Free up space - Android Help (2024)

To download more apps and media, or help your phone run better, you can clear space on your phone.

  • Storage is where you keep data, like music and photos.
  • Memory is where you run programs, like apps and the Android system.

Important: Some of these steps work only on Android 9.0 and up. Learn how to check your Android version.

Free up storage

Remove photos

If you back up with Google Photos, you can delete the copies on your phone or tablet. You can find the backed-up copies in the app when your device is connected to the internet. Learn how to delete photos and videos from your device.

Remove downloaded movies, music & other media

To delete content from Google Play:

  1. Open the Google Play app with the content, like Play Music or Play Movies & TV.
  2. Tap the Menu Free up space - Android Help (1) Free up space - Android Help (2) Settings Free up space - Android Help (3) Manage downloads.
  3. Tap Downloaded Free up space - Android Help (4) Free up space - Android Help (5) Remove.

To delete content from other sources, delete from the app that you used to download it.

Remove apps & app data

Close apps that don't respond

You don't usually need to close apps. But if an app isn't responding, you can try to close or force stop the app. Learn how to troubleshoot apps that aren't working.

Uninstall apps you don't use

If you uninstall an app and need it later, you can download it again. You don't have to buy the app again if you paid for it. Learn how to uninstallapps.

Clear the app's cache & data

You can usually clear an app’s cache and data with your phone’s Settings app. Settings can vary by phone. For more info, get help from your device manufacturer.

  • Clear cache: Deletes temporary data. Some apps may be slow the next time you open them.
  • Clearstorage: Permanently deletes all app data. Try to delete the data within the app first.

Automatically archive apps to free up space

Your device can automatically archive apps you don’t use often to free up space for new apps. When this setting is on, the apps you don’t use often will be removed, but your personal data on the app will be saved. The app’s icon will remain on your device. You'll be able to download the app again, as long as it's available on Google Play.

If you try to install an app but don’t have enough space, you’re notified to automatically archive apps. To set how your device automatically archives apps:

  1. Open the Play Store app Free up space - Android Help (6).
  2. Go to Settings Free up space - Android Help (7) General.
  3. Turn on or off Automatically archive apps.

Delete or move files

Delete downloaded files

To save space, you can delete downloaded files you don't need.

Copy files to a computer

You can move files and folders to a computer with a USB cable, and then delete them from your phone or tablet. Learn how to transferfiles between your phone and computer.

Check & free up memory

You don't usually need to close apps. But if an app isn't responding, you can try to close or force stop the app. Learn how to troubleshoot apps that aren't working.

Tip:If you think an app is using too much memory, you can delete the app. Learn how to uninstallapps.

Related resources

Free up space - Android Help (2024)

FAQs

What should I delete when Android storage is full? ›

  1. Close apps that don't respond. You don't usually need to close apps. ...
  2. Uninstall apps you don't use. If you uninstall an app and need it later, you can download it again. ...
  3. Clear the app's cache & data. You can usually clear an app's cache and data with your phone's Settings app.

How to wipe free space on Android? ›

Because so much space is taken up by apps running in the background and unnecessary, cached temporary files, periodically clearing your Android memory will help keep your device running smoothly. Here's how to clean your Android phone memory: Go to Settings > Device care > Memory > Clean now.

How do I free up space on my Android without deleting everything? ›

Clear the cache of your Android phone: You can clear cached data from a single app by going to Settings > Apps and tapping on the individual app. In the app info, tap Storage > Clear cache. Some Android phones have the option of clearing cached data from all apps; go to Settings > Storage and tap Cached data.

Why is my phone storage always full after deleting everything? ›

Removing Cached Data for Android Apps:

Cached data from apps can accumulate over time. Head to Settings > Storage > Cached data, and clear the cache. This action frees up space without affecting your app settings.

What is taking up most of my storage Android? ›

Photos and videos can be some of the most space-hogging items on your phone. Luckily, if you've got an Android phone, you can upload your photos to Google Photos — and can therefore take them off your phone. First, check to make sure you are backing up your photos to your Google account. Open Google's Photos app.

How do I clear storage when there is nothing to delete? ›

To do this, you must clean the system.
  1. Press Windows and type Disk Cleanup, press Enter;
  2. In the tool window, select OK;
  3. After opening it, select Clean system files;
  4. In the list of items to clean, select Windows Update Cleanup and also Previous Windows Installation, probably the largest items that consumed the space.
Jan 20, 2024

How do I clear app cache to free up space on Android? ›

Clear an app's cache

Open Settings, and then swipe to and tap Apps. Select or search for the app you want to clear. Tap Storage, and then tap Clear cache. Note: The only way to clear the cache on every app at the same time would be to perform a factory reset on your phone.

Does deleting emails free up space on your phone? ›

Deleting removes emails from your inbox. It does save up space, but you won't be able to retrieve those emails ever again.

Why does my storage keep getting full Android? ›

If you're seeing an "Insufficient storage available" message on your Android, chances are that you've used up most of your device's available memory. To fix this, you'll need to make some space by deleting apps and/or media; you can also add external storage, such as a Micro SD card, to your phone.

How do I free up space manually? ›

Navigate to the location of the removable media, then select Paste .
  1. Delete files with Storage Sense.
  2. Uninstall apps you don't use anymore.
  3. Move files to another drive.

How to fix full storage on Android? ›

Here's how to clear unwanted files and get extra storage space
  1. Uninstall apps you don't need. This is the first thing you should look at when looking to free up storage space on an Android device. ...
  2. Use the File Clean feature. ...
  3. Delete photos and videos. ...
  4. Get more storage. ...
  5. Delete your downloads.
Aug 30, 2023

Does deleting text messages free up storage space? ›

Every little bit of storage space matters if you're getting close to the capacity. Remember that deleting messages won't be a one-time fix as future text messages will cause that space to fill right back up over time.

How to clear system storage on Android? ›

  1. 1 Swipe up to reveal your apps screen.
  2. 2 Tap the Settings icon.
  3. 3 Tap “Battery and device care”. ...
  4. 4 Tap “Storage”
  5. 5 Under “Recycle bin”, tap the app you want to empty the recycle bin for.
  6. 6 Tap “Empty” to delete all the files.
  7. 7 Press and hold one file, then select the ones you want to delete.
  8. 8 Tap “Delete”

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