Clear Other Storage On Android: Does your phone lack storage space? If there is insufficient space on your phone, you may no longer be able to download apps or even take photos and videos. In addition, if there is adequate storage space, your phone will be considerably faster. Apps may crash or slow.
You may have exhausted all options, including removing unused apps. However, when you access your storage settings, you discover that a substantial portion of your storage space is consumed by “Other” storage. This page describes the files that come under the “Other” category and how to Clear Other Storage.
How To Delete Other Storage On Android
What Is “Other” in Android Storage?
What Is “Other” Storage On Android Taking Up Space On Your Phone: When you access the storage settings on your Android device, you will see which file types account for what percentage of your total storage space. Typical top categories include:
- Apps
- Images
- Videos
- Documents
- Audio
- Installation packages
- Archives
The particular categories can change from device to device, depending on your phone’s manufacturer. You may also encounter a category labeled “Other.”
Everything that does not fit into the other categories will be placed here. Examples include:
- App data (such as downloaded maps from navigation apps or downloaded movies/videos within the app)
- Cache data from apps like Spotify and Netflix
- Downloaded software updates that were never installed (whether you downloaded the update in its whole or the download was interrupted and could not be completed).
- System files
Ways to Get Rid of Other Storage
Many individuals are astonished by how much space this “Other” category can occupy. It is frequently between 50-100 GB!
The most aggravating aspect is that you must do more than remove these files. Instead, you must erase them via a circuitous route.
Here are the most effective methods to Clear Other Storage or for removing unwanted files from the “Other” folder.
1. Delete Unnecessary Apps
A significant portion of “Other” data consists of downloaded app data. Therefore, when you eliminate unnecessary apps, you will also delete unnecessary app data.
If you’re short on space, you’ve probably already done this, so let’s go on to the next step to Clear Other Storage.
2. Delete Cached Data From Each App
Navigate to your Android device’s settings to locate your Apps. Then, visit each app individually and erase its cached data.
This procedure is time-consuming but likely, a significant amount of storage space occupied by “Other” files will have been erased. Unfortunately, your phone won’t tell you which apps are consuming your storage space with cached data, so you’ll have to go through each one individually.
3. Delete and Reinstall Your Apps
Occasionally, emptying an apps cache will not remove all unwanted files. However, removing and reinstalling the program typically resolves the issue.
It will require additional time, but it is worth attempting. First, delete each app individually and then reinstall them.
To guarantee you don’t forget which apps you have, you can reinstall each app after removing it, or you can visit the Google Play Store to view the list of your previously removed apps and reinstall them.
4. Backup and Reset Your Phone
Backing up your phone and returning it to factory settings may be a faster option to Clear Other Storage. Then, you may use your Google Drive backup to reinstall all previously downloaded apps.
It eliminates the need to go through each app individually. In addition, it will erase cached and unused app data and other items you may have, such as outdated WhatsApp stickers and GIFs that were automatically downloaded.
5. Use Storage Analyzer and Disk Usage
Additionally, you can use a third-party app to determine whether files fall under the “Other” category. However, this strategy only works for some because you cannot download new apps if your phone is full.
However, if space is available, it is a fantastic method.
Download Storage Analyzer and Disk Usage from the app store to get started. Then, grant it access to your internal storage (otherwise, it would be unable to evaluate and delete your files).
After doing so, launch the app and navigate to “File Categories” on the left side of the main menu. There you will discover the “Other” category.
Clicking on it will reveal other sub-categories, such as:
- Temporary files
- Cached files
- Various other files with weird names
The Storage Analyzer and Disk Usage utility let you delete these files individually. However, select many files in bulk and remove them all at once to expedite the process.
It also displays which app, if any, has downloaded the file in question.
Note that there is a risk of downloading files you need and want, especially given how difficult it is to discern exactly what a file contains. Of course, you can open it with your file manager, but many of the files will be in formats that are not supported.
The app also provides you with further information about your available storage space and a simple “Clear Cache” option that will help you free up a significant amount of space.
Other Ways to Clear Up Storage Space
There are likely additional techniques to Clear Other Storage on your mobile device that you still need to explore. Here are various methods for deleting data and freeing up phone storage space.
6. Backup Your Photos
Did you know that your photos and videos may be backed up to Google Photos? While it only gives 15 GB of free storage space per Google account (which includes additional storage, such as Gmail storage), more excellent storage options start at just $1.99 per month in the United States for 100 GB.
You can also configure Google Photos automatically back up photos you take and photos you download (you get to control which photos to back up automatically). Then, you may visit Google Photos and use the “Free Up Space” feature to erase backed-up photos previously.
7. Use an App to Clear Junk Files
Numerous apps will scan your storage, locate garbage files, and allow you to clear them all at once. CCleaner is a popular app. However, Avast (an antivirus business) also offers Avast Cleanup.
Files by Google is another amazing program because it categorizes your downloads by app (WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, etc.). In addition, it offers excellent cleansing suggestions, allowing you extensive control over what you delete.
It may advise that you delete old screenshots, but you can choose which files to delete. Depending on the model and brand of your phone, it may also include a cleanup tool.
8. Delete Unnecessary Downloads, Apps, and Videos
Navigate to the Downloads folder. You may be astonished to discover how many documents, memes, GIFs, and other media you last accessed a long time ago.
Apps and videos can consume a great deal of storage space. Go to your Videos folder and locate obsolete films; for instance, you may have taken numerous videos of an event or party but only liked one.
9. Download an Antivirus Software
There is also the risk that an undetected virus or malware is occupying space. A good antivirus scanner can detect and eliminate hidden infections and malware.
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I suggest Avast Mobile Security, although Malwarebytes is also an excellent program. Deep scans are more complete than rapid scans, so they should be performed occasionally.
Final Words
It can be aggravating to need more storage space, but certain phones allow you to expand your storage capacity with an external SD card. In addition, it will enable you to save images and other data on the SD card rather than the phone’s internal memory.
Nonetheless, SD cards are declining, and fewer mobile devices accept them. It is because an increasing number of individuals are turning to cloud storage options such as Google Photos and Dropbox, enabling media access from any device. This article helps you to Clear Other Storage on your Android device.
