How to free up space on Android (Samsung, Pixel and the rest)
Where your Android phone's storage goes and how to get it back, on Samsung, Pixel and other phones. Apps, photos, WhatsApp, downloads, duplicates and bins.
Contents6 sections
Open Settings, then Storage, to see what's using the space (on Samsung, Device care, then Storage). Then archive or remove apps you don't use, let Google Photos remove backed-up copies, clear WhatsApp's biggest files and old downloads, and sort out duplicate photos. Empty the bins afterwards, because deleted files keep taking up space until they're gone.
Where is the space going on my Android phone?
Start with the phone’s own report. On a Pixel and most other Android phones, open Settings > Storage and tap a category to see what’s in it. Google’s Android help notes that some of the clean-up steps only work on Android 14 and later.
On a Samsung phone the same report lives under Settings > Device care > Storage. Some models call it Battery and device care. Samsung’s own guide lists what you’ll find there: the recycle bin, unused apps, duplicate files and large files.
Whichever phone you have, the pattern is usually the same. A few big things do most of the damage: one or two apps, a WhatsApp history full of videos, a camera roll of near-copies, or downloads you forgot about. Fix those and the small stuff rarely matters. For long videos you want to keep, see how to compress a video on Android.
How do I free space without losing photos?
Two built-in tools do this well.
Let Google Photos remove backed-up copies. In Google Photos, tap your profile photo, then Free up space on this device. It removes the copies on your phone of photos and videos that are already safely backed up, and they stay in your library. Google’s help page asks you to check they’re backed up first, and says items less than 30 days old may stay on the phone.
Archive apps you rarely open. On Android 15 and later, Settings > Apps, pick an app, then Archive. Google says archiving removes the app itself but keeps its data and icon, so tapping the faded icon brings it back as it was. The app has to still be available in the Play Store to restore. Read more in Google’s archiving guide.
On a Pixel there’s also Smart storage (Settings > Storage > Free up space, then the menu and Settings). It removes backed-up photos and videos automatically when the phone is almost full.
What about WhatsApp, downloads and the cache?
WhatsApp is often the biggest single app. In WhatsApp, go to Settings > Storage and data > Manage storage, where you can sort the files so the largest come first. To stop it filling up again, change Media auto-download on the same screen, or turn off Media visibility for a busy group so its photos stop landing in your gallery.
Downloads pile up quietly. Offline YouTube videos are under Settings > Background and downloads > Delete downloads in the YouTube app. Old PDFs, installers and forwarded files sit in your Downloads folder: open it in Files by Google and delete what you no longer need.
The cache is the one place Android is easier than iPhone: you can clear any single app’s cache from Settings > Apps > [app] > Storage and cache. It’s safe, but it rarely frees much and the app rebuilds it. Our guide to what clearing the cache actually does covers both phones and the difference between Clear cache and Clear storage.
How do I find duplicate photos on Android?
Files by Google has a Duplicate files card in its Clean tab. It marks one copy as the original and lets you move the others to the Bin. Samsung phones show duplicate files in Device care > Storage too. Our step-by-step guide to deleting duplicate photos on Android covers both, plus Samsung’s Gallery and Google Photos.
Both look for exact copies. Neither groups the near-copies that make up most of a cluttered camera roll: a burst of ten frames, an edited re-save next to its original, a photo that came back from a group chat at a lower resolution. Our guide to why your camera roll has so many copies of the same photo explains each kind.
Siftlo does that grouping on the phone. It finds exact duplicates, near-identical shots and bursts, large files and old screenshots, including the copies WhatsApp saved, and proposes the one to keep in each set. When you clear a set, your phone asks you to confirm and moves the photos to its bin, where your gallery app can still bring them back. The space returns when the bin is emptied. Finding and clearing are free.
| Tool | Where | What it finds | Where deleted files go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage report | Settings > Storage (Samsung: Device care > Storage) | Space by category | Depends on the category |
| Files by Google | Clean tab | Junk, duplicates, large files | Bin, except junk files |
| Google Photos | Free up space on this device | Backed-up copies | Stays in your library |
| Settings > Storage and data | Large chat files | Deleted for you only | |
| Siftlo | Clean | Duplicates, bursts, large files, old screenshots | Your phone’s bin |
Why is my storage still full after deleting?
Because most deletes go to a bin first. Files by Google keeps files in its Bin for 30 days, Samsung’s Gallery and My Files keep deleted items for 30 days, and Google Photos has a bin of its own. Until those empty, the space stays taken.
To get it back now:
- Files by Google: open the menu, then Bin, and empty it.
- Samsung: open My Files, then Recycle bin, tap the three dots and choose Empty. Do the same in Gallery’s Trash.
- Google Photos: go to Collections, then Bin, and choose Empty bin.
Only empty a bin once you’re sure. For what “delete” really does on each kind of phone, see what happens when you delete photos on iPhone and Android.
Questions people ask
How much free space does an Android phone need?
Google doesn't give a single figure, but its Play Store help treats less than 1 GB free as a sign your phone is running low, and low space can stop apps from downloading and installing. Samsung adds that a nearly full phone can crash, show errors and feel sluggish.
Does Google Photos' Free up space delete my photos?
No. It only removes the copies on your phone of photos and videos that are already backed up, so they stay in your Google Photos library. Google suggests checking they're backed up first, and says items less than 30 days old may be kept on the device.
Is Clear storage the same as Clear cache?
No. Clear cache deletes temporary files and is safe for your data, though the app may be slow to open next time. Clear storage permanently deletes all of the app's data, so Google suggests deleting what you don't need inside the app first.
Read next
Free up spaceHow to reduce photo size on iPhone, and resize photos for email
Free up spaceHow to compress a video on Android (Samsung, Pixel and the rest)
Free up spaceiCloud storage full? What to delete first, and what to keep
How to reduce photo size on iPhone, and resize photos for email
Make iPhone photos smaller with the right camera settings, shrink ones you've already taken in Preview, and send smaller copies by email and Messages.
How to compress a video on Android (Samsung, Pixel and the rest)
How to make a video smaller on Android: resize it in Samsung Gallery, trim it in Google Photos, record smaller clips from now on, and send big files without losing them.