Delete files on your iPhone or iPad
When you delete files from iCloud Drive or On My [device] in the Files app, they go into your Recently Deleted. After 30 days, your files are permanently deleted. Files deleted from Recently Deleted are deleted immediately and are not recoverable.
If you delete files from iCloud Drive on one device, iCloud Drive removes the files from every device that you're signed in to with the same Apple ID. Learn more about how to delete folders or files in iCloud Drive.
On your iPhone
- Open the Files app and tap the Browse tab.
- Under Locations, tap the location of the files that you want to delete.
- Tap the More button
, then tap Select. - Select the files that you want to delete, then tap the Delete button
. To delete a single file, you can also touch and hold the file, then tap Delete.
On your iPad
- Open the Files app.
- Under Locations in the sidebar, tap the location of the files that you want to delete. If you don't see the sidebar, tap the Show Sidebar button
. - Tap Select.
- Select the files that you want to delete, then tap Delete. To delete a single file, you can also touch and hold the file, then tap Delete.
Recover files that you deleted on your iPhone or iPad
If you change your mind or accidentally delete files, you have 30 days to get them back from Recently Deleted. Files recovered from Recently Deleted return to their original location.
On your iPhone
- Open the Files app and tap the Browse tab.
- Under Locations, tap Recently Deleted.
- Tap the More button , then tap Select.
- Select the files that you want to keep, then tap Recover. To recover a single file, you can also touch and hold the file, then tap Recover.
On your iPad
- Open the Files app.
- Under Locations in the sidebar, tap Recently Deleted. If you don't see the sidebar, tap the Show Sidebar button .
- Tap Select.
- Select the files that you want to keep, then tap Recover. To recover a single file, you can also touch and hold the file, then tap Recover.
Remove iCloud Drive file downloads from your iPhone or iPad
You can make space on your iPhone or iPad by removing files that are downloaded to your device from iCloud Drive. Your files will be safe in iCloud Drive if you want to download them again. For files that were downloaded from other sources, learn more about third-party cloud apps in the Files app.
- Open the Files app and tap the Browse tab or tap the Show Sidebar button .
- Tap iCloud Drive.
- Tap Downloads.
- Select the downloaded files you want to remove from your device.
- Tap the More button , then tap Remove Download. To remove a single file download, touch and hold the file, then tap Remove Download.
If you don't see the Remove Download option, the file is not downloaded to your device.