How to Free Up Space on Android (7 Easy Ways)

Over time, all the apps, photos, and videos on your Android device can end up taking up a lot of space. And, when your Android phone storage is full, you probably can’t save your precious photos, and videos or install your favorite apps and games.

Don’t worry. You don’t need to buy a new phone (at least not yet). Fortunately, there are simple ways to make more room for your data.

In this article, we explain why your Android phone is running out of space, why it’s important and how to free up space on your Android phone. Let’s get to it.

Got an iPhone? We’ve got a helpful guide that will show you how to clear up space on your iPhone. Check it out.

A smartphone is not just used for making phone calls or sending text messages, it is much more than that. In recent years, smartphones have become an integral part of our lives. Besides that, the use of smartphones has become way more versatile. 

It was a device invented to connect people but now we use it for internet browsing, social media, photography, videography, email, work, and other purposes. All these are made possible with the help of application software. See all the things smartphones have replaced.

The apps that we use create a lot of junk and temporary files that accumulate and store in the internal storage. Over time, these files pile up and consume a significant portion of that precious internal storage.  

Because mobile apps are getting bigger and taking up more space, the increase in standard smartphones’ internal storage doesn’t help much. Additionally, you have photos, videos, music, and more that also settle down in the internal storage.   

If you are not careful, the lack of space can cause your Android phone to become slow, apps to start crashing, your battery to drain fast, and other troublesome issues. Ultimately, you’ll have to reset your Android phone and set it up as a new device.

If you had to go that route, remember to back up your phone before moving forward because you’ll lose all your data.

Needless to say, data management is a necessary part of using your Android device. And there are simple ways you can free up space on your Android phone.

Look, you are possibly using the smartphone for a few months. And during that time you have installed several apps that you once thought to be useful, games you liked but don’t play anymore.  

Now, a single app or game doesn’t make any significant impact. But you have been doing this for several months, maybe for a year. So, it has accumulated to something much larger and you need to delete them. 

1. Go to the Settings of your Android mobile and tap on Apps. 
2. Search and locate the app you want to delete, then tap on it. 
3. You will find the Uninstall option at the bottom of the App Info page. Tap on it.  

After removing several apps and games, you haven’t used in a long time; a considerable amount of internal storage will be cleared. 

We may think of them as phones but they have become more like portable computers. And that means that whenever you download something with your smartphone, it goes straight into the “Downloads” folder.  

Yes, Android has a “Downloads” folder and everything from PDF documents to ZIP files goes in there. 

So, you have to clean this folder frequently. Otherwise, it will start consuming more and more internal storage, leaving little or no storage space for other files.

You will be able to access the Downloads folder via My Files. Enter the folder and delete the unnecessary files.  

Over time, these files pile up and consume a huge amount of space on the Android internal storage. On the older Android version, you had the option to delete the entirety of the cache files from the device by just tapping a button. 

These feature hasn’t been carried directly to the newer versions of Android. Although some manufacturers were able to come up with their own version of cache cleaners.

For example, MiUi has a Cleaner App that does clean the cache files and more. Whereas, Samsung Galaxy devices are equipped Storage Booster option that you need to enable manually.  

We’ve curated a list of the best Android cleaner apps out there to help you figure out which one you should use.

Otherwise, you only have the option to remove cache files from individual applications. This will be time-consuming. So, we recommend starting with the apps that you use the most. 

1. Navigate to the Settings of Android and tap on Apps. 
2. Search and locate the app whose cache files you want to remove. Tap on the app.  
3. On the App Info page, tap on the Storage option. 

4. At the bottom of the Storage Menu, you will find the Clear Cache option. Tap on it. 

If you haven’t cleared cache files from your Android device in a long time, then it is safe to say, you will recover at least 5GB of internal storage space. 

Images and videos are the two most space-consuming items on your smartphone. Fortunately, Android users have the privilege to upload them to the Google Photos App, lifting the burden from Android’s internal storage. 

1. Launch the Photos app on your mobile. 
2. Tap on the Personal icon at the top right corner of the panel.  
3. If your photos are already backing up, then you should see Backup Complete. Otherwise, you will see Backup is Off.  

4. In that case, you need to go to Photos Settings. 
5. Tap on Back Up and Sync to turn it on. 

If you have multiple Google accounts, then you also need to tap on the Backup Account option to check which of your account is listed there. You will be able to switch if you want.   

Now that, the Photos app is successfully backing up photos from your smartphone, it is time to clear some space.

Once the photos are backed up to the app, you have no need to have them on your smartphone. So, you can delete them. 

1. Launch the Photos app. 
2. Navigate to the Photos Settings. 
3. Tap on Free Up Device Storage.

Now, a new window will pop up on the screen. It will show, how many items will be deleted. You just have to tap on the button below to execute and free space.  

More and more people are starting to use cloud storage as they are convenient, cheap, and secure. Even big corporations are not falling behind. 

So, if you want to expand the storage of your Android internal storage, the use of a cloud storage service is the way to go. For Android users, Google Drive is their best option when it comes to choosing a cloud storage service.

But there are many other options in the market such as Dropbox and OneDrive. We’ve curated a list of the best cloud storage services out there to help you figure out which one you should use.

Anyway, Google Drive is available on all Android devices by default. You only need to create a Google account and you’ll gain access to 15GB of free space on Google Drive.

So, keep your important documents, videos, and movies stored there. Simply download them from Google Drive when you need them.   

Before cloud storage took over the market, this was the only way for some users to make space on their respective smartphone storage. But this is still a viable solution.  

In this day & age, having a desktop or a laptop is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Laptops, especially desktops come with a larger storage option; where you can store important files permanently. 

Although the best option would be to have an external hard drive. But this is an expensive option. So, if you have one, it’s good. Otherwise, you don’t have to get one unless it is absolutely necessary. 

This is a good option but it also has a few drawbacks. Like adding an SD card will be expensive. If you store apps or games on the SD card, it will take longer to launch. But it is still useful as the SD card will effectively expand your smartphone’s storage capacity.     

Final Thoughts on Free Up Space on Android

And there you have it. Our step-by-step guide to clearing up space on your Android phone.

As you can see, clearing up space on Android doesn’t need to be difficult or a hassle. Whether you’re dealing with on-device storage or external storage, the tips above will help you free up space on Android in a matter of minutes.

No matter how much storage your Android device has or how fast it is, there’s always something that can be done to improve the overall efficiency of your device. Make use of these tips to keep things running smoothly.

If you have any feedback or questions, then please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.