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In this era of technological advancement, smartphones play a vital role in our daily lives. With frequent use, it is common for our phones to run out of storage. While Android phones offer a vast storage option, it can still be a challenge to manage and organize ones’ files. Unnecessary files can take up a large amount of space in our phone’s storage, making it difficult to store relevant and essential ones. In this blog post, we will discuss various methods on how to delete all unwanted files from Android and optimize your phone’s storage.
Video Tutorial:
The Challenge of Deleting Unnecessary Files on Android
As smartphone usage continues to increase globally, managing our phone’s storage has become more important. Nowadays, it is common to have a phone’s storage cluttered with files that are of no use, such as old pictures, music files, videos, and uninstalled apps that leave behind their data. Having too many irrelevant files in your phone’s storage affects phone performance, leading to slow down, unexpected shutdowns, and battery drainage. Therefore, it is essential to manage and optimize our phone’s storage by deleting unwanted files frequently.
Things You Should Prepare For
Before you start deleting files from your Android phone, it is best to prepare for the process. Here are several things to follow before proceeding with the steps:
1. Backup your essential files
It is always best to have a backup of the files you need. This is important to prevent important files from getting deleted accidentally. You can store your backup files on cloud services such as Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud, or Dropbox.
2. Remove unwanted apps
Removing apps that are no longer in use is an excellent way to free up space on your phone. This is because apps may contain data that consumes your phone’s storage even after being uninstalled.
3. Clear Cache
Clearing cache is another way to free up space on your phone. Cached data includes temporary files, images, scripts, and other irrelevant data that accumulate over time.
Method 1: Via Android’s Storage Settings
The first method for deleting unnecessary files on Android is via the Storage Settings option. Here are the detailed steps to follow:
1. Open the ‘Settings’ app on your Android phone
2. Scroll down and click on ‘Storage’
3. Once you click on storage, you will see a summary of your storage, including how much space you have left and the space taken by things such as apps, music, documents, and images.
4. Tap on ‘Cached data.’
5. You will be asked to confirm whether you want to delete all app’s cached data. Confirm by clicking on ‘OK.’
6. The cache will be cleared, and the space previously occupied by the cached files will be freed up.
Pros:
– It is easy and fast to perform.
– No need to install additional software to perform the task.
Cons:
– It only frees up space created by cache.
– Deleting cache may sometimes affect app performance.
Method 2: Using the Google Files App
The Google Files app is a pre-installed file management app for Android phones. It offers additional features such as clearing junk files, locate large files, and removing duplicate files. Here are the steps to follow:
1. Install the Google Files app from the Google Play Store if you haven’t already.
2. Launch the Google Files app.
3. Click on the ‘Cleanup’ button.
4. Choose the category of files you want to delete. For instance, you can select ‘Junk files’ in this case.
5. After choosing the category, you will get a summary of the files in that category and how much space they occupy.
6. Select all or specific files you want to delete.
7. Click on the ‘Delete’ button to delete the files.
Pros:
– The app offers an intuitive interface that is easy to interact with.
– It offers additional file management features such as cleaning junk files.
Cons:
– It requires an additional app to be installed on your phone.
Method 3: Using a Third-Party Cleaner App
There are tons of third-party cleaner apps available on the Google Play Store. These apps offer easy and quick ways to delete unwanted files. Here is an example of a reputable cleaner app ‘CCleaner’:
1. Download and install the CCleaner app from the Google Play Store.
2. Launch the app.
3. Select the file type you want to delete. For example, you can select ‘cache’ files.
4. Click on ‘Analyze’ to scan unnecessary files.
5. Review the list of files found and select all files you want to delete.
6. Click on ‘Clean’ to delete the files.
Pros:
– Provides additional file management features that are not available in Android’s built-in features.
– Cleaner apps are designed to clear space conveniently and quickly.
Cons:
– Some third-party cleaning apps can be malware and harm your device.
– Cleaner apps can consume battery life when running scans.
Why Can’t I Delete All Unnecessary Files?
Android users may sometimes face various issues when trying to delete unnecessary files.
Here are a few reasons why you might not be able to delete files:
1. Insufficient Permissions: Users with a restricted account are unable to delete files.
Fix: Make sure that you are logged in to an administrator account or have granted all necessary permissions to delete files.
2. Locked System files: System files contain essential data required for the Android operating system to function correctly. They cannot be deleted, which may limit the amount of space available.
Fix: Avoid deleting essential system files to prevent problems such as software crashes and other system-related issues.
3. Malfunctioning SD Card: When an SD card is not functioning properly, the files may not be deleted.
Fix: Check if your SD card is functioning correctly.
Additional Tips
Below are additional tips to help you optimize your phone’s storage.
1. Move Files to Cloud Storage: Cloud storage can be a lifesaver when managing your phone’s storage. For instance, you can back up your images, videos, or documents to services like Google Drive or Dropbox.
2. Use Google Photos: Google Photos is an excellent app for storing your photos and videos. You can upload your photos in ‘High Quality’ mode, which is compressed and not counted towards your Google Drive space.
3. Use Lite Applications: Lite apps are a more compact version of standard apps, meaning they take less space while providing the same essential functions. Examples of lite apps include Facebook Lite and YouTube Go.
5 FAQs about Deleting Unnecessary Files from Android
Q1: How do I know which files to delete?
A: Android offers options like Storage settings, Google Files app, and third-party apps to scan for unnecessary files. These apps will provide users with details of the files taking up space in their phone’s storage.
Q2: Will deleting cache data affect app performance?
A: Clearing cache data helps free up space on your phone, but sometimes, cached data is used to make an app run faster. It is only recommended to delete cache data of apps that no longer need them.
Q3: Can I recover files after deleting them?
A: Once you delete a file, it becomes irretrievable. Users are recommended to have a backup of their essential files before deleting files from their phone’s storage.
Q4: How often should I clear cached data?
A: Clearing cached data is recommended in situations where the cache is taking up a significant amount of space on your phone. You can clear cached data once a week or as needed.
Q5: Is it safe to use third-party cleaner apps?
A: Generally, it is safe to use reputable third-party cleaner apps. However, users should download apps from a trusted developer and ensure that they have read reviews before downloading.
In Conclusion
Deleting unnecessary files from Android is an essential exercise to maintain optimal phone performance and keep the phone’s storage free from clutter. By following the methods discussed above, users can quickly and conveniently delete these files. Lastly, users should back up essential files and regularly scan their phone’s storage to ensure that space-consuming files are minimized.