Photo Storage Calculator
See how many photos fit on 128 GB, 256 GB or any phone, card or drive, or how much space your library needs.
Decimal units, as printed on the box: 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes.
Presets use typical file sizes. Pick Custom to enter megapixels and format.
Estimated: 3 MB. Check a real photo's size and type it here for an exact count.
iOS or Android plus system data usually takes 10 to 15 GB. Turn this off for memory cards.
Set aside part of the free space for videos. 0 = photos only.
About the Photo Storage Calculator
How many photos can 128GB hold? On a recent iPhone shooting its default 24 MP HEIC photos, about 38,700 once roughly 12 GB is kept for iOS, and around 85,000 at 12 MP on a memory card. This calculator gives you the number for your own device. Pick a phone or camera preset (iPhone HEIC, JPEG and ProRAW, Samsung Galaxy 12, 50 and 200 MP, or 24 MP Canon, Sony and Fujifilm JPEG and RAW), or enter any megapixel count and format. Choose a size from 32 GB to 2 TB, keep space for the operating system and videos, and read the photo count and MB per photo. Switch modes to see the storage needed for a set number of photos.
How many photos can 128GB hold?
A 128 GB phone or card holds roughly 38,000 to 85,000 photos in HEIC, 14,000 to 37,000 in JPEG and only 1,500 to 4,600 in RAW. The exact figure depends on the file size of each photo, which depends on megapixels and format far more than on the storage itself. On an iPhone shooting its default 24 MP HEIC, a 128 GB model fits about 38,700 photos after keeping 12 GB for iOS.
The table below uses the full capacity, with no system reserve, as it would be on a memory card. It uses this calculator’s typical file sizes and 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. All counts are approximate and rounded down.
| Storage | 12 MP HEIC (1.5 MB) | 24 MP HEIC (3 MB) | 12 MP JPEG (3.5 MB) | 24 MP camera JPEG (9 MB) | 24 MP RAW (28 MB) | 48 MP ProRAW (75 MB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 GB | 21,333 | 10,666 | 9,142 | 3,555 | 1,142 | 426 |
| 64 GB | 42,666 | 21,333 | 18,285 | 7,111 | 2,285 | 853 |
| 128 GB | 85,333 | 42,666 | 36,571 | 14,222 | 4,571 | 1,706 |
| 256 GB | 170,666 | 85,333 | 73,142 | 28,444 | 9,142 | 3,413 |
| 512 GB | 341,333 | 170,666 | 146,285 | 56,888 | 18,285 | 6,826 |
| 1 TB | 666,666 | 333,333 | 285,714 | 111,111 | 35,714 | 13,333 |
Notice how a single format choice changes the answer by a factor of 50. The same 128 GB that holds 85,000 small HEIC photos holds under 2,000 ProRAW files.
iPhone photo capacity by storage size
This table keeps 12 GB for iOS and system data, which is typical on a fresh iPhone. It assumes the rest goes to photos only, so apps, messages and video will lower it.
| iPhone storage | 12 MP HEIC | 24 MP HEIC (default) | 48 MP HEIF Max | 12 MP JPEG | 12 MP ProRAW | 48 MP ProRAW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 128 GB | 77,333 | 38,666 | 23,200 | 33,142 | 4,640 | 1,546 |
| 256 GB | 162,666 | 81,333 | 48,800 | 69,714 | 9,760 | 3,253 |
| 512 GB | 333,333 | 166,666 | 100,000 | 142,857 | 20,000 | 6,666 |
| 1 TB | 658,666 | 329,333 | 197,600 | 282,285 | 39,520 | 13,173 |
Since the iPhone 15, the main camera saves 24 MP HEIC photos by default. You can switch to 12 MP, to 48 MP HEIF Max, or turn on ProRAW in Settings, Camera, Formats. The last two are the ones that fill a phone quickly.
Worked example: a 256 GB iPhone shared with video
Most people do not fill a phone with photos alone. Say you have a 256 GB iPhone, shoot 24 MP HEIC and expect video to take about 40% of your free space:
- Keep 12 GB for iOS: 256 − 12 = 244 GB free
- Give 40% to video: 244 × 0.6 = 146.4 GB left for photos
- Divide by the photo size: 146,400 MB ÷ 3 MB = about 48,800 photos
Going the other way, 10,000 photos at 3 MB each take 30 GB. Add 12 GB for iOS and you need 42 GB, so a 64 GB phone would technically cope, though 128 GB leaves room for apps.
How the photo size model works
The math is photos = (storage − system reserve) × (1 − video share) ÷ MB per photo. The hard part is MB per photo, because a busy, detailed scene compresses less than a plain sky. Presets use typical sizes for each device. In Custom mode the calculator multiplies megapixels by a per-format factor:
- HEIC: about 0.12 MB per megapixel, roughly half the size of a JPEG at similar quality.
- JPEG: about 0.3 MB per megapixel for a high-quality phone or camera JPEG.
- RAW: about 1.2 MB per megapixel for losslessly compressed 12 or 14-bit RAW. Uncompressed RAW can be about 50% larger.
For an exact count, check the size of a few real photos on your device, average them, and type that into MB per photo.
Why your phone shows less storage than advertised
A 128 GB phone never has 128 GB free for photos, for two separate reasons.
- The operating system. iOS or Android, preinstalled apps and system data usually take 10 to 15 GB, and caches can push that higher. That is why this tool keeps a system reserve on by default for phones.
- Different units. Makers count 1 GB as 1,000,000,000 bytes. Windows counts 1 GB as 1,073,741,824 bytes (strictly a GiB), so a 128 GB card plugged into a PC shows as about 119 GB and a 256 GB card as about 238 GB. No bytes are missing; only the label changes. iPhones and Macs use the decimal unit, so on an iPhone the gap is all system data.
This calculator uses decimal GB throughout so its answers line up with the number on the box.
Sources and accuracy
Every size here is an approximate typical value. Your photos may be 30% smaller or larger.
- iPhone ProRAW: Apple states that ProRAW files are approximately 25 MB at 12 MP and 75 MB at 48 MP (Apple Support, About Apple ProRAW).
- iPhone HEIF Max: Apple’s camera format settings describe 48 MP HEIF Max photos as approximately 5 MB. The 1.5 MB (12 MP) and 3 MB (24 MP) HEIC sizes are typical observed averages, not Apple figures.
- Samsung Galaxy: about 3.5, 12 and 30 MB for 12, 50 and 200 MP JPEGs, based on typical sample files. 200 MP shots vary widely with detail.
- Canon, Sony and Fujifilm: about 9 MB for a 24 MP fine/large JPEG and 28 MB for compressed RAW (CR3, ARW, RAF). Uncompressed RAW is larger.
How to use the Photo Storage Calculator
- 01Enter your storage size or tap a preset from 32 GB to 2 TB. Sizes are decimal (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes), the same way phones and cards are sold.
- 02Choose your device and format, for example iPhone 24 MP HEIC, Galaxy 50 MP JPEG or 24 MP camera RAW, or pick Custom and enter megapixels plus JPEG, HEIC or RAW. If you know a real photo's size, type it in MB per photo.
- 03Keep the system reserve on for phones (about 12 GB for iPhone, 15 GB for Galaxy) and turn it off for memory cards. Add a video share if part of the space goes to videos.
- 04Read the number of photos that fit and the MB per photo, or switch to Storage needed to see how many GB a set number of photos takes and the smallest capacity that fits.
Frequently asked questions
How many photos can a 128GB iPhone hold?
About 38,700 photos at the default 24 MP HEIC setting (around 3 MB each), after roughly 12 GB for iOS. At 12 MP HEIC it is about 77,300, at 48 MP HEIF Max about 23,200, and in 48 MP ProRAW only about 1,550. Apps, messages and videos reduce this further.
How many photos can 256GB hold on an iPhone 17 Pro?
About 81,300 photos at the default 24 MP HEIC (about 3 MB each), keeping 12 GB for iOS. Shooting 48 MP HEIF Max at about 5 MB drops that to around 48,800, and 48 MP ProRAW at about 75 MB each to roughly 3,250.
How many photos can 256GB hold on a Samsung phone?
With about 15 GB set aside for Android and One UI, a 256 GB Galaxy holds roughly 68,900 photos at 12 MP (about 3.5 MB each), 20,100 at 50 MP (about 12 MB) and 8,000 at 200 MP (about 30 MB).
How many photos can a 128GB SD card hold?
A 128 GB card holds about 14,200 photos from a 24 MP camera in fine JPEG (about 9 MB each) or about 4,570 compressed RAW files (about 28 MB). Phone-style 12 MP JPEGs at 3.5 MB fit about 36,600. Formatting uses a small slice of the card, so expect slightly fewer.
How many photos can 64GB hold?
About 21,300 photos at 24 MP HEIC or 42,700 at 12 MP HEIC if the whole 64 GB is free. On a 64 GB phone, after about 12 GB for the system, that falls to roughly 17,300 at 24 MP HEIC. A 64 GB camera card fits about 7,100 24 MP JPEGs or 2,290 RAW files.
How many photos can 1TB hold?
Around 333,000 photos at 24 MP HEIC, 285,700 at 12 MP JPEG, 111,100 at 24 MP camera JPEG and 35,700 at 24 MP RAW. Even in 48 MP ProRAW at 75 MB each, 1 TB holds about 13,300 photos.