Apple Music downloads add up fast, and the cost usually shows up when your iPhone starts running low on storage. If storage is tight across the whole device, our guide to freeing up iPhone storage covers the other big categories.
The steps below cover downloads, Lossless Audio files, and the cache that sometimes refuses to clear. iOS 26 moved app settings under Settings > Apps, so older guides that point to Settings > Music will send you to the wrong place.
Check How Much Storage Apple Music Is Using First
Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Music. The breakdown separates downloaded songs from system files such as album art and cache.
Note the total before you change anything, so you can tell which step made the difference.
Turn Off Lossless Downloads for the Biggest Saving
Apple says downloading Lossless audio uses significantly more storage than the standard formats. If you have Lossless or Hi-Res Lossless turned on, changing it is usually the quickest way to cut your usage.
- Open Settings > Apps > Music > Audio Quality.
- Turn off Lossless Audio, or keep it on and lower the quality for Downloads only so streaming stays Lossless.
- Set Downloads to High Quality if you want a middle ground.
Songs you already downloaded keep the quality they had when you downloaded them, so delete them and download them again to get the smaller files.
Delete Downloaded Music in Bulk From Settings
This is faster than removing items one at a time from the Music app.
- Open Settings > Apps > Music > Downloaded Music.
- Tap Edit.
- Tap the Delete button next to All Songs or next to the artists whose music you want to remove.
You can reach a similar list from Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Music, but scroll past the red Delete App button first, since that button removes the whole Music app.
Remove Individual Downloads From the Music App
Open the Music app, touch and hold a downloaded item, and tap Remove Download. The item leaves your iPhone but stays in your music library on your other devices.
Use Optimize Storage as a Safety Net and Not a Cleanup Tool
- Open Settings > Apps > Music.
- Under Downloads, tap Optimize Storage and turn it on.
- Choose the minimum amount of music your iPhone should keep.
When your iPhone runs low on storage it removes downloaded songs you have not played in a while, and it does not delete anything while you have plenty of room. That makes it good for ongoing maintenance and weak as a way to clear storage on demand.
Turn Off Automatic Downloads to Stop Storage Creeping Up
When Automatic Downloads is on, songs you add to your library download to your iPhone on their own. If your storage jumped without you downloading anything, open Settings > Apps > Music and turn Automatic Downloads off.
Be careful with the Sync Library toggle on the same screen. Apple says you need it on to download Apple Music, and turning it off removes all Apple Music songs from your iPhone, while music you purchased or synced stays. That makes it a last resort for a full cleanup and the wrong switch for a small saving.
Fix Phantom Storage That Will Not Clear
On some iPhones, Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Music still shows several gigabytes in use after every download is deleted, even though the Library tab confirms nothing is downloaded. Leftover cache such as album art is the likely cause, and Apple does not document an official fix, so these two steps come from what has worked for other people.
- Open Settings > Apps > Music, turn off Animated Art, and restart your iPhone.
- If the number does not change, touch and hold the Music app icon, tap Remove App, and download Music again from the App Store. Your library is tied to your Apple Account, so it is not affected.
When you finish, return to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Music and compare the new total with the number you noted at the start.
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