Smartphones of the Samsung Galaxy Aseries, including the popular model A51, have excellent characteristics, but over time, owners are faced with a lack of internal storage. When the memory gets full, the device starts to slow down, apps crash, and the camera refuses to save new pictures. This is a natural process for any Androidgadget that accumulates temporary files, cache and remnants of deleted apps.
Solving the problem does not always require buying a memory card or resetting to factory settings. There are effective methods that allow you to get back gigabytes of free space in a matter of minutes. In this article, we will look at step-by-step actions that will help you free up to 10 GB of space without losing personal datausing built-in tools and proper file organization.
Don't panic if the system displays a low memory warning. A competent approach to storage management will turn your Samsung A51 into a fast and responsive device. Let's look at the main causes of clogging and ways to eliminate them.
Analysis of occupied space using built-in tools
The first step before any cleaning should be diagnosis. You need to understand exactly what exactly is “eating up” your precious gigabytes. The shell One UI from Samsung has an excellent analysis tool that shows the distribution of memory by category. This allows you to avoid deleting important system files and focus on real garbage.
To run the analysis, go to Settings → Device maintenance → Memory. Here you will see a pie chart that clearly shows the relationship between system data, applications, images and videos. Pay attention to the “Applications” section: often social networks and instant messengers take up the lion’s share of space due to the accumulated cache.
The system can also offer automatic optimization. Click the Optimize nowbutton to delete temporary files that can be safely erased. However, this method gives only a temporary effect if the root cause of the filling is not eliminated.
Regularly check the “Recent Items” section in the storage - screenshots and downloaded files that you have already forgotten about often accumulate there.
It is important to distinguish between the volume, occupied by the application itself, and the volume of its data. The cache can be cleared safely, but the data contains your logins, correspondence and settings. Be careful when choosing the cleaning option in the menu of each specific software.
Deleting the cache and data of heavy applications
The most voracious consumers of memory are traditionally social networks and instant messengers. Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp and TikTok save every viewed photo and video to the local storage. Over time, this digital junk can take up tens of gigabytes, turning your Samsung A51 into a sluggish device.
For deep cleaning, go to Settings → Applications. Select the largest application from the list. In the menu that opens, find the item Storage. Here you will see two buttons: “Clear cache” and “Clear data”. The first deletes temporary files, the second resets the application to the “as after installation” state.
- 🗑️ Clear the messenger cache once a week to prevent media folders from growing.
- 📸 In the Telegram and WhatsApp camera settings, disable autosaving to the gallery so that duplicates do not accumulate in memory.
- 🚀 Use lightweight versions of applications (Lite) if the main version takes up too much space.
Pay special attention to the browser Chrome or Samsung Internet. They cache all visited pages for faster loading. Clearing your browser history and cache can instantly free up several hundred megabytes. This is a secure procedure that will not affect your saved passwords if you use a Google account.
☑️ Cleaning messengers
⚠️ Attention: Before clicking the “Clear data” button, make sure that you remember the password for the application or your correspondence is saved in the cloud, otherwise you will lose access to your account inside this application.
Working with the gallery and transferring media files
High-resolution photos and videos are the main enemy of free memory on a modern smartphone. The camera Samsung Galaxy A51 takes excellent pictures, but each file weighs a lot. It is irrational to store thousands of photos in the internal memory, especially if you have alternatives.
The ideal solution is to use cloud services such as Google Photos or Yandex.Disk. Set up automatic uploading of all new photos to the cloud. Once your files are uploaded, use the Free Up Space feature in the Google Photos app. It will delete from the device those copies that are already securely stored on the Internet.
If you do not trust the clouds or you do not have a stable Internet, consider transferring files to a memory card microSD. The A51 model supports cards up to 1 TB. This turns your phone into a multimedia powerhouse with no internal storage limitations.
| File Type | Medium Size | Recommended Storage Location | Cleaning Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo (JPEG) | 3-5 MB | Cloud / SD card | Once a month |
| Video (4K) | 300-500 MB | SD card / PC only | Immediately after shooting |
| Screenshots | 1-2 MB | Deletion after use | Weekly |
| Downloads (APK, PDF) | Miscellaneous | Removal after installation | As received |
Don't forget to check the "Trash" folder in the Gallery application. Deleted photos remain there for another 30 days, continuing to take up space. To clear the memory completely, you need to go to the Gallery menu, select Trash and click “Empty.”
How to set up automatic upload to Google Photos?
Open the application, click on the profile avatar, select “Photo Settings” → “Auto Upload”. Choose either Space Saver quality for unlimited storage (with compression) or Original quality (included in Google One quota).
Using the My Files app to find duplicates
The built-in file manager "My Files" on Samsung is a powerful tool that many users forget about. It can not only sort documents by type, but also find duplicates, large files and rarely used applications. This allows for targeted “surgical” cleaning.
Launch the application and scroll down to the "Storage Analysis" section. Here the system will offer categories for cleaning: “Large files”, “Duplicate files”, “Rarely used applications”. By clicking on each category, you get a list of candidates for removal.
Often users download application installation files (.apk) and forget to delete them after installation. They lie in the folder Download and take up space like dead weight. It is also worth checking the folder Bluetoothwhere all files received over the wireless network are saved.
- 📂 Look for files with the extension
.log—these are error reports that can be safely deleted. - 🎵 Check the download folder for music tracks that you may have listen once.
- 📱 Remove firmware update installers if they remain in the root of the internal memory.
⚠️ Attention: When deleting files through “My Files,” be careful with system folders whose names you do not know. Delete only those whose purpose you are 100% sure of.
Optimization through maintenance mode and safe mode
Sometimes the memory becomes full due to errors in third-party applications that create endless logging cycles. In such cases, standard cleaning does not help. This is where Safe Modecomes to the rescue, which loads the phone only with system applications.
To enter safe mode, hold down the power button on the screen, and then long hold the “Power off” icon on the screen until you are prompted to switch to safe mode. If this mode frees up memory or your phone runs faster, then one of the apps you installed is causing the problem.
It is also worth using the function Device Care (Device care). Go to settings and select this section. Click on the three dots in the corner of the screen and select Automation. Set your phone to automatically clear cache and close unused apps every night while charging.
This feature is especially useful for this model A51as it prevents digital fat from accumulating in the background. The system itself will decide which processes can be terminated without harming the user experience.
Automatic cleaning on a schedule is the best way to maintain order in the memory without the need for manual intervention every day.
Radical measures: resetting to factory settings
If none of the above methods gave the desired result and the memory continues rapidly filled with unknown data, the system may have accumulated critical file system errors. In this case, the only correct solution is a complete reset.
Before performing this procedure Be sure to create a backup copy all important data. Resetting will delete absolutely everything: contacts, photos, applications and settings. The phone will return to the state in which you bought it in the store.
Settings → General settings → Reset → Data resetAfter the reboot you will get a clean system with the maximum amount of free memory. It is recommended that you do not restore all applications from a backup at once, but install them gradually, monitoring memory consumption. This will help identify the “hero” of the occasion if the problem recurs.
⚠️ Attention: Make sure that the battery charge is at least 50% before starting the reset. Interrupting the process by turning off the phone can damage the software and require flashing it at a service center.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why is space not freed up after deleting applications?
When deleting an application, its data and cache folder sometimes remains in memory. Go to “My Files”, find the folder with the name of the deleted application in the root of the internal memory or in the Android/data folder and delete it manually.
Is it possible to transfer applications to a memory card on Samsung A51?
Yes, this function is supported, but not for all applications. Go to the application settings, select "Storage" and click "Change" if the button is active. System applications and many popular services (for example, banking) cannot be transferred for security reasons.
Is it safe to use third-party cleaning apps like Clean Master?
Modern versions of Android and the One UI shell have built-in effective cleaning tools. Third-party “cleaners” often take up a lot of space, display intrusive ads, and may work less efficiently than the standard Samsung cleaner.
What is the “Other” folder in the storage and can it be cleaned?
The “Other” folder contains system files, cache, application data and files of unknown format. You cannot clear it entirely - this will lead to a system failure. You need to understand the categories inside, deleting only the cache and temporary files of specific apps.