One of the common problems Android users face is running out of storage on their devices. A primary issue that arises when your phone’s storage is full is the noticeable decrease in performance speed. A full storage can significantly slow down your phone’s performance, making it frustrating to use.
No one likes seeing the "Your internal storage is full" message. When you receive this notification, many tasks on your phone will be disrupted until you clear some space. Some commands might not work properly. There are effective ways to free up storage on Android phones, and by following them, you can prevent your phone from slowing down due to full storage.
One of the most effective and simplest ways to free up space on your Android phone is by clearing the device’s cache. Cache memory is part of your phone's storage where data from various apps and sections of the phone is stored. This allows apps to function faster as they don’t need to reload the same information each time. For example, when you open Telegram, the profile pictures are loaded once, and from then on, the cached version is displayed instead of reloading them each time.
To clear the cache:
Open the Settings app.
Select Storage.
Tap on Internal Storage, if available.
Choose Cached data.
Tap Clear in the pop-up window to delete cached data.
If you use apps like Telegram or WhatsApp frequently, a significant portion of your phone's storage may be taken up by files from these apps. It's a good idea to periodically clear the cache from these apps manually. Also, ensure that the "auto-download images and videos" option is disabled in the settings of these apps. However, WhatsApp and Telegram files aren't the only ones that consume a lot of storage.
One of the best ways to manage this is by using the Settings menu and then going to Storage. There is a section called Downloads, where you can see the total size of all the files you've downloaded. You can tap on this option to delete the contents of the downloads folder. Keep in mind that this method will delete all files in the downloads folder without exception. You can also use file manager apps to delete downloaded files. After opening the file manager app, go to the Downloads folder and remove the files you don't need. This method gives you the freedom to choose which files to keep or delete. In some Android devices, you can also use the App Drawer to find the Downloads section and delete its contents.
Android provides a built-in feature to check for large files, but an app like DiskUsage could be a better option because it visually displays storage usage. This lightweight 180KB app analyzes your storage and categorizes files by size. Larger rectangles represent bigger files, and smaller ones indicate smaller files. If your internal storage is full, DiskUsage can help you quickly identify large files and delete them with ease.
Some files stored on Android phones, like downloads, Bluetooth files, and files saved by apps, are often used just once and don’t need to stay in storage. However, these files accumulate and take up space. You can remove these files by following these steps:
Open the Settings app.
Go to Storage.
Select Internal Storage, if available.
Tap on Other.
Tap Explore.
In the new file manager window that opens, navigate through different folders to delete unnecessary files. Pay attention to folders like Downloads, Documents, Movies, Telegram, etc., as they can take up significant space.
This method is only applicable to Android phones that support external storage (microSD cards). Fortunately, most Android phones support this feature. By moving apps and games from internal storage to external storage, you can free up a large portion of your phone's internal storage.
To do this:
Open Settings.
Go to Apps, Applications, or Application Manager.
Select the app you want to move to external storage.
Tap on Storage.
Tap Move to SD Card.
After selecting this option, wait for a few seconds (depending on the app size) for the transfer to complete. Unfortunately, there’s no way to move all apps at once, so you'll need to manually move each app from internal storage to external storage.
One of the great features offered by Android, though often underused, is the free and unlimited upload of photos and videos to Google Photos. Using this app, you can transfer all the photos and videos stored on your phone to Google Drive and then delete them from your phone’s storage. This is one of the most effective ways to free up space on Android devices.
To do this:
Open Google Photos.
From the main menu, select Free up space.
The app will automatically remove the photos and videos that have already been uploaded to Google Drive, freeing up space on your phone.
Many Android devices come with pre-installed apps known as Bloatware. These apps take up a significant amount of space but cannot be removed. Disabling these apps can help free up storage.
To disable bloatware:
Go to Settings and follow the path: Apps and notifications > App Manager > Installed Apps.
Find the pre-installed system apps, tap on each one, and then tap Disable at the bottom of the screen.
Note: Sometimes, the Disable button is inactive, and instead, you'll see Uninstall Updates. In that case, you’ll need to remove the app updates first, and then you can disable the app.
A Factory Reset will erase all settings and data on your Android device, returning the storage to its original state. If your phone’s storage is full, and you don’t need the current data, and you want to restore the device’s performance to its original speed, a factory reset can help.
To perform a factory reset:
Go to Settings.
Select Backup & Reset.
Tap on Factory Reset.
This will restore your phone to its original state, clearing out all data and freeing up storage.
