What "Documents and Data" means, and why you might want to clear it
Documents and Data is storage space on your iPhone that apps use to save files, cached information, and settings — things beyond the app itself. When you open Mail, it stores downloaded messages. When you use Maps, it caches map tiles so they load faster next time. A notes app might store backups of your writing. Over months or years, this hidden storage adds up and can slow your phone or eat into your available space.
Clearing Documents and Data does not delete the apps themselves or your account information. It removes the temporary files and cached content that apps have accumulated. You will not lose your photos, messages, or contacts — those live in different storage locations. What you will lose is the offline copies of maps, the cached versions of web pages, and temporary files that apps created while you were using them.
If you are concerned about what information apps are storing locally on your device — especially if you are moving to a new phone or selling your old one — clearing Documents and Data is a straightforward way to remove that layer of stored activity before you hand the device over.
Key Takeaways
- Documents and Data is the storage space apps use for cached files, offline content, and settings — separate from the app itself and your personal files.
- You can clear Documents and Data for individual apps by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, finding the app, and tapping "Offload App" or deleting and reinstalling it.
- Offloading an app removes its Documents and Data but keeps your account login information, so you can sign back in without losing your credentials.
- If you want to clear Documents and Data for all apps at once, the most reliable method is to back up your phone, erase it completely, and restore from backup.
- Before clearing anything, check your iPhone storage to see which apps are using the most space — some apps store far more cached data than others.
Check which apps are using the most storage space
Before you start clearing, it helps to see which apps have accumulated the most Documents and Data. Open Settings, then tap General, then iPhone Storage. Your phone will display a list of apps ranked by how much space they use. The number shown for each app includes the app itself plus its Documents and Data combined.
Tap any app in the list to see a breakdown. The screen will show the app size and the size of its Documents and Data separately. Apps like Maps, Mail, and streaming services often store the most cached content because they read and store files for offline use. Social media apps and browsers also tend to accumulate large caches over time.
This list is useful because it shows you where your storage is actually going. If Mail is using 2 gigabytes of space, clearing its Documents and Data might free up significant room. If an app is using only 50 megabytes total, clearing it will have minimal impact.
Offload an app to remove its Documents and Data while keeping your login
The safest way to clear Documents and Data for a single app is to offload it. Offloading removes the app and its cached files but preserves your login credentials and account information. When you reinstall the app, you will not have to sign in again.
Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Find the app you want to clear and tap it. You will see a button that says Offload App. Tap it, then confirm by tapping Offload App again. Your phone will remove the app and its Documents and Data when ready. The app icon will remain on your home screen, but it will be grayed out.
To reinstall the app, tap the grayed-out icon. Your phone will read the app again from the App Store. When you open it, you will be signed in already — your account information was preserved. The app will rebuild its Documents and Data cache as you use it, but it starts fresh rather than carrying over months of accumulated cached files.
Delete and reinstall an app if you want to remove everything
If you want to completely remove an app and all its data — including login information and account settings — delete it instead of offloading. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, tap the app, and select Delete App. Confirm the deletion.
When you reinstall the app later by downloading it from the App Store, it will be completely fresh. You will need to sign in again with your username and password. This is useful if you are concerned about what personal information the app has stored locally, or if you want a truly clean slate.
The trade-off is that you will lose any local settings or preferences the app had saved. For most apps this does not matter — your account settings live on the company's servers, not on your phone. But some apps store preferences locally, and you may need to reconfigure them after reinstalling.
Clear Documents and Data for all apps at once by erasing and restoring
If you want to remove Documents and Data from every app on your phone in one action, the most thorough method is to erase your iPhone completely and restore it from a backup. This removes all cached files, temporary data, and app settings across the board.
First, back up your phone. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup and tap Back Up Now. Wait for the backup to finish — this can take several minutes depending on how much data you have. You can check the progress by looking at the status at the top of the screen.
Once the backup is complete, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Your phone will warn you that this action cannot be undone. Confirm by entering your passcode. The phone will erase completely and restart.
When it boots up, you will see the setup screen. Follow the prompts and choose Restore from iCloud Backup. Sign in with your Apple ID and select the backup you just created. Your phone will restore all your photos, messages, contacts, and apps — but without any of the cached Documents and Data that was on the old installation. This is the cleanest way to remove accumulated app data from your entire phone.
What happens to your personal files when you clear Documents and Data
Clearing Documents and Data does not touch your photos, videos, messages, notes, or contacts. Those files are stored separately from app caches and are not affected by any of the methods described above. Your iCloud data — email, calendar events, reminders — also remains intact because it lives on Apple's servers, not just on your phone.
What you are removing is the temporary and cached content that apps create while running: offline map tiles, downloaded email attachments that Mail has cached, web pages that Safari has stored for faster loading, and temporary files that apps use internally. None of this is your original content. It is all generated by the apps themselves as a side effect of normal use.
If you are clearing Documents and Data because you are selling or giving away your phone, erasing and restoring is the safest approach because it removes everything that is not part of your intentional backup. If you are just trying to free up space, offloading individual apps is faster and lets you keep your login information intact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing Documents and Data delete my photos or messages?
No. Photos, messages, contacts, and notes are stored separately from Documents and Data. Clearing app caches and temporary files will not affect any of your personal content. Your photos remain in the Photos app, your messages stay in Messages, and your notes stay in Notes.
Do I have to sign in again to all my apps after offloading?
No. Offloading preserves your login credentials, so when you reinstall the app, you will already be signed in. If you delete the app instead of offloading it, you will need to sign in again when you reinstall.
How much space will I actually free up by clearing Documents and Data?
It depends on which apps you clear. Check Settings > General > iPhone Storage to see the Documents and Data size for each app. Mail, Maps, and streaming apps often store gigabytes of cached content. Clearing those can free up significant space. Smaller apps might only free up a few hundred megabytes.
Is it safe to erase and restore my entire iPhone?
Yes, as long as you back up first. The backup preserves everything important — your photos, messages, contacts, and app data. Erasing and restoring removes only the cached files and temporary data that apps have accumulated, not your personal content.
What is the difference between offloading and deleting an app?
Offloading removes the app and its cache but keeps your login information. Deleting removes everything, including your saved passwords and account settings. You will need to sign in again after reinstalling a deleted app, but not after offloading.