Social network VKontakte
is one of the most popular applications on smartphones, but along with popularity comes the problem of growing size. The mobile application actively accumulates data: temporary files, pictures from correspondence, music and a cache of watched videos. Over time, this causes the device's built-in storage to fill up and the system to run slower. The user notices that the phone is “slowing down”, and notifications about lack of space appear more and more often.Cleaning memory in VK on Android is not just freeing up space, but also a way to return the device to its former performance. Many users mistakenly believe that simply deleting the application is enough, but there are more subtle and effective methods. In this article, we will analyze all the available methods: from standard settings of the application itself to working with the file manager. High performance of your smartphone depends on regular maintenance.
Before taking radical measures, it is worth understanding the difference between data types. Cache are temporary files that speed up the loading of frequently visited pages, but are not critical. It is safe to remove them. At the same time, offline music or downloaded documents require manual intervention. Improper deletion of folders can lead to the loss of important documents, so you need to act carefully and consistently.
Clearing the cache through the VKontakte application settings
The easiest and safest way, which does not require installing third-party software, is to use the built-in tools of the application itself. The developers have provided a function for clearing temporary data, which allows you to quickly free up a significant amount of memory. This method is ideal for regular maintenance, as it only affects temporary files, without affecting your correspondence or account settings.
First, you need to open the application and go to the settings menu. It is usually located in the lower right corner (profile icon) or in the upper left (three bars), depending on the interface version. Next, select item Settings, then go to section Application (or General in older versions). This is where the key option for memory management is hidden.
- 📱 Find the item "Clear cache"** or "Clear data" depending on your version OS.
- 🗑️ Confirm the action in the pop-up window if the system asks for permission.
- 🔄 Wait for the process to complete, which usually takes a few seconds.
It is important to note that after clearing the cache, pages and images will be reloaded on your next visit, which may temporarily increase costs traffic. However, this normal situation, and after a while the cache will start filling up again, but with “fresh” data. Regularly performing this procedure once a week will help keep the application in good shape.
Why is the cache growing so quickly?
The cache in VK includes not only image thumbnails, but also fragments of videos that you watched in the feed, even if you did not watch them to the end. HTML codes of pages are also stored there, which speeds up navigation, but takes up space.
Deleting the cache of dialogues and correspondence
One of the most “heavy” parts of the application are instant messengers within the social network. Photos, voice messages, video files and documents that you exchange in private messages are automatically saved to the device’s memory. Even if you deleted a message in a chat, a copy of it may remain in local storage of the phone, taking up gigabytes of space.
To clear this section, you need to go to the application settings, select the section Application and find the item Memory usage (or similar). Here you will see a breakdown by data type. Particular attention should be paid to the “Image Cache” and “Video Cache” sections in the dialogs. The system will offer to clear data for a certain period or completely.
⚠️ Attention: Clearing the conversation cache will delete media files from local storage. This will not delete the messages themselves from the VK cloud, but when the correspondence is reopened, old photos and videos will be downloaded again. Make sure that you have access to the Internet (Wi-Fi) so as not to waste mobile traffic.
If automatic cleaning does not give the desired result, you can use manual sampling. Go to a specific dialogue, click on the avatar of the interlocutor and select Media files. Here you can select unnecessary pictures or videos and delete them. This is a more labor-intensive process, but it allows you to save important files by deleting only Junk data.
Working with the Android file system
For advanced users who want to get full control over file system system, there is a manual cleaning method. This method is effective when the application's built-in functions cannot remove some stuck files. However, it requires care, since the work is carried out directly with Android directories.
You will need a file manager (for example, Files by Google, Total Commander or the standard “My Files”). Go to the root folder of the internal drive and find the directory Android. Inside it you are interested in the folder datawhere the data of installed applications is stored. The path to the desired folder looks like this:
Android/data/com.vkontakte.android/cacheInside this folder there are subfolders with unclear names (often these are hashes), in which temporary files are located. By deleting the contents of a folder cache, you free up space. It is also worth checking the folder files in the same directory, but more important data may be stored there, such as tracks downloaded for offline listening.
| Folder | What it stores | Can it be deleted | Risk of data loss |
|---|---|---|---|
com.vkontakte.android/cache |
Temporary files, thumbnails | Yes | Low |
com.vkontakte.android/files |
Offline music, documents | Caution | High |
com.vkontakte.android/code_cache |
Compilation code (Dalvik/ART) | Yes (will be restored) | Low |
com.vkontakte.android/databases |
Correspondence databases | No | Critical |
Use the “Sort by size” function in the file manager to immediately see the largest folders inside the application directory.
Managing offline music and downloads
The function of listening to music without the Internet is extremely popular, but it is this that often causes a lack of space. Audio files in high quality they take up a significant amount of space. If you use a VK Music or Premium subscription, the tracks are saved in a protected format, but they still weigh a lot.
To check how much space music takes up, go to the section Services -> Music, then to the player settings (gear icon or three dots). The size of the downloaded tracks will be indicated there. You can select the option Clear downloadedto delete all music at once, or manually delete unnecessary albums in the download list.
- 🎵 Open section "My downloads" in the music player.
- 🗑️ Click on the control button (three dots) and select delete.
- 📉 Free up space for new tracks or system updates.
It is also worth checking the Downloads section in the application itself or in the file manager. Often, users save videos from clips or documents that are no longer relevant there. Manual check This section once a month is an excellent habit for maintaining order.
⚠️ Attention: The interface of the VKontakte application is frequently updated. The location of the buttons and the names of the sections may differ on different versions of Android (for example, Android 11, 12, 13 and later have different rules for accessing folders). If you do not find the described item, check the current reference book in the application settings.
☑️ Quick cleaning checklist
Using Android system tools
Modern Android shells (MIUI, OneUI, ColorOS and pure Android) have powerful built-in tools for memory management. They may even be more effective than third-party cleaners. The system analyzer will show how much space is occupied VKontakte application in general, including all its data.
Go to Settings phone, select Applications (or All applications), find it in the list VK. Click on item Storage or Memory. Here you will see two main buttons: “Clear cache” and “Clear data” (or “Reset”). Using the system button “Clear cache” ensures the removal of all temporary files that may have been missed within the application itself.
The “Clear data” (or “Reset”) button is more radical. It returns the application to the state immediately after installation: all accounts will be logged out, settings will be reset, the cache and downloads will disappear. Personal data (correspondence, photos on the wall) will remain on the server, but locally on the phone their traces will be destroyed. Use this method if the application does not work correctly or takes up an abnormally large amount of space.
System cleaning through the Android settings often works deeper than the built-in cleaning inside the VK application itself.
Prevention and optimization of the application
So that the problem does not returned too quickly, it is worth changing some settings of the application behavior. This will help control the growth of memory occupied in the future. Preventive measures always more effective than dealing with the consequences.
In the application settings, find the section associated with media autoloading. Disable automatic loading of images and videos in your feed when using mobile data, and also, if traffic allows, over Wi-Fi. This will significantly reduce the number of cached files. You can also limit the quality of downloaded photos.
- 🚫 Disable autoloading of videos in the news feed.
- 📉 Set a limit on the cache size (if such an option is available in your version).
- 🔄 Clear the dialog cache regularly (once a week).
Another tip is to use Lite versions applications, if available, or the web version through the browser for rare checks. Brothers cache data differently, and it is easier to completely clear it with one click. However, for active use, a full-fledged application is still more convenient.
Is it safe to use third-party cleaning apps?
Using applications like Clean Master or CCleaner is acceptable, but often redundant. Modern versions of Android manage memory efficiently themselves. Third-party cleaners may aggressively close background processes, which will lead to faster battery drain and re-downloading of VK data. It is better to use built-in tools.
What to do if after cleaning the memory is not freed?
The files may have been deleted from the visible part of the file system, but the volume counter has not been updated. Try restarting your smartphone. If this does not help, check the “Trash” folder in the gallery or file manager - deleted photos from chats could end up there and continue to take up space.
Is it possible to transfer VK data to an SD card?
On modern versions of Android (starting from 10-11), the ability to transfer applications and their data to an SD card is very limited or completely blocked by the system for security and performance reasons. Most likely, you won’t be able to transfer the VK cache or music to a flash drive without root access.