How to clean up Android devices and "other" storage (2024)

Have you ever run into this situation on your Android devices, when you were trying to download some Apps or videos to your phone, an "insufficient storage" message on your phone's notification bar and, there are large amount of data usage in your internal memory which displayed as "other". If you are reading this article, I guess it's probably because that you've run into this trouble on your device or it was performing even worse.

So how to clean up your Android device, how to clear the "other" storage to release more space? Before looking for a third-party app, why not trying with the Android system itself? Sometimes, the easiest way may be the best way. Check the steps below. Also please kindly note that the follow tips are based on my own Huawei Android 6.0 Marshmallow, as we know, Android devices' feature are different from each other resulted from various version and brand, so the operation below will be a little differences with yours.

Solutions:

  • Part 1. Clean up your Android device and "other" storage.
  • Part 2. Other tips and tricks on cleanup.
  • Part 3. Recommendation tool: Comprehensive phone manager.

Part 1: Clean up your Android device and "other" storage.

Step 1 Manually clean the app's cache.

Cache is basically a storage area where data or frequently used processes are saved for quicker access in the future. Many apps on our device are prone to download many images, text, flash, videos etc automatically, if don't clean them regularly, before long, they will take up large space on your device. So by doing a cleaning of app's cache you can save much memory of your device and this won't do any harm or loss to your phone.

  • Go to the Settings Menu;
  • Click on Apps;.
  • Choose an app that is taking up a lot of space;
  • Click the button Storage and Clear Cache;
  • How to clean up Android devices and "other" storage (1)

    If you're running Android 6.0 Marshmallow on your device, like my Huawei Android 6.0, simply click on Files and then Clean up. This only can clear your app's cache, your app residual trash, unused app packages will also be detected and, on the advanced management of storage, you can check all your data usage exhaustively, and select certain contents to clean up.

    Step 2 Application restore.

    Basically, some gaming apps and messaging apps like WhatsApp may save much gaming data or chat record which takes up large space, and that's what we usually see the "Other" storage when analyzing the storage. To clean up these data, of course, first you should make sure you no longer need them or already backed up them, then do the cleaning. Some Android version and device version supports restore applications, which could restore the apps to its origin without uninstalling them:

  • Go to the Files Menu;
  • Click on Clean up;
  • Find the Storage manager tab after scanning process was done;
  • Choose Application restore;
  • Select the app which takes up large space to restore.
  • How to clean up Android devices and "other" storage (2)

    Note: the process of restore will clean up all the app data, so before restoring the apps, you must need to make sure that you no longer need the data or already backed up them.

    Step 3 Factory reset your device.

    If the above steps still could not release your space, the ultimate method, restoring your phone to factory settings like how they were the day it came out of the box. All your data such as contacts, call logs, photos, apps, phone settings won't be there anymore. I recommend that if your phone has been used over one year and works very slowly, this option could basically give your phone a new life. Of course, do not forget to backup your phone before doing this.

  • Go to Settings, Advanced settings;
  • Click on Backup and Reset;
  • Make a backup by clicking on Data backup;
  • Click on Factory Data Reset;
  • Restart your phone.
  • How to clean up Android devices and "other" storage (3)

    Part 2: Other tips and tricks.

    Backing up your data to cloud or use an external memory device such as a microSD card if your device supports also could help. Besides, remember to uninstall the apps you don't really need, sometimes it may release large space than you expected. You can re-install it when you need it.

    Of course, using a third-party app to put your phone in control is a good option as well. In this article, DiskUsage and CCleaner are my two recommendations. DiskUsage could help you identify which files are using up the most space on your phone visually after scanning your phone, of course it will also let you select which ones to delete to release the space. The other one is CCleaner, you may know this App as it is also the most popular application on the computer. It supports to scan all types of data saved on your device and list all the apps with the memory taken up, on the simple user interface, and then recommend what should be deleted after the analysis. Both Apps could be found in Google store.

    Please kindly note that clean up your phone just a way to release the space, but doesn't mean a performance enhance of your phone, including the factory resetting, it may enhance your Android phone's performance temporarily, before long, it freezes again since the performance of most Android phone are related to their hardware, so don't mistakenly believe some third-apps claim that they could give your device a better performance. If your phone is too old to perform well, it's just the time to switch your phone.

    Part 3: Recommendation tool: Comprehensive phone manager.

    How to clean up Android devices and "other" storage (4) Syncios Mobile Manager

    Syncios Mobile Manager is an easy-to-use and powerful iOS & Android Mobile manager, which is well-designed for users who want to manage device contents on PC. It allows you to export contacts, apps, photos, music, ringtone, videos, SMS messages, eBooks and more.

    • Sync contacts, messages, call history, audio, photos, videos and other contents to computer.
    • Import photos, videos, audios and more media files from computer to iOS/Android devices.
    • Help to organize every iOS devices/Android's file.
    • Handy tools: One-Click Backup/Restore, HEIC Converter, Photo Compression, Ringtone Maker.

    How to clean up Android devices and "other" storage (5)

    Download Download

    , an all-in-one management tool for all smartphones, supports transfer data between phone and computer easily and efficiently. Besides, it enables you manage, create, edit, delete device contents straightforward and one-click backup& resotre your phone, so if you want to backup your data before cleaning up your phone, it can be a great alternative. There are more features on its toolbox, like making ringtone, converting HEIC to JPG, compressing photos and etc. Truly a trick. Simply install it on your computer, worth a try.

    How to clean up Android devices and "other" storage (8)

    Extra Tips: How to Increase Image Resolution Online for Free

    How to clean up Android devices and "other" storage (9)

    If you have some old low-resolution images, you may know that it is tricky to increase image resolution without losing quality. Because not everyone knows the editing skills and prefers to purchase a piece of professional photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop. Fortunately, AI technology can help you solve this problem. Just keep reading and get how to increase image resolution online for free using AVCLabs AI Image Enhancement without any editing skills.

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    How to clean up Android devices and "other" storage (2024)

    FAQs

    How to clean up Android devices and "other" storage? ›

    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 to clear system and Other storage on Android? ›

    How to clear app data
    1. Open Settings.
    2. Tap Apps.
    3. Tap the app you wish to clear data from. Please note: if you delete files from an app you often use, the app will run slower.
    4. Tap Storage.
    5. Tap Clear cache or Clear data.

    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 free up storage on my Android? ›

    How to Free Up Storage on Your Phone
    1. First, See What You're Storing. Both Android and iOS make it easy to see exactly what's on your phone and how much space it takes up. ...
    2. Next, Optimize Your Storage. ...
    3. Move Your Files to an SD Card. ...
    4. Optimize Your Photos. ...
    5. Clear Your Cache. ...
    6. Delete Old Files. ...
    7. Pare Down Your Apps.
    Jun 26, 2023

    Why is my Android device storage full? ›

    In general, the lack of working space is probably the main reason why you have insufficient storage available. Usually, an Android app uses three sets of storage, for the app itself, the app's data files, and the app's cache. Usually, the application cache takes up a large part of the space.

    What should I delete when Android storage is full? ›

    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

    How do I clear internal storage on Android without deleting apps? ›

    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 storage so full after deleting everything? ›

    When a file is deleted, the space used on the disk is not reclaimed until the file is truly erased. The trash (recycle bin on Windows) is actually a hidden folder located in each hard drive. To completely delete the file, another step must be performed.

    How do I delete hidden storage on Android? ›

    Here's how to clean hidden cache on Android:
    1. Open device Settings.
    2. Select Apps.
    3. Find the app you want to clear app data for.
    4. Tap it.
    Apr 5, 2024

    What should I delete when my phone storage is full on Samsung? ›

    Deleting images, videos, audio recordings, or other unnecessary files can clear up space on your device. Then, you'll have more room for other content! You can also clear up your device's memory to make your apps more responsive.

    How do I clear my phone storage without deleting everything? ›

    First of all, we would like to share two easy and quick ways to free up Android space without removing any applications.
    1. Clear the cache. A large number of Android apps use the stored or cached data to ensure a better user experience. ...
    2. Store your photos online.

    How do I delete system data to clear storage? ›

    Bonus: How to clear Android system files
    1. On your Android device, open Files by Google.
    2. At the bottom, tap Clean.
    3. On the “Junk files” card, tap Clean xx MB.
    4. On the confirmation dialog, tap Clear.
    May 16, 2023

    Why are system files so big on Android? ›

    Maybe, system apps getting bigger with updates and some sort of usage, maybe there are some system cache, helping to speed up your device. However, these kind of size difference is pretty normal and nothing to worry about.

    How do I clear other in storage settings? ›

    Deleting files from 'Other' Storage on Android
    1. Access Device Care or Storage Settings: Go to 'Settings' and find 'Device Care' or 'Storage'. ...
    2. Analyze 'Other' Storage: Tap on 'Other' to see what files are included. ...
    3. Clear Cache and Residual Files: Go to 'Apps' in the Settings menu.
    Nov 14, 2023

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