Messenger Viber is one of the most popular communication applications in the CIS countries, but this popularity has a downside. Over time, the message database, photos, voice messages and videos take up gigabytes of free space in the device's internal memory. This leads to a slowdown of the smartphone, the inability to install new applications and difficulties when creating system backups.
Users often encounter a situation where the system notifies about a lack of space, and this messenger becomes the first suspect. However, simply uninstalling the app does not always solve the problem, since folders with media files may remain on the system. In this article we will analyze in detail how to clear Viber data on Androidwithout losing important chats and contacts.
There are several levels of cleaning: from deleting temporary cache files to completely resetting the application settings with the loss of the entire correspondence history. The choice of method depends on your goal - to simply free up space or radically solve the problem with full memory.
Built-in cleaning tools inside the application
The developers Viber have provided a built-in memory management mechanism that allows users to remove accumulated garbage without exiting the application. This is the safest method as it allows you to preview the content before deleting it. To use this function, you need to open the messenger settings menu.
In the section Memory and data you will find detailed statistics on storage usage. This shows the total amount of data used, as well as a breakdown by content type: photos, videos, audio and documents. The system allows you to sort chats by the amount of space they occupy, which helps you quickly find conversations with the largest number of media files.
You can select a specific chat or group and delete media files selectively. For example, if text correspondence is important to you, but old postcards and pictures are unnecessary, you can delete only those. This preserves the context of the conversation, but significantly frees up space.
- 🗑️ Deleting the thumbnail cache speeds up the work of the gallery inside the application.
- 📸 Batch deleting photos allows you to clear years of correspondence in a couple of clicks.
- 🎥 Video files take up to 80% of the total space, so clearing them is most effective.
Before mass deleting media files through the app settings, make sure that important photos are saved in the phone gallery or cloud storage, as recovery will not be possible.
It is important to note that cleaning through the app settings does not delete the files themselves from the file system instantly if the autosave to gallery function is enabled. In this case, you can free up space completely only through the file manager or Android system settings.
Clearing cache and data through Android settings
The operating system Android provides its own tools for managing application memory, which work deeper than the internal settings of the messenger. This method is especially useful if the application does not work correctly, freezes or consumes abnormally many resources in the background.
To access these settings, go to Settings your smartphone, then select the section Applications or Application Manager. Find Viber in the list and click on it. A page with information about the application will open, where memory management buttons will be available.
Here you will see two main options: Clear cache and Clear data (or Erase data). Clearing the cache is safe - it deletes temporary files, image thumbnails and logs without affecting your conversations and media. This is the first action that should be performed if there are performance problems.
⚠️ Attention: Pressing the button Clear data will lead to a complete reset applications. You will be logged out, and all chat history deleted from the servers will be lost without the possibility of recovery unless there is a fresh backup.
If you decide to perform a complete data wipe, the system will ask for confirmation. After this Viber it will return to the state as if it had just been installed. You will have to re-enter your phone number, go through the code verification and set up your profile.
Manual deletion of files through the file manager
For advanced users who want to gain full control over the file system, the manual cleaning method through the file manager is suitable. On modern versions of Android (starting from version 11), access to the folder Android/data may be limited by standard explorers, so it is recommended to use specialized utilities such as Files by Google or Solid Explorer.
The main folder with messenger data is usually located along the path /Android/media/com.viber.voip/ or /Viber/ at the root of the internal memory. Inside you will find subfolders such as Viber Images, Viber Videos and Viber Documents. This is where all received and sent files are stored.
By deleting files manually, you can apply more flexible filters. For example, sort files by date and delete everything older than a year, or find duplicate images that might have been saved when resent. This method allows you to free up space in a targeted manner without affecting the message database.
/storage/emulated/0/Android/media/com.viber.voip/Viber Images
/storage/emulated/0/Viber/Viber Videos
Be careful when deleting files with the extension .db or folders with names like databases. These files contain the structure of your chats and contacts. Deleting them will cause you to see an empty list of dialogs the next time you launch the application, even if you did not reset the data in the settings.
Why do files remain in the chat after deleting?
When you delete a message in a chat, it is erased only from the application database. The physical file (photo or video) remains in a folder on the drive so you can view it later. To completely delete it, you need to clean the folders manually.
Setting up autosave and automatic loading
One of the main reasons for the memory to quickly fill up is the automatic loading function of media files. By default Viber it is configured to download all incoming photos and videos immediately after they are received, even if you have not opened the chat. Disabling this function will prevent the accumulation of garbage in the future.
Go to the application settings, section Data and multimedia. Here you can prevent automatic downloading of media files when using mobile networks and Wi-Fi. Select option Never or Only when touched. In this case, files will be downloaded only when you click on them in the chat.
It is also worth disabling autosave to the gallery. This function duplicates all received images into a shared folder DCIM or Pictures, which leads to double space consumption: one copy in the application folder, the second in the general gallery.
| Settings | Recommended value | Impact on memory |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-download photos (Wi-Fi) | Never / By touch | High |
| Auto-download video (Wi-Fi) | Never | Critical |
| Save to gallery | Disabled | Average |
| Photo sending quality | Medium | Low |
Changing these settings will not delete files that have already been downloaded, but will stop memory growth in the future. This is a preventative measure that should be applied immediately after cleaning the device.
Disabling autosave to the gallery saves up to 40% of space, as it prevents duplicate files on the system.
Creating a backup before cleaning
Before proceeding with radical cleaning methods such as deleting application data or formatting folders, it is extremely important to create a backup copy. Viber allows you to save your chat history to the cloud (Google Drive) or locally on your device.
To create a cloud copy, go to Settings → Account → Viber backup. Click the button Create a backup. Make sure you're signed in to the same Google Account you plan to use for recovery. This process may take time depending on the amount of data and Internet speed.
A local copy is created in the folder /Viber/backup. This file has the extension .vbk and contains the entire message history, but does not include media files (photos and videos). To save them, you must manually copy your media folders to a safe location, such as a computer or external hard drive.
⚠️ Attention: Google Drive backup does not include media files. If you delete folders with photos and videos manually, they will not be restored when returning from a backup, even if the backup itself is successful.
Check the date of the last backup. If it's old, create a new one right now. Trying to restore data from an outdated backup may result in the loss of messages received in recent weeks or months.
☑️ Preparing for a complete wipe
What not to do: common mistakes
In the pursuit of free space, users often make mistakes that can lead to data loss or disruption of the application. Understanding what not to do is just as important as knowing the correct cleaning methods.
You should not use dubious cleaning applications from the Play Market that promise to “speed up Viber in one click.” Often, such apps aggressively delete service files necessary for the correct operation of the database, which leads to cyclical reboots of the application or loss of part of the correspondence.
It is also not recommended to delete a folder .thumbnails inside image directories if you do not understand the mechanism of its operation. Although this is a cache, its repeated generation can create a high load on the processor and cause the device to heat up the next time you launch the gallery.
Another mistake is deleting the application without first unlinking the number or logging out of your account on other devices (tablets, PCs). This may cause synchronization conflicts during re-installation, when messages will not arrive on all devices at the same time.
⚠️ Attention: The settings interface and folder location may vary slightly depending on the version of Android and the manufacturer's shell (MIUI, OneUI, ColorOS). Always check the current menu view on your device.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Will the correspondence be deleted if I simply clear the cache?
No, clearing the cache (Clear Cache) only affects temporary files, such as thumbnails and error logs. Your message history, contacts and media files will remain completely safe. This is a safe procedure.
Is it possible to recover deleted photos from Viber?
If you deleted photos through the app settings or file manager, you can only restore them from a system backup or cloud service (Google Photos), if synchronization was enabled there. It is impossible to restore deleted media from the application itself.
Why does Viber take up more space than is visible in the settings?
This is often due to the fact that the files are saved in the general gallery of the device (duplicates) or in the folder Android/media there are files from long-deleted chats. The standard application counter may not take into account these "orphaned" files.
How to clear Viber on your phone without deleting it from the tablet?
You can clear the cache and data on your phone regardless of the tablet. However, if you are using one account, logging in on a new device may log you out of the old one, depending on Viber's security policy at the time. Usually up to 5 devices are allowed.