Why does TikTok use so much storage? How to clear TikTok cache & free up space

Georgina Smith
TikTok logo next to screenshot

If you’re a longtime TikTok user, you might have noticed the TikTok app taking up a lot of storage on your phone or device. But why does TikTok use so much storage and is there a way to fix it?

TikTok is the most popular social media platform out there right now, with countless videos uploaded every day by the app’s millions of active users.

With so many trends and challenges to view and participate in, and endless communities to explore, some people can spend hours every day scrolling through their FYP on the app.

However, some have been noticing that the app is taking up a huge amount of space on their devices, sometimes gigabytes worth of storage. If you’re looking to make more space on your device, here’s how to reduce the amount of room TikTok is using on your phone.

Phone with TikTok logo on it
TikTok is used by millions of people around the world.

Why does the TikTok app use so much storage?

It’s not known why TikTok can take up so much room on people’s devices.

The TikTok app by itself takes up about 300MB of storage space. But this builds up quickly by other files created by the app, which include cache, watch history, downloads, and drafts.

TikTok has not commented on people’s complaints about how much storage it takes up. Despite this, users have figured out a few solutions to reduce the size of the TikTok app.

How to reduce the size of the TikTok app

There are a few ways you can reduce the size of the TikTok app on your device. The most popular ways are to delete your draft, clear the TikTok cache, or delete and reinstall the app.

Here’s how you can reduce the size of the TIkTok app.

1. Delete your drafts

Screenshot of TikTok drafts page
Uninstalling the app will delete all your drafts.

TikTok allows users to save videos as drafts, and some people can rack up hundreds of videos that all take up space on your device. If you want to clear some space, it may be a good idea to go through all of your drafts and delete the ones you don’t want.

If you decide you want to get rid of all of your drafts at once, deleting the app will also automatically delete all of your drafts.

2. Clear TikTok cache

Screenshot of clear cache option on TikTok
Clearing your cache could potentially help free up some space.

Another way to reduce the size of the app is to clear your cache. To do so, simply follow these steps:

  1. Open TikTok.
  2. Go to the ‘Profile’ tab.
  3. Tap the three lines in the top right, then ‘Settings and privacy.’
  4. Scroll down to ‘Cache and cellular data,’ then click ‘Clear cache.’

3. Delete and reinstall the app

Some users have found success by deleting and reinstalling the app entirely. As noted above, deleting the app will also delete any of your saved drafts, so make sure you download any you want to keep before doing this.

Many have found that this helps significantly reduce the amount of space TikTok takes up on their device, so it could be a good option if the size of the app is frustrating you.

If you want to learn more about how to use TikTok, you can check out our other guides here:

How to duet on TikTokHow to Stitch on TikTokHow to go live on TikTokHow to find contacts on TikTok | How to use TikTok StoriesBest time to post on TikTok for more views and likes

About The Author

Georgina was formerly an entertainment writer for Dexerto. She covered all aspects of influencer culture on TikTok and more, including creators such as Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae. She also wrote about hit reality shows such as Love Island and Below Deck.