Cleaning the Android system on Samsung: 7 proven ways to restore speed

Has your Samsung Galaxy started to slow down, quickly discharge, or give "Not enough memory" errors? The reason most often lies in a clogged system: temporary application files, remnants of deleted apps, duplicate media files and fragmented memory eat up resources even on flagships like Galaxy S23 Ultra or Galaxy Z Fold5. But do not rush to reset the phone to factory settings - in 90% of cases, it is enough deep cleaning of the systemwhich can be done manually in 20-30 minutes.

In this article you will find current cleaning methods for all modern models Samsung (from Android 10 and later), including hidden functions One UI, commands for advanced users and recommendations for automating the process. We will look at how to safely delete unnecessary data without affecting personal files, and what to do if standard tools do not help. All instructions have been tested on firmware One UI 5.1/6.0 —but if you have an older version, check compatibility in the settings.

Before you begin: cleaning the system does not require root access, but some operations (for example, deleting system applications) may cause Samsung Pay, Knox or Secure Folder services to fail. If you use these features, skip the corresponding steps or create a backup via Settings → Accounts and Backup → Backup and Restore.

1. Diagnostics: what exactly is slowing down your Samsung?

Before cleaning, it is important to understand whether your device is full. It what type of garbage filled your device. IN One UI has a built-in analysis tool - Device care (Settings → Device maintenance). Open it and pay attention to 4 key sections:

• 🔋 Battery: if there is a “High energy consumption” warning here, background application processes are to blame (often social networks or messengers).
• 🗑️ Memory: critical value - less than 10% of free space. The system begins to “choke” already at 15-20%.
• 🛡️ Security: viruses are rare on Android, but malicious scripts in the browser can create temporary files in gigabytes.
• 🔄 Optimization: if the "Optimize" button is active, then the system has detected unnecessary processes (usually after updates).

Pay attention to the memory usage graph in the section Memory → Details. If it predominates "System data" (gray color) or "Other applications" (orange), this is a sign:

• 📱 Cluttered cache of system applications (for example, Samsung Internet or Galaxy Store).
• 🗂️ Remnants of deleted apps (folders /data/app-lib or /data/data).
• 🔄 Fragmented memory (relevant for devices with UFS 2.1 and older).

⚠️ Attention: If in the "Memory" section you see an item "Reserved by the system" with a capacity of 10-20 GB, this is normal. Samsung reserves space for updates and firmware cache. You cannot delete it without root access.

2. Clearing the cache: from user applications to. system

Caches are temporary files that applications create to speed up work. Over time, they grow to gigabytes, especially in:

• 📷 Gallery (Google Photos or Samsung Gallery caching thumbnails).
• 🎮 Games (for example, Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile store textures).
• 🌐 Browsers (Chrome, Samsung Internet - up to 1-2 GB per month of active usage).
• 📺 Social networks (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook download videos in the background).

How to clear the cache correctly:

1. Open Settings → Applications.

2. Tap on the three dots in the upper right corner → Sort by size.

3. Select an application (start with the heaviest ones) → Memory → Clear cache.

4. For system applications (for example, Samsung Keyboard), press Clear data only if you are ready to reset your keyboard settings!

For mass cleaning cache all applications at the same time:

1. Go to Settings → Device maintenance → Memory.

2. Click Clear in the "Unnecessary" section data."

3. Confirm the action. This will delete the cache all user applications, but will not affect logins/passwords.

⚠️ Attention: Do not clear the cache applications Samsung Knox, Secure Folder or Samsung Pass —this may lead to blocking of protected data. Also avoid clearing the cache Android System WebView, otherwise some sites will not be displayed correctly in the browser.

Clear browser cache (Chrome, Samsung Internet)

Delete social media cache (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook)

Clear Google Play Market and Play Services cache

Check “Heavy” applications in Settings → Applications

Reboot the phone after cleaning-->

3. Removing unnecessary files and duplicates

Even if you regularly clear the cache, the following accumulate in memory:

• 📁 Residual files from deleted applications (folders in /Android/data or /Android/obb).
• 🖼️ Duplicates of photos/videoscreated by instant messengers or cloud services.
• 🎵 Unused downloads (APK files, PDF, archives).
• 📄 Logs and dumps (files with the extension .log, .dmp), which the system creates during failures.

How to find and remove garbage:

Method 1. Built-in Samsung tools

1. Open the application My files (Samsung My Files).

2. Go to the section Memory analysis → Unnecessary files.

3. Select categories to clean:

   • 🗑️ Trash (deletes files older than 30 days).
   • 📁 Large files (video >500 MB, archives >100 MB).
   • 🔍 Duplicates (photos with the same content).
   • 📥 Unused files (not opened for >3 months).

Method 2. Manual search (for advanced users)

Use a file manager (for example, Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer) to search by folder:

/storage/emulated/0/Download/ # Downloads
/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails # Photo thumbnails
/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/ # Application data
/storage/emulated/0/Android/obb/ # Additional game files

Delete:

• 📂 Folders with the names of deleted applications (for example, com.tencent.ig - if deleted long ago PUBG Mobile).
• 🖼️ Files like thumbnail_*.jpg or cache_*.tmp.
• 📄 Files with extensions .apk, .tmp, .log (if you don’t know why you need them).

4. Storage optimization: what can be transferred or deleted without loss

If the internal memory is full and there is no external memory card, try:

Move data to an SD card (if supported):

• 📱 On new models (Galaxy S22 and newer), transferring applications to SD is prohibited, but you can move:
  • 🖼️ Photo/video (Gallery → select files → Move → select SD).
  • 🎵 Music and podcasts.
  • 📄 Documents (PDF, Word, Excel).
• 🔧 On older models (Galaxy A50, Galaxy S10), you can also transfer applications: Settings → Applications → select application → Memory → Change → SD card.

Delete securely deleted data:

Disable unnecessary system components:

Some pre-installed applications Samsung can be disabled (but not completely removed):

1. Go to Settings → Applications.

2. Tap on three dots → Show system processes.

3. Find unnecessary applications (for example, Samsung Free, Bixby Vision, AR Emoji) and select Disable.

⚠️ Attention: Do not disable system services with names com.sec., com.samsung.android. or com.android.* —this may cause the phone to not work. Also avoid disabling Samsung Experience Service or One UI Home.

5. Deep cleaning: resetting the partition cache and Dalvik

If the standard methods did not help, and the phone is still slow, try clearing the partition cache (wipe cache partition). affecting user data. The method is especially effective after updates One UI or for errors like “Android system is not responding.”

Instructions for Samsung:

1. Turn off the phone.

2. Press simultaneously:

   • 🔼 Volume up + Power button (for models with the Bixby button: Volume up + Bixby + Power).

What is it gives:

• 🔄 Eliminates lags after updates.
• 🛠️ Corrects errors like “The com.android.systemui process has stopped.”
• 📉 Reduces processor heating (if the cause was a clogged cache).

Clearing the Dalvik cache (for advanced users):

Dalvik cache is an optimized version of applications for fast loading. Clearing it is useful after installing a large number of new apps or updating Android. To do this:

1. Log in Recovery Mode (as described). above).

2. Select Advanced → Wipe Dalvik Cache → Yes.

3. Reboot the phone. The first startup after cleaning will take longer (the system will rebuild the cache).

6. Automation of cleaning: settings and applications

To avoid cleaning the phone manually, set up automatic tasks:

Built-in tools Samsung:

• 🤖 Auto Optimization: Settings → Device maintenance → Auto optimization → enable the option. The phone will clear the cache and close background applications once a day.
• 📊 Adaptive battery: Settings → Device maintenance → Battery → Advanced → enable "Adaptive battery". applications.

Third-party applications (only from trusted sources!):

Setting up automatic cleaning in SD Maid:

1. Open the application and provide access to the memory.

2. Go to section CorpseFinder (search for residual files).

3. Click Run and wait for analysis.

4. Select unnecessary files and click Delete.

5. Set up for automatic cleaning Scheduler (in the pro version).

⚠️ Attention: Do not use “optimizers” like Clean Master or DU Speed Booster —they often show false threats and consume more resources than they save. Also avoid applications that require disabling. Samsung Knox (this reduces the security of the phone).

Preparing for reset:

adb shell
pm clear com.android.providers.media # Clearing the media cache
pm clear com.google.android.gms # Cleaning Google Services (carefully!)