How to use the new WhatsApp storage tool to free up space

WhatsApp has introduced a new tool to help users free up storage by clearing out media downloads from within the messaging app.

The new storage management tool rolled out with WhatsApp’s 10 November update.

According to the company, the new tool makes it easy for users to bulk delete media items from WhatsApp to free up space.

This is especially useful if you have auto-downloads for media enabled and are part of multiple groups.

The tool helps you get an overview of the space that WhatsApp is taking up on your device.

How to use the WhatsApp storage management tool

To access the new tool and free up space, users must click on the dropdown menu on the top-right (shown by an icon with three dots).

Then, go to Settings > Storage and Data > Manage Storage.

Under the Manage Storage tab, Whatsapp will show you how much space WhatsApp media is taking up on your phone.

It also highlights any files that are larger than 5MB. You can also view chats that have the most media taking up space.

You can select the different sections or categories under “Review and delete items” to select which media to delete.

Under these different categories, you can also choose the “select all” checkbox to remove all media within that category.

You can do the same with the media sorted by chats/contacts, instead of categories.

Select the bin icon to delete media, and make sure to select the “Delete any copies” checkbox if you want to get rid of the media item in all chats.

Feature image: Shereesa Moodley/Memeburn

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