Smartphones Android over time become clogged with unnecessary files: remnants of deleted applications, cache, duplicate photos and “garbage” from updates. Standard system tools often cannot cope with deep cleaning, and third-party “cleaners” require root access or display annoying ads. Meanwhile, Total Commander for Android a free file manager with advanced features, it allows you to manually delete unnecessary data without risking system stability.

Unlike automatic utilities like CCleaner or Files by Google, Total Commander gives complete control over processes: you choose what to delete and what to leave. This is especially valuable for users with limited internal memory (16–32 GB) or those who want to get rid of hidden folders with the remains of deleted messengers (for example, .Telegram or .Viber), which occupy hundreds of megabytes. This article contains step-by-step guide for beginners and experienced users, including working with system folders without rights superuser.

Why Total Commander is more effective than standard Android tools

The built-in file manager (for example, Android file manager (eg Files by Google or My files from Samsung) hides many system folders and does not allow mass deletion of files by mask. Total Commander solves these problems:

  • 🔍 Shows hidden files and folders (including .nomedia, .thumbnails, Android/data).
  • 🗑️ Supports panel interface for easy moving and comparing folders.
  • 🔄 Has a built-in search using masks (for example, .tmp or thumb_).
  • 📁 Can archive and unpack files without additional applications.
  • 🛡️ Does not require root access to work with most user data.

In addition, Total Commander allows you to connect to FTPservers, cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox) and even to SELinux-partitions on some firmware. This makes it a universal tool not only for cleaning, but also for backup.

📊 How often do you clean the memory of your smartphone?
Once a week
Once a month
Only when it runs out place
Never

Preparation: what to do before cleaning

Before deleting files be sure to follow three steps:

  1. Back up your important data (photos, contacts, messages Use Google Photos for media files and Export Contacts for the phone book.
  2. Check the free space in your phone settings (Settings → Storage). cleaning.
  3. Close all applications, especially messengers and games - they can block access to their folders.

If you plan to work with folders Android/data or Android/obb, please note:

Install Total Commander from Google Play

Create a backup copy of important files

Check free storage space

Close all active applications

Connect the phone to charge (for long-term operations)-->

⚠️ Attention: Deleting files from a folder Android/data can reset settings in games or applications (for example, progress in Clash of Clans or cache Spotify). If the application is synchronized with the account (for example, via Google Play Games), the data will be restored after logging in again.

Installing and configuring Total Commander for cleaning

Download Total Commander from Google Play (free version without unnecessary water) or from the official website ghisler.com. After installation:

  1. Open the application and give access to the storage (permission is required to work).
  2. Go to Settings → Display and enable the option "Show hidden files".
  3. Activate in the same menu "Panel mode" for convenient control.
  4. In the section Settings → Behavior disable "Deletion confirmation"if you are confident in your actions (saves time).

To speed up work, add frequently used folders to "Favorites":

  • 📁 /storage/emulated/0/ — the main storage.
  • 🗑️ /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/ —application cache.
  • 🖼️ /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails/ — thumbnails of photos and videos.
  • 📥 /storage/emulated/0/Download/ — downloads from the browser.
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If Total Commander does not see the external SD card, go to Settings → Access SD card and provide permission manually.

Step-by-step cleaning: what can be deleted without risk

Start with the most “trash” folders. Below is a list of files that are safe to delete and instructions for finding them.

1. data-i="131">andAndroid/data And Android/obb)

The folder Android/data contains a cache of games and apps. Deleting its contents will not delete the applications themselves.but will reset some settings (for example, downloaded levels in games). To clear:

  1. Go to /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/.
  2. Select folders of applications that you have not used for a long time (for example, com.tencent.ig for PUBG Mobile).
  3. Click "Delete" (or use a combination Select all → Delete for mass cleaning).

The folder Android/obb stores additional game files (graphics, sounds). They can also be deleted, but after this the games will have to be downloaded again.

2. Thumbnails (DCIM/.thumbnails)

Android automatically creates thumbnails to speed up viewing photos. They take up to 500 MB and are safely deleted:

/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails/

Simply select all the files in this folder and delete. The thumbnails will be restored automatically the next time you view the gallery.

3. Temporary files (.tmp, .temp)

Use the built-in search Total Commander:

  1. Click on the magnifying glass icon (search).
  2. In the field "Mask" enter .tmp or .temp.
  3. Select "Search in the current folder" (root directory).
  4. Delete all found files.

4. Duplicate photos and videos

To find duplicates:

  • 📷 Go to folder DCIM/Camera/ or Pictures/.
  • 🔍 Sort files by size or date (long press on the column header).
  • 🗑️ Manually compare files with the same sizes and delete unnecessary ones.
What to do if Total Commander does not delete the file?

If the file is not deleted, check:

1. Is the application to which it belongs closed (for example, WhatsApp blocks access to its database).

2. Does the file have a “Read Only” attribute (check in the file properties).

3. Is the file a system file (for example, boot.img in the root folder).

B As a last resort, reboot the phone and try again.

File type Folder Safe to delete? Saving space
Application cache Android/data/ Yes (will reset settings) 100 MB - 2 GB
Thumbnails DCIM/.thumbnails/ Yes 200–500 MB
Temporary files Any (search by *.tmp) Yes 50–300 MB
APK installation files Download/ Yes (if the application is already installed) 10–500 MB
Logs and dumps /sdcard/log/ or /sdcard/dumpstate/ Yes 10–100 MB

Cleaning system folders: what you can touch without root

Without superuser rights (root), access to system partitions (/system, /data) is limited. However, some folders in the user section can be cleaned:

  • 📂 /sdcard/Alarm/, /sdcard/Ringtones/ — delete unnecessary melodies.
  • 📄 /sdcard/Download/ — clear old APKs and documents.
  • 🗃️ /sdcard/Bluetooth/ — files received via Bluetooth are stored here.
  • 📊 /sdcard/Android/media/ — multimedia cache (for example, from VK Music).

For folders Android/obb and Android/data the following rule applies: you can only delete those folders applications that you no longer use. For example, if you have not played for a long time Call of Duty Mobile, feel free to delete the folder com.activision.callofduty.shooter - this will free up to 1–3 GB.

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete system application folders (for example, com.android.vending for Google Play or com.google.android.gm for GmailThis may occur. cause the phone to malfunction.

Automation of cleaning: plugins and scripts for Total Commander

For experienced users Total Commander supports user scripts plugins that speed up cleaning. For example:

  • 🤖 Plugin "Multi-Rename Tool" — allows you to bulk rename files according to a template (useful for sorting photos).
  • 📊 Script for deleting empty folders (can be found at forums 4PDA).
  • 🔍 Plugin “Search & Replace” - searches and replaces text in files (for example, to clear logs).

To install the plugin:

  1. Download the file with the extension .wcx or .wfx.
  2. Place it in a folder /sdcard/totalcmd/plugins/ (create it manually if not).
  3. Restart Total Commander and activate the plugin in menu Settings → Plugins.

Example script for deleting files older than 30 days (save as clean_old.txt and run via Commands → Run script):

; Deleting files older than 30 days in the Download folder

cd /sdcard/Download/


select ., older 30


delete selected
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Plugins and scripts save time, but use them carefully - the wrong script can delete important data. Always test on copies of files!

What to do if after cleaning the phone begins to work slower

In rare cases, after mass deletion of files Android may begin to slow down. This is due to:

  • 🔄 Rebuilding the cache (the system restores thumbnails and indexes).
  • 🗑️ Memory fragmentation (especially on older phones with eMMC instead of UFS).
  • 🛠️ Errors in the database (for example, after deleting messenger files).

To restore performance:

  1. Reboot your phone - this will reset the kernel cache.
  2. Clear the system cache into the recovery menu (do not delete Dalvik Cacheif you are not sure!).
  3. Turn off and on the phone for 10 minutes - this will help with fragmentation.
  4. Check the free space: if there is less 10% of the total volume, the system will slow down.
⚠️ Attention: If photos or contacts are missing after cleaning, check the folder /sdcard/Recycle/ —some file managers send deleted files to the "recycle bin". Also try to recover data using DiskDigger or Recuva (root is required for deep scanning).

FAQ: Frequently asked questions cleaning through Total Commander

Is it possible to delete the Android folder completely?

No, this will cause all applications to crash. Delete only the folders of unnecessary apps inside Android/data/ and Android/obb/.

Why does Total Commander not see some files?

Possible reasons:

  • The files are hidden by the system (turn on display of hidden files in the settings).
  • The files belong to another user (on some firmware with multi-user mode).
  • The files are protected SELinux (requires root for access).

How to clear the Google Play Services cache?

The cache Google Play Services is stored in /data/data/com.google.android.gms/ and is not accessible without root. However, you can:

  1. Go. in Settings → Applications → Google Play Services → Storage → Clear cache.
  2. Disable and re-enable the application (this will reset some temporary data).

What are files with the .nomedia extension and can they be deleted?

Files .nomedia inform Androidthat the folder does not need to be scanned for media files (for example, to hide photos from the gallery), they can be deleted, but then the contents of the folder will become visible in multimedia applications.

How to clear the phone's memory if Total Commander does not work does it help?

If after cleaning the space is not freed up:

  • Check section "Other" in Settings → Storage there may be system dumps.
  • Use ADB to remove unnecessary APKs (adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 package.applications).
  • Reset the phone to factory settings (last option).