Guides

Do Live Photos Take Up More Space? How to Save Storage

Updated October 27, 2026 · Written for iOS 26

When Live Photos is on, your iPhone records about a second and a half of video before and after each shot. That clip is saved alongside the photo, so a Live Photo usually takes roughly twice the space of a regular one.

Check whether it's on

Open the Camera app. In photo mode, look for the Live Photos icon (three circles) at the top. If it's yellow or doesn't have a line through it, Live Photos is on.

Tapping it turns it off for now, but the Camera turns it back on next time. To make your choice stick, go to Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings and turn on Live Photo.

Keep only the still for photos you already took

You can turn a Live Photo into a regular one without losing the picture:

1. Open the photo in Photos.
2. Tap the ••• menu and choose Duplicate, then Duplicate as Still Photo.
3. Delete the original Live Photo.

This is worth doing for photos that don't need motion, like documents, screenshots of whiteboards or receipts. For family moments, the motion is often the best part, so keep those as they are.

Should you turn Live Photos off?

It's a matter of taste. If storage is tight and you rarely watch the motion, turning it off saves real space over a year. If you love the little clips, leave it on and save space elsewhere. Similar shots and long videos usually free far more. See How to Find and Delete Similar Photos.

Don't forget Recently Deleted

Originals you delete stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days. Empty it under Collections > Utilities to get the space back now.