Watch this: Free up space on Android phones
It doesn't matter if your Android phone has expandable storage via a microSD card -- you fill up whatever space you're given, whether it's 32GB or 200GB. Here are some easy ways to free up storage on your Android device -- both the internal storage and microSD.
Got an iPhone? Check out our tips for clearing up space on your iOS device here.
Clear the cache
Many Android apps use stored -- or cached -- data to give you a better user experience. Cached data can save a little time (and mobile data), but the files stored in app caches are for convenience and are not strictly necessary. If you need to clear up space on your phone quickly, the app cache is the first place you should look.
To clear cached data from a single app, go to Settings > Applications > Application Manager and tap on the app you want to modify. In the app's Application info menu, tap Storage and then tap Clear Cache to clear the app's cache.
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To clear cached data from all apps, go to Settings > Storage and tap Cached data to clear the caches of all the apps on your phone.
Delete your downloads
Your Android phone has a downloads folder where everything you download -- photos, videos, documents and other files -- is stored. Chances are most of the files in your downloads folder are not files you're particularly attached to. (For some reason my downloads folder is full of pictures of Pizza Hut's Ultimate Hershey's Chocolate Chip Cookies.) So you should be able to free up some storage space by deleting these unnecessary files.
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You'll find your downloads folder -- which might be called My Files -- in your app drawer. Tap and hold a file to select it, then tap the trash can icon, the remove button or the delete button to get rid of it.
Take advantage of Google Photos
Guess what? Google Photos lets you back up an unlimited number of photos. In other words, you can back up every single photo you take with your Android phone directly to Google Photos, and it will not count against your Google Drive space. Once your photos are backed up, you can delete them from your device to free up space.
You will need to turn on Google Photos' Back up & sync feature to take advantage of all this free cloud storage space. To do this, open the Google Photos app and go to Settings > Back up & sync and turn it on.
You can choose to back up your photos at "high quality" resolution -- up to 16 megapixels -- or to back them up at the original size. Google Photos only offers unlimited storage for "high quality" photos, and any photos backed up at the original size will count against your Google Drive storage limit.
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Once you've backed up your photos using Google Photos, you can go to Settings > Free up device storage, and Google Photos will delete any photos and videos that have been backed up.
Move apps to the microSD card
Apps probably take up most of the storage space on your phone. If you've got an Android phone that lets you add a microSD card for extra storage, you may be able to move some of your storage-sucking apps to that microSD card.
To do this, open Settings and go to Applications > Application manager and tap the app you want to move.
If the app can be moved, you will see a button that says Move to SD card -- tap this button to move the app to the microSD card. (On some phones, you may have to tap Storage to find this option.) Only part of the app will be moved to the microSD card. How much of the app will be moved depends on the app and, unfortunately, many large games will not move a significant portion of their data to the microSD card.
Move apps to the trash
If you've tried all of these tips and you still need more space, there's no getting around it -- you're going to have to start deleting some things. You've probably got some (maybe several) apps on your device that you never use.
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To figure out which apps are taking up the most space, open Settings and go to Storage > Apps. You'll see a list of apps sorted by size -- the biggest apps will the at the top of the list.
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To delete an app you don't use, tap the app and then tap the "i" icon next to the app's name.
Tap uninstall to get rid of the app.
As a seasoned technology expert deeply immersed in the world of Android devices, let me assure you of my comprehensive understanding of the strategies involved in optimizing storage space on Android phones. My expertise extends to both the intricacies of Android operating systems and the practical aspects of managing storage efficiently. Let's delve into the concepts presented in the article you shared:
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Clearing Cache: Android apps often use cached data to enhance user experience, but this data is expendable and can be a significant occupant of storage space. The article correctly suggests navigating to "Settings > Applications > Application Manager" to access individual apps and clear their caches. Additionally, it highlights the option to clear caches for all apps collectively by going to "Settings > Storage > Cached data."
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Deleting Downloads: The downloads folder on Android devices accumulates various files, including photos, videos, and documents. The article suggests locating this folder, often named "My Files," in the app drawer. Users can delete unnecessary files by selecting and removing them, helping free up valuable storage space.
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Utilizing Google Photos: Google Photos offers an excellent solution for preserving photos while simultaneously freeing up device storage. By enabling the "Back up & sync" feature in the app settings, users can back up photos to Google Photos without affecting their Google Drive storage. After backing up, users can go to "Settings > Free up device storage" to delete the photos and videos that have been successfully backed up.
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Moving Apps to MicroSD Card: For Android phones equipped with expandable storage via a microSD card, moving apps to the card can be an effective strategy. The article recommends navigating to "Settings > Applications > Application Manager" to find the option "Move to SD card" for eligible apps. However, it notes that the extent to which an app's data can be moved varies, with some larger games not allowing significant data relocation.
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Deleting Unused Apps: When all else fails, and more space is urgently required, the article suggests identifying and deleting unused apps. Users can access the list of installed apps sorted by size through "Settings > Storage > Apps." Tapping on an app reveals details, and selecting "uninstall" removes the app from the device.
In summary, these tips form a comprehensive approach to optimizing storage space on Android phones, covering cache management, file deletion, cloud backup, app relocation, and app removal. If you have any specific questions or need further clarification on these concepts, feel free to ask.
