Messenger Viber has become an integral part of our digital life, but over time it begins to consume a colossal amount of memory. Users often encounter a situation where the phone starts to slow down, and notifications about lack of space appear more and more often. The reason for this is the accumulation of cache, media files and backups that the application saves automatically. Many people wonder whether it is possible to free up space without resorting to the drastic method of completely uninstalling and reinstalling the app.
The good news is that clearing Viber on Android is possible without losing the application itself and, with the right approach, without deleting important chats. The process of freeing up space includes several stages: from basic setup of built-in tools to manual cleaning of system folders through the file manager. It is important to understand the difference between clearing the cache and erasing data so as not to lose correspondence due to negligence.
In this article we will analyze in detail all the available storage optimization methods. You will learn how to use the built-in file manager of the messenger, delete heavy attachments selectively and set up automatic saving of data to external media. Regular maintenance your messenger will not only return free space, but also increase the overall speed of the device.
⚠️ Attention: Before performing deep cleaning Be sure to manually back up important chats in Viber settings to eliminate the risk of permanent loss of correspondence.
Using the built-in Viber cleaning tool
The safest and easiest way to start fighting for free space is to use the built-in functionality of the application itself. The developers have provided a special section that allows the user to quickly assess the amount of space occupied and delete unnecessary files. This method is ideal for those who do not want to delve into system files and are afraid of accidentally deleting something unnecessary.
To access this function, you need to open the application and go to the settings menu. Find the section responsible for memory and data. Here you will see visual statistics: how much space photos, videos, audio messages and documents take up. The system will prompt you delete cache or clear your download history. Clicking the corresponding button will start the process of deleting temporary files that are not critical for the operation of the messenger.
However, it is worth remembering that built-in cleaning often affects only files downloaded through the app, but does not always delete their copies from the phone gallery. Therefore, after using the built-in tool, it is recommended to check the folder DCIM/Viber or Pictures/Viber in your file manager. This will ensure that the freed space is actually returned to the device's general memory pool.
- 📱 Open Viber and go to
More → Settings → Memory. - 🗑️ Click on the “Clear cache” button to delete temporary data.
- 📂 Select a file category (for example, Video) for detailed viewing and deletion.
- ✅ Confirm the action to free up space immediately.
Use the built-in cleaning once a week to prevent the accumulation of gigabytes of junk files and maintain application performance at a high level.
An important advantage of this method is its selectivity. You can review each video or photo before deleting, eliminating the risk of losing memorable photos. Unlike completely clearing data in Android settings, this approach allows you to keep the structure of chats and text messages intact.
Manual clearing through Android settings
If the built-in tools did not help free up enough space, you can use the system settings of your smartphone. This method works at the operating system level and allows you to control application resources more tightly. However, special care is required here, since the wrong action may result in resetting login settings or deleting the local message database.
Go to the main settings of your phone and find the “Applications” or “Application Manager” section. In the list of installed apps, find Viber. When you open the application page, you will see a "Storage" or "Memory" button. Here the system will offer two main options: “Clear cache” and “Clear data”. For our task, in order not to delete the application and save the correspondence, only the first option is suitable for us.
Pressing the button "Clear cache" will delete temporary files, image thumbnails and other service data that accumulate during operation. It's safe and won't affect your private messages, contacts, or media files stored in your phone's memory. But the “Clear data” (or “Reset”) button will return the application to its factory state, deleting the entire correspondence history if it was not synchronized with the cloud.
☑️ Safe cleaning through settings
| Action | What is being deleted | Impact on chats | Risk of data loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear cache | Temporary files, thumbnails | None | Minimal |
| Clear data | Database, settings, logins | Complete deletion of local history | High (without backup) |
| Delete update | New versions functions | None | Medium (return to old version) |
| Forced stop | Active processes in RAM | None | None |
After clearing the cache, it is recommended to restart the device. This will allow the system to correctly redistribute resources and complete the removal of all locked temporary files. If the space freed up is insignificant, it means that the main amount of memory is occupied by media files that need to be deleted in other ways.
Managing your media library and gallery
The main memory hog in any messenger are photos and videos. By default Viber saves all received media files to the phone's general gallery, which quickly fills up the internal storage. To solve this problem without deleting the application itself, you need to change the autosave settings and revise existing files.
First of all, disable automatic saving to the gallery. To do this, go to Viber settings, select “Privacy” or “Calls and messages” (depending on the interface version) and find the “Save to gallery” option. Disabling this function will prevent duplication of files: they will be available inside the chat, but will not take up space in the general photo feed of your smartphone.
Next, you need to manually delete old heavy files. Go to the standard Gallery application or file manager. Find albums with the name Viber Images and Viber Video. Sort files by size or date. You can often find old postcards, random screenshots, or low-quality videos that are no longer valuable. Deleting them will give an instant increase in free space.
⚠️ Attention: Deleting photos from your phone gallery may not delete them from your Viber chat history if they are already uploaded to the server, but it will delete the local copy, freeing up disk space.
For more advanced users, it is possible to transfer the media library to an SD memory card if your smartphone supports this function. You can change the default save path in your phone's storage settings. This will relieve the internal memory of the device by moving heavy content to external media, while leaving the application and its database on a fast internal drive.
Cleaning folders through the file manager
Sometimes built-in tools do not see all the garbage that accumulates in hidden system folders. In this case, a third-party file manager, such as ES Explorer, Total Commander or the standard “Files” from Google, comes to the rescue. This method requires more accuracy, but allows you to achieve maximum cleaning efficiency.
You need to find the root folder of the application. In modern versions of Android, the path usually looks like Android/media/com.viber.voip or Android/data/com.viber.voip. All downloaded files, a cache of stickers and avatars are stored inside this directory. You can safely delete the contents of the folder cache, but be careful with the folder fileswhere important documents may be stored.
Particular attention should be paid to the folder .thumbnails (if it is in the path to Viber pictures). Thumbnails of images are stored here, which can grow to gigabytes over time. Deleting this folder is safe: the next time you open the gallery or chat, the system will re-create the necessary thumbnails, but the space will be freed up instantly.
Path for manual checking:/Internal memory/Android/data/com.viber.voip/files/
/Internal memory/Viber/Media/
If you find files with the extension .tmp or files without an extension in messenger folders that have a creation date several months ago, you can safely delete them. These are remnants of failed downloads or temporary buffers that the application forgot to clear on its own.
What to do if the Android/data folder is inaccessible?
In versions of Android 11 and higher, access to this folder is limited. Use the built-in Files application or connect your phone to a PC for direct access to the file system.
Setting up automatic deletion of messages
To prevent the problem of full memory from returning in the future, it is advisable to set up automatic deletion of messages. This function allows you to set a time limit for storing correspondence. Once a message exceeds the specified age, it is automatically deleted from the device, making room for new content.
The Disappearing Messages feature can be configured both for individual chats and globally (depending on the update version). Go to the settings of a specific dialogue, select “Disappearing messages” and set the timer, for example, for 1 day or 1 week. This is especially useful for work chats or groups where there is an active exchange of files that do not need to be stored forever.
It is also worth checking your backup settings. If you have a full backup of your chats enabled daily to Google Drive or locally, this can take up a lot of space. Try changing the copy frequency to “Weekly” or disable saving videos to backup. This will significantly reduce the size of the backup and speed up the process of creating it.
- ⏳ Set a message disappearance timer for active group chats.
- 📅 Change the backup frequency from daily to weekly.
- 🚫 Disable video autosaving in the settings privacy.
- 🔄 Regularly check your Downloads folder for duplicate files from Viber.
Remember that the automatic deletion setting only applies to new messages received after enabling the feature. Old correspondence will remain in place until you delete it manually or use the bulk cleaning tools that we talked about in previous sections.
Automatic deletion of messages is the best prevention of memory overflow, eliminating the need for manual monitoring every day.
Typical errors and important nuances
When When trying to optimize the operation of the messenger, users often make mistakes that lead to the opposite effect or loss of data. One of the most common mistakes is the use of third-party “cleaner” applications of dubious origin. Such apps often not only do not clean memory effectively, but also show intrusive advertising or collect personal data.
Another nuance concerns synchronization. If you delete messages on one device (such as your phone), they may also be deleted on your other devices (tablet or PC) if syncing is turned on. Always check which device you are wiping on and make sure that important data is saved in another location before starting the procedure.
It is also worth considering that after clearing the cache, the application may run a little slower in the first minutes. This is normal, since the database image cache is regenerated as it is used. Don't panic and think that cleaning has harmed the app - just give it time to re-index the files.
⚠️ Attention: The interface and names of menu items in Viber may differ depending on the version of Android and the update of the application itself. Always check the current settings in your software version.
Avoid deleting system files named viber.db or msgstore.db manually through a file manager if you are not sure of your actions. These files contain the structure of your message database. Damage to them may cause the application to stop opening or show an empty list of chats, even if the application itself is not deleted.
Before mass cleaning, send your most important documents and photos to your “Personal Notes” or to cloud storage to create an additional backup copy.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Will my correspondence be deleted if I click “Clear cache”?
No, clearing the cache deletes only temporary files (thumbnails, temporary downloads) necessary for the application to run quickly. Message text, contacts and call history will remain untouched.
How to clear Viber so that photos are not deleted from the gallery?
When you delete files inside the Viber application, they are also deleted from the gallery if autosave was enabled. To save photos, first copy them to another folder on your phone or computer, and then delete them from the messenger.
Why does Viber take up so much space even after cleaning?
This may be due to the message database, which grows over time, or because chats store heavy files (videos, documents) that are not considered a cache and require manual removal.
Is it possible to transfer Viber completely to a memory card?
On modern versions of Android, transferring the application itself (APK) to a memory card is often blocked by the system. However, you can configure saving media files (photos and videos) directly to the SD card in the messenger or system settings.
What to do if the application is slow after cleaning?
Restart your smartphone. The first time you launch the application after cleaning, it re-creates the cache and indexes the files, which can temporarily load the processor. After 5-10 minutes, the work should stabilize.