How to Free Up Space Without Deleting Photos (Using an External SSD or Flash Drive)

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How to Free Up Space Without Deleting Photos

(Step-by-Step Guide for Android & iPhone Users)

Your phone keeps shouting: “Storage Almost Full”
But your photos? Non‑negotiable. They’re holidays, nights out, your kids, your pets… not just files to delete.

The good news: you can free up a lot of space without losing your photos, by moving them safely to an External SSD / Flash Drive for Phone, cleaning other junk, and setting up a simple system that works whether you’re in Europe, the US, or anywhere else.

This guide is written for Howtofixd.com and walks you through everything step by step.

Affiliate disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. If you buy through them, Howtofixd.com may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

What We’ll Do in This Guide

You’ll learn how to:

  • See what’s actually using your phone’s storage
  • Clean out non-photo junk safely
  • Pick the right External SSD / Flash Drive for Phone
  • Move your photos and videos to it without losing them
  • Free up storage on your phone the safe way
  • Set up a simple “photo backup routine” so you don’t keep hitting 0 GB

Quick Overview (If You’re in a Rush)

  1. Check storage usage in Settings.
  2. Delete apps, downloads, and cached data you don’t need.
  3. Get an External SSD / Flash Drive for Phone that’s compatible with your device.
  4. Plug it into your phone and copy your photos and videos to it.
  5. Double-check they’re on the drive.
  6. Then remove those photos/videos from your phone to free up space.
  7. Repeat every month or so as your “photo backup day”.

Now let’s go through each step slowly and clearly.

Step 1: Check What’s Using Your Storage

Before you move anything, find out what’s actually taking up space.

On iPhone

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap iPhone Storage.

You’ll see:

  • How much space is used
  • Which apps are using the most
  • System, apps, photos, media, etc.

On Android

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap Storage (on some phones: Device care → Storage).

You’ll see categories like:

  • Apps
  • Photos & videos
  • Audio
  • Cached data
  • Other files

This tells you if photos are the main problem or if apps and downloads are also bloating your storage.

Step 2: Clean Out Non-Photo Junk (Safe Space Wins)

We promised no deleting photos, but you probably have other stuff you don’t care about.

Focus on these first:

1. Unused Apps

  • Delete apps you haven’t opened in months.
  • Games you don’t play, trial apps, old travel apps, etc.

iPhone:

  • Press & hold an app → Remove App → Delete App.

Android:

  • Press & hold an app icon → Uninstall
    or
  • Settings → Apps → select app → Uninstall

2. Downloaded Files

Think: PDFs, tickets, random documents.

  • Android: Open Files or My Files app → check Downloads folder.
  • iPhone: Open Files app → On My iPhone → Downloads.

Delete anything you no longer need.

3. Offline Content (Huge Space Saver)

  • Streaming apps (Netflix, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, etc.) often store offline downloads that eat GBs.
  • Open each app and look for Downloads or Offline content, and remove items you’ve already watched or listened to.

4. Messaging App Media

Apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Signal can store tons of duplicated photos and videos.

  • Check Settings → Storage inside those apps.
  • Delete old videos, forwarded memes, and large files—not your camera roll.

👉 After this step, you’ll often recover a few GB without touching a single photo.

Step 3: Choose the Right External SSD / Flash Drive for Your Phone

Now the fun part: using an External SSD / Flash Drive for Phone to move your photos off the device safely.

What to Look For

When choosing one (or recommending one as an affiliate product), check:

  • Compatibility:
    • USB‑C (most newer Androids & some newer iPhones)
    • Lightning (older iPhones)
    • Or use a small USB‑C / Lightning adapter if needed
  • Capacity:
    • 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB depending on how many photos you keep
  • Speed:
    • SSDs are faster than basic USB sticks—helpful for large video files
  • Portability:
    • Small enough to carry in a pocket or bag
  • Included app:
    • Some drives come with their own app that makes iPhone/Android transfers easier

👉 Recommended solution:
Use a dedicated External SSD / Flash Drive for Phone designed for mobile devices.

✅ Ready to stop getting “storage full” warnings?
👉 Check out an External SSD / Flash Drive for Phone here

(Replace with your actual affiliate link when publishing.)

Step 4: Connect the External SSD / Flash Drive to Your Phone

On Android (Most Modern Phones)

  1. Plug the External SSD / Flash Drive directly into your phone’s USB‑C port.
    • If your phone uses micro‑USB, you may need an OTG (On-The-Go) adapter.
  2. After connecting, you should see a notification like “USB drive connected”.
  3. Open the Files or My Files app.
  4. Look for your drive under Storage devices or USB storage.

On iPhone

Depending on your iPhone:

  • Newer iPhones (USB‑C):
    • Plug the drive straight into the USB‑C port (if compatible).
  • Older iPhones (Lightning):
    • Use a drive with a Lightning connector, or
    • Use a certified Lightning to USB/USB‑C adapter plus your drive.

Then:

  1. If your drive has its own app, install it from the App Store.
  2. Some drives show up in the Files app under Locations (e.g. “External Drive”).
  3. Open the app or Files to confirm that the drive is detected.

Once your phone sees the drive, you’re ready to move photos.

Step 5: Move Your Photos to the External Drive (Without Losing Them)

We’ll copy first, delete later—so you don’t lose anything.

On Android

  1. Open the Files or My Files app.
  2. Go to Internal storage → DCIM → Camera (this is where your main photos live).
  3. Press and hold on one photo, then tap Select all (or manually select the folders/photos you want to move).
  4. Tap Copy or Move.
  5. Choose your External SSD / Flash Drive as the destination.
  6. Create a folder on the drive, e.g. Phone_Photos_Backup_2025 and paste there.

Tip:
If you’re nervous, use Copy the first time. Later, when you’re comfortable, you can use Move.

On iPhone (Using Files or the Drive’s App)

Option A: With the drive’s official app

  1. Open the drive’s companion app (if it has one).
  2. Look for Import from Photos or similar.
  3. Select the photos and videos you want to back up.
  4. Save them to the external drive inside the app.

Option B: Using the Files app (if the drive appears there)

  1. Open the Photos app.
  2. Select the photos/videos you want to move.
  3. Tap the Share icon → Save to Files.
  4. Choose your External SSD / Flash Drive under Locations.
  5. Choose or create a folder like Phone_Photos_Backup_2025, then tap Save.

Either way, the goal is to have a safe copy of your photos and videos on the drive.

Step 6: Double-Check Everything, Then Free Up Space

Before you delete anything from your phone, always verify the backup.

  1. Keep the drive connected to your phone or plug it into a computer.
  2. Open the folders on the drive.
  3. Scroll through to make sure your photos and videos are really there and open correctly.

If everything looks good, you can safely free up space.

Remove Photos from Your Phone (Without Losing Them)

Remember: you’re only deleting the local copies from your phone.
Your photos still live safely on the External SSD / Flash Drive.

On Android

  1. Open the Gallery or Photos app.
  2. Select photos and videos you have already backed up.
  3. Tap Delete.
  4. Empty the Trash / Bin inside the gallery app or Google Photos to reclaim full storage.

On iPhone

  1. Open Photos.
  2. Select the backed-up photos/videos → tap the bin icon → Delete.
  3. Go to Albums → scroll down → Recently Deleted.
  4. Tap Select → Delete All to actually free the space.

👉 At this point, your photos are not gone—they’re just moved to the external drive, and your phone has breathing room again.

Step 7: Extra Ways to Free Space Without Losing Photos

Your external SSD / flash drive is your main backup. But you can combine it with other tricks.

1. Use Cloud Storage (Optional)

If you’re comfortable with cloud services, you can:

  • Use Google Photos, iCloud Photos, OneDrive, or Dropbox.
  • Turn on settings like:
    • “Optimize iPhone Storage” on iOS
    • “Storage saver” in Google Photos

These keep smaller versions on your phone while storing full‑quality ones online.

You’ll still have an external SSD copy as your offline backup—perfect if you travel or have limited mobile data in Europe or the US.

2. Offload but Don’t Delete Apps (iPhone)

iOS has an Offload Unused Apps feature:

  • Settings → General → iPhone Storage
  • Enable Offload Unused Apps

It removes the app but keeps its data, so you don’t lose progress or settings.

3. Regularly Clear Cache (Android)

  • Settings → Apps → choose heavy apps → Storage → Clear cache.
    (Avoid Clear data unless you know what you’re doing.)

Step 8: Set Up a Simple “Photo Backup Day”

To avoid repeating the storage crisis every few months, make this a habit.

  1. Pick a day each month (e.g. first Sunday).
  2. Plug your External SSD / Flash Drive for Phone into your phone.
  3. Copy new photos and videos to your “Backup YYYY‑MM” folder on the drive.
  4. Double-check the files on the drive.
  5. Delete backed-up photos from your phone and empty the Trash / Recently Deleted.

This takes 10–20 minutes and keeps your phone fast and spacious without deleting your memories.

Clear Call-to-Action

You don’t have to choose between your photos and phone storage.

With a simple routine and the right tool, you can:

  • Keep every photo
  • Free up multiple gigabytes on your phone
  • Stop seeing “Storage Almost Full” messages

A dedicated External SSD / Flash Drive for Phone makes this easy, safe, and fast.

✅ Ready to back up your photos and reclaim space?
👉 Get an External SSD / Flash Drive for Your Phone here

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