How to free up storage on WhatsApp in less than 60 seconds

Many of us use WhatsApp to keep in contact with friends and family, including those in other countries. But if you're constantly receiving (and saving) pictures and videos, your phone might not have much space left for other files. Our experts can help.

Taking a quick trip to your phone settings will help you identify the files that are taking up the most space. If they're not vital, you might as well get rid of them – or consider uploading them to the cloud.

Below, we explain in detail how to free up storage on WhatsApp. Plus, we've also added some bonus WhatsApp tips and tricks to help you get even more from the app.

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Each month, we feature one of the most popular questions answered by our Tech Support team.

Question of the month: can I reduce the amount of space WhatsApp takes up on my phone?

Our expert says:

'Every picture, video or document sent to you on WhatsApp could be automatically stored on your device and take up valuable space. To free up space, what you need to do is basically the same on both Android and iOS – the only difference is at the start of the process.

• On Android – open the WhatsApp app and tap on the three-dot menu button, then Settings.
• On iOS – open the WhatsApp app and tap on Settings.

'Now, regardless of what type of device you’re using, choose Storage and data. From here, select Manage Storage. This will tell you how much storage space WhatsApp is using on your phone or tablet.

'You’ll also see which are the largest files (in the Larger than 5MB section), plus a list of all the conversations in WhatsApp (called Chats), sorted by how much storage space they’re taking up. Tap on a conversation from the top of the list. You’ll now see just how many images, videos and GIFs are associated with the conversation and how much space they’re taking up.

'Take a moment to review them, as you should only get rid of ones you’re happy to permanently delete. If you want to go back to Manage Storage at any point, perhaps to take another look at the largest files, select the top-left Back button.

'When you’re happy to start deleting, whether you’re in Chats or Larger than 5MB, choose Select. You can now tap and hold on each file to place a tick against the ones that you would like to delete, then select the Bin icon. You can also choose Select all in the top-right corner. Press the Delete Item button to permanently delete files.'

Leanne Lingham, Which? Tech Support 

5 handy WhatsApp tricks you might not know about

1. Share your current location with a contact

Sharing your live location with a friend or family member is handy if you're meeting up, or if you want somebody to know you've arrived at your destination safely.

To share your location, open a chat, then select Attach > Location > Share live location. From there, you can choose how long you want your location to be trackable. Hit Send when you're ready.

Alternatively, you can choose to Send your current location – this provides contacts with an instant pin showing your whereabouts, but it won't move around as you do.

2. Adjust your privacy settings

Whether you're on Android or iOS, it's important to check your privacy settings to make sure you're comfortable with the data you're sharing. Open the app, tap on the three-dot menu button, then Settings. Choose Privacy.

From this screen, you can decide who can view your 'last seen' and 'online' status. You can also choose to hide your profile picture from certain contacts, or turn off read receipts.

3. Bookmark important messages

By adding a star to your most important messages, you can navigate to them right away without having to scroll back through your chat history.

Long-press on a message that you want to favourite, then select the star icon at the top of the screen. From the chat overview screen, tap on the three-dot menu button, then Starred messages.

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4. Search for photos, videos and links

With WhatsApp's search function, you can jump to a specific message, photo, video, hyperlink, sound snippet, GIF or document.

To try it for yourself, tap the Search icon in the top-right corner of the screen. You can then manually enter a keyword, or tap one of the presets – Unread, Photos, Documents or Links, for example.

5. Use WhatsApp on your PC with WhatsApp Web

If you want to send messages on a desktop, sync your smartphone with your computer using WhatsApp Web.

To get started, head to web.whatsapp.com. Open the app on your phone, tap on the three-dot menu button, then Settings. Select the QR code icon in the top-right corner and choose Scan code.

Now, point your phone's camera at the QR code displayed on your computer. Once the code is recognised, you'll be able to access your messages on PC.

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