while using the TikTok app than you do when you just watch pictures on your Instagram feed.
As a consequence, the app takes too much space from simply watching videos.
Now, this is not a problem for many TikTok users, but for others, they need to get rid of this storage on TikTok if they want this phone to run properly.
What Data Does TikTok Store?
TikTok stores cached files of all the videos you watch while you use the app.
Likewise, your TikTok drafts are also stored within the cache data on your phone.
All apps store cache files, but in the case of the TikTok app, the huge amount of data collected certainly affects the app’s performance, which is one of the most common errors that users face when using this app.
This creates the need to free up as much space as possible - free space on your phone is what is going to help you get rid of storage data-related issues on your phone.
How to Free Up Storage Space Used by TikTok: 4 Ways
So, it has been established now: TikTok takes more storage space than you believe on your phone!
Then again, this creates the need to free up space on your device, but how do you do it?
Fortunately, there are four ways to free up space on TikTok that truly work, and we are going to show you them all.
1. Clear TikTok App Cache
The absolute best way to clear space on TikTok is to clear data on the app.
Clearing cache files on TikTok is one of the best things you can do: it boosts the app performance, and it helps you get more storage space on your phone.
Besides, this is one of the recommended troubleshooting steps in case the app is running slow - clear TikTok cache and forget about bugs!
The first way to clear your cache on TikTok can be done both on an iOS or Android device.
Open the TikTok app, and go to your TikTok profile.
Then, at the top right corner of the screen, tap on the app Settings, which are three horizontal lines.
After doing so, tap on the gear icon to go to Settings and Privacy.
Scroll down to the app’s Cache and Cellular Data menu, and simply tap on Clear Cache.
This will free up storage space that the TikTok cache was taking from your phone.
This will clear history (Watch History), delete your searches, and soft-reset your For You Page.
Alternatively, you can also clear cache on TikTok on your phone Settings.
Open the Settings App, go to Storage, and find TikTok.
Here, simply tap on Offload App and the cache will clear.
Android users should find an option that says “Clear Cache” - it works in the same way.
2. Delete TikTok Drafts
It is possible that some of your TikTok drafts are taking up too much space on your phone.
So, open TikTok, go to your profile, and under the three lines, you will find your draft. Open your Drafts Screen.
Tap on the Select Button that appears at the right corner of the screen, and select the drafts you will no longer use.
Finally, tap on the Delete button at the bottom bar, and confirm your decision.
After you delete drafts on TikTok, the app should work better - this trick works for many users, so don’t sleep on it.
3. Delete TikTok App Downloads
On TikTok, you are allowed to download videos that you find on your FyP.
The problem is that these videos take a lot of space, which can lead you to have a large library of downloaded content on your phone.
So, go to your phone’s library, and long-press the TikTok videos you want to delete.
Then, select “Delete,” or bulk-delete multiple videos at once.
This will help you free a lot of space, even more than if you delete unwanted drafts inside the app.
4. Reinstall TikTok App
At last, you might re-install TikTok to delete every single piece of data stored on the app.
Users can delete TikTok by long-pressing the TikTok icon on the home screen and selecting “Remove App.”
Then, head to the Google Play Store (Android) or Apple App Store (iOS) to download TikTok again.
Don’t worry, your account information won’t be lost whatsoever.
How To Prevent Tiktok App Using So Much Storage in The Future
TikTok taking too much space on your phone is a headache, we know it!
Fortunately, you now know how to fix it.
If you want to prevent this scenario from happening again, then follow these three tips:
- Only save what you need: you don’t need to download every single video on your watch history - just download the ones that you really need!;
- Clear cache files regularly: you need to clear TikTok Cache on a regular basis in order to prevent future issues on the application;
- Get more storage on your mobile device: getting extra storage for your device is a great solution if you don’t want TikTok and other apps to eat up all of your storage.
That will be it!
Get more amazing TikTok guides here, at GrowFollowing.
FAQ
Does Deleting TikTok App Delete Saved Videos?
No - your saved videos inside the app, and inside your phone as well, won’t be deleted if you just delete TikTok. Once you log back in, the saved videos will be there.
Where Are TikTok Files Stored?
TikTok files are stored in your phone’s cache. On the other hand, video downloads go directly to your phone’s storage.
Karen is a senior technical writer and copywriter here at GrowFollowing. Her area of expertize are social media apps and new media.