IPhone OneDrive App taking up space while Android isn't

SMoore 20 Reputation points
2026-01-11T20:14:48.25+00:00

On my iPhone 11 I have the OneDrive app. No files are offline, yet it still is taking up 16 GB of space. I have tried offloading the app, but all the 16 GB stay on ithe phone. Meanwhile, on my android the app only takes up 1 GB of space. What is the issue here? I don't have a cache button to clear and from your help forum it says to offload the app to do this and then reinstall. Done. Nothing changes.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For business | iOS
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Anonymous
2026-01-12T00:19:43.85+00:00

Dear @SMoore,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum. I’m happy to assist you.

On iOS, apps like OneDrive store thumbnails, previews, and temporary files locally for performance. iOS does not provide a system-level “Clear Cache” option, so cached data can accumulate and occupy significant storage, even if you have no offline files. Offloading the app only removes the app binary but keeps cached data.

On Android, the operating system allows users to clear cache directly via Settings, and OneDrive uses a more straightforward cache mechanism, so storage usage remains lower.

If you are using iOS 26, please try these steps to reduce the storage OneDrive occupies on your iPhone

  1. Open the OneDrive app and tap your profile icon in the upper-left corner.
  2. From the menu, select Settings. User's image
  3. Tap Help & Feedback. User's image
  4. Choose Clear Cache.  User's image
  5. You should see a spinning circle indicating that OneDrive is clearing its cache. Once it disappears, the cache has been successfully deleted.

Additionally, please review all accounts linked to OneDrive, as there may be other accounts with offline files stored locally.

Since I do not have access to your device environment, there may be cases where my recommended solutions do not fully resolve the issue or other problems appear. If that happens, please update me right away with any new details or results in the Comment. I will do my best to support you and help find a solution as quickly as possible.

If you found the answer useful, please click "Accepted Answer" and kindly give it an upvote.

If you have any follow-up questions, feel free to click "Comment" to continue the discussion.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-01-11T20:14:54.76+00:00

    The issue you're experiencing with the OneDrive app on your iPhone taking up a significant amount of space, despite having no files set for offline access, could be related to how the app manages its data and cache on iOS compared to Android.

    On iOS, apps can sometimes retain data even after files are removed or when the app is offloaded. This can include cached data, temporary files, or other app-related data that might not be cleared with standard offloading. Unfortunately, there is no direct cache clearing option for the OneDrive app on iOS, which can lead to discrepancies in storage usage between devices.

    Here are a few steps you can try to potentially resolve the issue:

    1. Delete the OneDrive App: Completely uninstall the app from your iPhone. This should remove all associated data.
    2. Reinstall the App: After deletion, reinstall the OneDrive app from the App Store. This will give you a fresh installation without the previous data.
    3. Check Storage Settings: After reinstalling, check the storage settings on your iPhone to see if the space has been freed up.

    If these steps do not resolve the issue, it may be worth reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance, as they can provide more specific guidance based on the app's behavior on iOS.

    References:

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