Almost all Android smartphone users have encountered the problem when the phone memory is full while it is empty , seeing a corresponding warning in the notification shade. This problem can manifest itself on any smartphone, be it Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi, no one is immune, but especially in the risk zone of devices with 8 and 16 GB of internal memory.
Sometimes the memory is full, even though there is nothing there, which confuses users. Therefore, many people are looking for information on how to clear the phone's memory and what to do for this. Because the electronic warehouse also specializes in phone sales and repairs, it offers you a solution to this problem.
Why is the phone memory full when it is empty?
When your phone's memory is full, even though it's empty, everyone starts searching for personal files and deleting them. Photos, music, and videos are all part of the distribution. But even after deleting hundreds of photos, it turns out that the phone 's internal memory is full and a little freed up. This is a common problem, and everyone should know how to clean up your phone's memory and what you need to do for this. But first, you need to understand the most common reasons for its occurrence.
These include:
- files in the downloads folder;
- huge application cache;
- many programs installed;
- use software from unknown sources;
- browser download files;
- system failure;
- hidden files;
- Files are stored on internal memory, not on the card.
Sometimes users don't even realize that the files have been downloaded to the system, they click download from the site, several gigabytes are downloaded and all these files are placed in the Downloads folder. Then, the user may forget about these files, and finding them without a file manager is not so easy, they are not displayed in the gallery.
You might also like: How to increase the antenna signal or boost the TV antenna?
How to know what is taking up space in Android memory
To decide what to do when the phone memory is full while it is empty, you must first determine the cause of the problem. In this case, to study the data that will consume space in the system. The first thing the user thinks of is to go to the smartphone settings and open the built-in space analysis tool. This is the right decision, if you enter this setting, you can see which files take up the most space. If this tool shows that photos and videos take up most of the memory space, the reader can quickly guess how to free up memory on the phone, you just need to delete unnecessary photos and videos .
Read also: Corner TV Mount Installation Guide
How to clear phone memory?
After deleting photos and videos, and the gallery is empty, there are no large files in the Downloads folder either, but the memory is full, this already indicates more complex problems. You need to use special software or perform a complete reset . But you need to study each individual case in detail, search for files in the system and delete them, one way or another.
Solution 1: Clean up extra files
It's worth remembering that today's smartphones can record videos in 4K resolution, and such files take up a lot of memory space. Therefore, first of all, you should pay attention to what is in the gallery. There may be a large number of photos that you absolutely do not need: there may be 25 similar photos, a lot of bad photos, stained images, duplicates.
Remember that after deleting photos and videos, they don't disappear and free up memory, but go to the recycle bin. A special album called "Basket" is located in the same gallery. This folder is necessary for protection so that the user cannot accidentally lose important photos and videos; they can always be restored from the recycle bin. To free up memory here and now, you should also delete photos and videos that have been moved to the recycle bin.
You may also be interested in: Top 6 best wireless mice of the year
Solution 2: Delete the cache when the phone memory is full even though it is empty
How to delete the cache?
- Go to the smartphone settings.
- Select “Applications”.
- Sort all apps by size.
- Open the first application.
- Select "Clear Cache".
- Confirm your action.
There you will also see another item called " Delete all data ". If after clearing the cache the memory is not freed, you should select it. But you must remember that personal information (correspondence, chats, passwords, etc.) will be deleted.
Solution 3: Format the thumbnails folder when the phone memory is full while it is empty
Every smartphone has a file system, including both open and hidden files. Typically, hidden files are created for the simple reason that inexperienced users can delete them and disrupt the normal operation of the operating system. However, the system also has a thumbnails folder; it stores unnecessary files that can accumulate there and take up a lot of space. This folder is hidden from the user and cannot be seen. To format thumbnails, you need to use a specialized application.
Read also: PS4 Controller: Best Alternative Gaming Controller
Solution 4: Delete all temporary files
One reason why the phone memory is full even though it is empty is that temporary files are created by various applications and accumulate in the system. The system must work in such a way that outdated temporary files are deleted or updated with new ones. But, in fact, not all programs work this way, therefore, the phone memory fills up very quickly. Even navigation maps will be loaded into the cache, after which they will remain there even if you do not use them.
To quickly clear all temporary files, follow these steps:
- Go to the smartphone settings.
- Open the "Storage" or "Data and Memory" section.
- In this section you should find the "Cache Data" section.
- By clicking on this item, you will see a proposal to delete it, which you must accept.
All temporary files will be deleted from the system, which can free up a huge amount of space. Sometimes, temporary files are the cause of running out of free memory on the phone, and a warning about this appears in the notification shade.
Solution 5: Transfer apps and data to a memory card
One of the most common reasons why phone memory is full while empty is due to programs. Even if it is small and takes up several tens of megabytes when downloaded, after installation the application will increase in size, and sometimes.
After the first launch, the application can download the data necessary for work from its server, which will make a 50 MB program several hundred megabytes, and sometimes the volume reaches a gigabyte or more. Some applications cannot be disabled and it is not necessary. You can transfer the application to a memory card and thus free up the internal space of the smartphone.
How to transfer applications?
- Go to the smartphone settings.
- Select “Applications”.
- Select the program you want to transfer to the card from the list.
- At the bottom there will be an item "Move to memory card".
Not all smartphones support this feature, and not all applications can run on a memory card. But, as a rule, it works, and all program data will be transferred to the card, clearing the phone's memory.
What to do if the phone memory is full even though it is empty?
If the user checks the file system and finds that the memory is full, but no files are found, a reset must be performed. This procedure is in any smartphone, it was created in order to completely return the smartphone to its original state. All user files, all third-party applications, all data are deleted, so you should transfer all the most important things to a USB flash drive or computer in advance.
It is quite easy to follow this procedure:
- Open Settings.
- Enter "reset" in the search.
- Select “hard reset”.
- Confirm the reset with the password previously set on the phone.
After the reset is complete, you will need to reconfigure the smartphone , log in to your Google account, download all the necessary applications and set their operating parameters. But at the same time, the phone's memory will be cleared and the problem will be solved.
Also discover: How to connect a Switch Pro controller to PC?
