Smartphones based on Android inevitably slow down over time. This is not a myth or a conspiracy by manufacturers, but a consequence of the accumulation of temporary files, remnants of deleted applications and fragmentation of internal memory. When the storage is more than 90% full, the system begins to work intermittently, and launching apps takes many times longer.
Many users mistakenly believe that the solution to the problem lies only in installing third-party “cleaners”. In fact, manual cleaning often gives a much more tangible result without the risk of deleting the necessary data or disrupting the system. In this article we will analyze all available methods, from standard tools to advanced tools for developers.
Before taking radical measures like resetting settings, you should try less aggressive methods. Often it is enough to correctly delete application cache and free up space in the downloads folder to restore the phone to its former agility. Let's take a look at how to do this correctly and safely.
Using built-in cleaning tools
Modern Android shells, such as One UI from Samsung or MIUI from Xiaomi, already have powerful built-in maintenance utilities systems. They analyze memory usage and offer to delete unnecessary files in one click. You can usually find them in the section Settings → Device Maintenance or Security.
The standard tool scans the system for duplicates, unused applications and large files that you might have forgotten to delete. This is the safest way to start fighting for free space, since Google and manufacturer algorithms know well which files can be deleted without consequences for the operation of the OS.
⚠️ Attention: Built-in cleaners sometimes mark game cache files or offline navigator maps as “garbage”. If you often play without the Internet or travel, check the list before deleting so as not to download gigabytes of data again.
For deep cleaning, you should look at the memory management section. There you will see detailed statistics: how much space is taken up by applications, media files and the system partition. Clicking on a category will allow you to go to the list of files and specifically delete unnecessary ones. For example, the folder DCIM is often bloated with unsuccessful photos and videos that can be deleted without regret.
Manual clearing of cache and application data
The most voluminous “garbage” is generated by social networks and instant messengers. Telegram, WhatsApp i VK save every viewed photo and video to internal memory. Over time, these files can take up tens of gigabytes. Cleaning through the settings of the application itself is often more effective than system cleaning.
Go to the settings of a specific messenger, find the “Data and Memory” or “Storage” section. There you can select a period (for example, “more than a month”) and delete the entire media cache. At the same time, the correspondence and text messages themselves will remain untouched, and space will be freed up instantly.
For other applications, a universal algorithm applies through the system menu. Go to Settings → Applications → Manage applications. Select the app that is taking up a lot of space and click "Storage". Two concepts are important here:
- 🗑️ Clear cache — deletes temporary files, speeds up work without affecting your logins and settings.
- 💣 Clear data —completely resets the application to its factory state, deleting accounts and saving (use with caution!).
- 🚫 Delete updates —returns the application to the version installed at the factory (relevant for Google system services).
Regularly clearing browser caches also has a good effect. In Chrome or Yandex.Browser go to history and select “Clear history”. Make sure that the checkbox next to “Images and other files saved in the cache” is checked. This can free up from 500 MB to several gigabytes of space.
Before clearing messenger data, be sure to back up your chats to the cloud (Google Drive or iCloud) so as not to lose important correspondence.
Analyzing and deleting hidden files via Explorer
Not all files are immediately visible to the user. Many applications create hidden folders with logs, errors and temporary data that are not automatically deleted. To work with them, you will need an advanced file manager, for example Files by Google or FX File Explorer.
Enable the display of hidden files in the Explorer settings (usually the “Show hidden files” checkbox). Pay attention to folders with a dot at the beginning of the name, for example, .thumbnails. It stores thumbnails of all the pictures and videos you have ever viewed. This folder can grow to enormous sizes.
/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnailsDeleting the contents of this folder is safe: the system will create it again if necessary, but you will instantly get free space. It is also worth checking the folder Android/obb i Android/data. Game caches are stored there. If you deleted the game, but the folder remains, you can safely erase it manually.
| Folder | What is stored | Can it be deleted? | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
Download |
Files from the browser | Yes, selectively | Loss of downloaded documents |
DCIM/.thumbnails |
Photo thumbnails | Yes, completely | Gallery slowdown on first launch |
Android/data |
Application cache | Only from deleted games | Resetting progress in games |
LOST.DIR |
Recovered files | Yes | Minimal |
Be extremely careful when deleting files from the root directory. System folders like System or Android (entirely) cannot be touched - this will lead to unstable operation of the phone. Delete only the contents of specific subfolders whose purpose you understand.
Cleaning through developer mode and ADB
For advanced users, there is a way to clear the system cache, which is not available through the regular menu. This requires enabling developer mode. Go to Settings → About phone and quickly click on “Build number” 7 times until a notification about activating the mode appears.
In the new “For Developers” menu, find the item “Inactive applications” or similar. Here you can see services that hang in the background and consume resources, even if you do not use them. Stopping such processes can temporarily speed up the operation of the device.
⚠️ Attention: Changing settings in developer mode may lead to malfunctions of certain phone functions. Do not disable animation or limit background processes if you do not understand the consequences.
An even more powerful tool is the utility ADB (Android Debug Bridge) for PC. By connecting your phone to a computer with USB debugging, you can run a command to clear the cache of all applications at once without root access.
adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999This command forces the system to delete all possible cache, freeing up space to the limit. This is especially useful when your phone reports low space, but you can't find where it went. However, it should be used only in extreme cases.
How to enable USB debugging?
Go to the “For Developers” menu, which appeared after clicking on the build number. Find the USB Debugging switch and turn it on. When connecting to a PC, confirm permission to access on the smartphone screen.
Deleting duplicates and “heavy” media files
Often the memory is filled not with system garbage, but with user content. Duplicate photos taken by accident or identical videos saved from different sources take up critical space. Searching for them manually is time-consuming and inconvenient.
Use specialized applications to find duplicates, for example Remo Duplicate Photos Remover or built-in functions in Google Photos. They group similar images and offer to remove unnecessary ones, leaving only the best quality photos from the series.
Pay special attention to video files. A minute of 4K recording can take up hundreds of megabytes. Review your gallery and delete unsuccessful videos. If it’s a pity to delete, move them to cloud storage or to your computer using the “Free up space” function in the gallery.
- 📸 Delete burst shooting, leaving 1-2 successful frames.
- 🎥 Convert heavy videos to format
H.265to save space without loss quality. - ☁️ Set up automatic synchronization with the cloud and deletion of local copies.
Also check the “Trash” folder in the gallery and file manager. Deleted files are often stored there for another 30 days, continuing to take up disk space. Emptying the trash is the final step in the fight for gigabytes.
Regularly checking the "Downloads" folder and the gallery recycle bin allows you to keep your phone clean without installing additional software.
Radical measures: Reset to factory settings
If none of the above methods helped, and the phone continues to slow down, perhaps the problem lies in deep fragmentation of the file system or system file conflict. In this case, the only effective solution is a full reset (Factory Reset).
This procedure will return the smartphone to the “as from the store” state. All applications, settings, photos and contacts will be deleted. Therefore, it is critical to make a full backup of your data before starting the process. Use Google Account for contacts and the cloud for files.
⚠️ Attention: After resetting the settings, the phone may work slowly for the first time 10-20 minutes. The system performs background optimization of applications and indexing of files. Don’t panic and give the device time.
To perform a reset, go to Settings → System → Reset settings. Select the “Delete all data” option. The phone will reboot and begin the cleaning process, which may take from 5 to 15 minutes depending on the amount of memory and the speed of the drive.
After turning on, set up your phone as new. It is recommended not to restore all applications from a backup at once, but to install them manually as needed. Often it is the old settings of the “culprit” applications that cause problems after a reset.
☑️ Preparing for a reset. settings
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it safe to use cleaner applications like Clean Master?
Most modern antiviruses and experts do not recommend using aggressive cleaners. They themselves are often a source of advertising, work in the background and are wasteful. The built-in Android tools are quite enough to keep the system clean.
Why does the space quickly run out again after cleaning?
Most likely, you have automatic media downloading active in messengers. Check your WhatsApp and Telegram settings: disable auto-saving of photos and videos to the gallery. Also make sure that applications do not cache videos from social networks. necessary.
Is it possible to delete the Android folder completely?
No, you cannot delete the entire folder - this will disrupt the operation of all installed applications. You can only clear the contents of subfolders Android You can’t - it will disrupt the operation of all installed applications. You can only clear the contents of subfolders cache within it, and then only for those applications that you plan. reinstall or which have already been deleted.
Does full memory affect Internet speed?
Indirectly - yes. If the memory is full, the system has no place to create temporary files for the browser and network protocols, which can lead to freezes when loading pages. However, this does not affect the speed of the operator's tariff.
How to clear DNS cache on Android?
The easiest way is to turn Airplane Mode on and off. For deeper cleaning, you can go to the Wi-Fi settings, forget the current network and connect again, or use the command adb shell svc wifi disable and enable via a computer.