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Why is "On My iPad" still showing 30+ GB after I have deleted everything?

How do I fix this? I deleted everything off my iPad in order to figure this out.

In Settings - iPad Storage - on My iPad, has no items yet taking up 30+ GB of storage and preventing me from backing up the basics.

This feels a bit scammy to me. Why is an apple app forcing me to upgrade my iCloud storage just so I can keep the bare basics backed up?

iPad Pro, iPadOS 14

Posted on Jun 18, 2021 1:12 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jun 19, 2021 1:44 PM

Thanks for keeping us updated with that information. When you choose the "On My iPad" option, the "Documents & Data" section would normally be items stored in your Files application that might need to be cleared or moved off the iPhone. If you deleted items in the Files app, they are temporarily put into the "Recently Deleted" folder in the Files app. To clear the items in Recently Deleted, just choose the Recently Deleted folder in the Files app, and press and hold on the items there to delete them permanently.


Let us know how that goes after checking.

5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jun 19, 2021 1:44 PM in response to brentn100

Thanks for keeping us updated with that information. When you choose the "On My iPad" option, the "Documents & Data" section would normally be items stored in your Files application that might need to be cleared or moved off the iPhone. If you deleted items in the Files app, they are temporarily put into the "Recently Deleted" folder in the Files app. To clear the items in Recently Deleted, just choose the Recently Deleted folder in the Files app, and press and hold on the items there to delete them permanently.


Let us know how that goes after checking.

Jun 19, 2021 12:46 PM in response to brentn100

Hello brentn100,


Thanks for reaching out to the Apple Support Communities! We understand you are experiencing some issues with the storage available on your iPad. We are happy to help provide some guidance.


You mentioned that when you check your iPad storage within Settings, it shows that there are no items, yet something is taking up 30gb of space. What section are you seeing that storage is being taken in? Is there anything showing in the storage bar when you check in Settings > General > [Device] Storage?


How to check the storage on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch


We have some great steps to follow listed in the article below on steps to take if you aren't able to back up to iCloud, including steps on how to see your next backup size and links on how to clear some iCloud storage:


If you can't back up to iCloud


Keep us updated on how it goes!


Best Regards.

Why is "On My iPad" still showing 30+ GB after I have deleted everything?

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