Memory is Full on Android: Clear Storage and Boost Performance
Do you know that your Android phone has hidden folders collecting junk files such as thumbnails of all your photos and videos? These folders uselessly take up memory and slow down your phone.
In today's article, we will fix this by deleting these folders and cleaning other junk files on your phone to clear its memory and speed it up. We will not delete any photos, videos, or essential files—only the junk!
Let’s dive in.
Hidden Folders That Cause "Memory is Full on Android"
Let’s start with hidden folders that store thumbnails of all your photos and videos. Your phone constantly creates these thumbnails, and even if you have already deleted some photos, the thumbnails still remain in your phone’s memory.
This feature was originally designed for older phones to load photo thumbnails faster in the gallery, but now they load quickly anyway because phones are much more powerful than ten years ago.
Therefore, this folder is useless, takes up space, and slows down your phone. You will not notice any difference in loading thumbnails after deleting it, and all your photos will remain intact. So let’s delete these junk files. I’ll show you how to do this on two phones.
Step 1: Enable Hidden Files
To find this hidden folder, you need a standard file manager available on every phone. The app might have different names: File Manager, My Files, etc.
Since the folder is hidden, enable the display of hidden folders:
On Phone 1: Open My Files > Tap the three dots in the top right > Go to Settings > Turn on Show Hidden System Files.
On Phone 2: Open File Manager > Tap the three lines in the top left > Go to Settings > Enable Show Hidden Files.
Step 2: Delete Thumbnails
Open Internal Storage > Tap Pictures > Open Thumbnails.
Select all images here and tap Delete.
On my phone, I don’t have many files because I use it only for YouTube videos. You will likely see many more files.
Tap Back > Navigate to Movies > Open the Thumbnails folder and repeat the same process: Select all images > Tap Delete > Confirm deletion.
Step 3: Empty the Trash
Go back to the main screen of My Files or File Manager.
Scroll to the Trash folder.
Select all files and tap Delete All.
On the second phone, the steps are the same: Open Pictures > Thumbnails > Delete all images. Repeat this process for Movies > Thumbnails.
Clean Junk Files to Solve "Storage Space Running Out"
The next step is to delete junk files created by applications. Every Android phone has a built-in tool to clean up these files.
Step 1: Clean Junk Files with Built-in Tools
On Phone 1: Open Settings > Scroll down and tap About Phone > Tap Storage > Tap Free Up Space > Tap Clean Up.
You will have a lot of junk files, especially if you’ve never cleaned them before.
On Phone 2: Open Settings > Scroll down to Device Care > Tap Storage > Find the Trash Folder and delete all files there.
Step 2: Clear Application Cache
Temporary files stored as cache can significantly grow over time. For example, an app that starts at 50MB can grow to 1GB after a few weeks.
Open Settings > Scroll down to Apps.
Tap Sort By Size to see the largest apps taking up memory.
Pay attention to apps like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube—they often store a lot of cache.
Example: Clearing Cache on Facebook
Tap on the Facebook app > Tap Storage > Tap Clear Cache.
If you want to free up even more space, tap Clear Data. However, this will log you out of the app, so make sure you know your login credentials before proceeding.
Repeat for Other Apps:
Follow the same steps for other large apps.
On the second phone, the process looks similar: Open Settings > Find Apps > Sort by Storage Used > Select the app > Tap Clear Cache.
If you click Clear Data for apps like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, you will free up much more memory. Just remember, you’ll need to log back in afterward.
Why Clearing Cache and Junk Files is Essential
Clearing your phone's cache and junk files regularly keeps your device running smoothly. By deleting unnecessary thumbnails, junk files, and clearing cache:
You speed up your phone's performance.
You free up significant storage space.
You reduce app-related slowdowns caused by accumulated data.
Final Thoughts: Fix "Memory is Full on Android" Today
By following these steps, you can free up storage, boost your phone's performance, and solve the dreaded "memory is full on Android" problem. Regular maintenance, such as clearing cache and junk files, ensures that your phone continues running efficiently.
* Please Don't Spam Here. All the Comments are Reviewed by Admin.