Owners of Androiddevices are often faced with a paradoxical situation: photos seem to be deleted, but free space in memory does not appear. The culprit is often a hidden system folder Thumbnailsthat accumulates thumbnails of images to speed up their display in the gallery. Over time, this cache grows to gigabytes, taking up precious space that could be used for applications or media files.
Many users try to simply delete this directory through a standard file manager, but soon discover that it has appeared again. This is normal system behavior, but there are methods to control its size or redirect cache creation. In this article, we will look at safe cleaning methods and explain why blind deletion may not be effective without additional actions.
It is worth understanding that Thumbnails is not a virus or a bug, but a functional element of the operating system. However, if your phone has started to slow down or you have reached the limit of internal memory, manual operation will be justified. We will look at both standard tools and advanced methods for users with rights. root.
What is the Thumbnails folder and why does it take up a lot of space?
The directory .thumbnails (often hidden, with a dot at the beginning of the name) serves as storage for thumbnails of photos and videos. When you open a gallery, the system does not render each image again, but loads ready-made thumbnails from this folder. This makes the feed scroll smoother and faster, reducing the load on the device's processor.
The problem begins when the user takes thousands of pictures or downloads heavy high-definition videos. Cache files can weigh more than the originals due to the peculiarities of compression algorithms and duplication of data in different resolutions. In some cases, the folder size reached 10-15 GB on devices with a small amount of internal memory.
The files inside this folder have an extension .jpg, but their names are hash sums, which makes them unreadable for a person without special decoders. The system automatically updates them, adding new ones and sometimes forgetting to delete old ones if the corresponding originals have been erased by the user.
⚠️ Attention: An endless cycle of folder creation occurs because the Gallery or Google Photos application checks for the presence of a cache each time it is launched. If the folder doesn't exist, they create it again. Simply deleting the directory is not enough - you need to prevent it from growing again.
Preparing the device before deleting system files
Before taking radical measures, you need to secure your data. Deleting system caches rarely results in the loss of personal photos, but there is always a risk of damaging the file structure. It is recommended to back up important documents and media files to cloud storage or to your computer.
It is also worth checking which applications have access to the gallery. Often, cache bloat is caused not by the system gallery, but by third-party instant messengers or social networks that scan media files. Disabling synchronization while cleaning will help avoid conflicts.
Make sure the battery charge is at least 30-40%, especially if you plan to use third-party cleaning utilities. Interrupting the process of writing to disk can lead to logical errors in the file system.
☑️ Checklist before cleaning
Removing Thumbnails through a standard file manager
The easiest way to free up space is to use built-in tools Android. However, starting from version Android 11, access to system folders is limited by the security policy Scoped Storage. On older versions (Android 10 and below), the procedure is simpler.
You need to open the "Files" or "My Files" application. In the display settings, be sure to enable the "Show hidden files" item, otherwise the folder with a dot in the name will be invisible. The path to the directory usually looks like DCIM/.thumbnails or Pictures/.thumbnails.
Select the folder and select deletion. The system may request confirmation of access rights. If the deletion was successful, the space will be freed up instantly. However, as soon as you open the gallery, the folder will be created again, but this time empty, which will give you a temporary window to work.
| Folder Path | Android Version | Access |
|---|---|---|
/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails |
Android 6.0 - 9.0 | Full Control |
/storage/emulated/0/Pictures/.thumbnails |
Android 10+ | Limited |
/data/data/com.android.providers.media |
All versions | Root only |
/Android/data/com.google.android.apps.photos |
Android 11+ | Special. access |
If the standard file manager does not allow you to delete a folder, try using the "Safe Mode" mode. This will disable third-party applications that may block access to files.
Using a computer for deep cleaning
Connecting a smartphone to a PC via a USB cable often allows you to bypass the limitations of the mobile interface. The computer sees the phone's file system as an external drive, which gives more opportunities for manipulation. This is especially true if the phone slows down and does not allow you to work normally with the menu.
After connecting, select the file transfer mode (MTP) in the notification on the phone screen. On your computer, open the device, go to the folder DCIM and find there .thumbnails. Removal from the computer often takes place without any questions from the security system Android.
If the folder is not deleted from the computer, it means that the process that uses these files is active. Reboot your phone, immediately connect the cable and quickly delete the content before launching heavy applications. You can also try to format the memory card, if the cache is stored on it, after saving important data.
⚠️ Attention: Shell interfaces (MIUI, OneUI, ColorOS) may differ. Folder locations may vary. If you do not find the folder using the standard path, use the search for hidden files in the root directory.
Stopping the Media Storage process to prevent growth
To prevent the folder from being created automatically immediately after deletion, you must stop the system service responsible for media content. This method is effective, but requires care, since after using it, the gallery may temporarily not display images.
Go to Settings → Applications → Show system processes. Find the "Media Server" application (or Media Storage). In the menu that opens, select "Stop", and then "Clear data" and "Clear cache". This will reset the media file database.
After this operation, the phone may “think” for several minutes, rescanning the memory. At this moment it is better not to take new pictures. To consolidate the result and prevent the creation of a folder, some users rename the deleted folder to a file with the same name, but without an extension, although on modern versions Android this works unstable.
Why does the folder appear again?
The Android Media Provider system process automatically generates thumbnails whenever image files are accessed. Without superuser rights, it is impossible to completely prohibit this action using standard means; you can only clear the cache regularly.
Radical methods: root access and scripts
For users who have received rights Superuser (Root)the possibilities of full control open up. Using file managers like Root Explorer or Solid Explorer you can not only delete, but also change access rights to system folders.
The essence of the method is to delete a folder .thumbnails and create in its place a regular file with the same name, which is prohibited from being written to. To do this, in the file properties, uncheck all permissions (chmod 000). The system will try to write data there, receive a refusal and stop trying.
# Example command for Termux (Root required)su
rm -rf /sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails
touch /sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails
chmod 000 /sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails
This method requires technical literacy. An error in access rights to system files can lead to unstable operation of the device or a cyclic reboot. Use this method only if you are confident in your actions and have made a full backup.
Creating a stub file with a write ban is the only way to permanently stop the growth of the Thumbnails folder without losing the functionality of the gallery, but it requires root access.
Alternative solutions and storage optimization
Instead of fighting The system can change the approach to photo storage. Using cloud services with the “free up space” function allows you to store originals on the Internet, and leave only thumbnails on the device, which take up less space.
Regularly clearing the cache of messenger applications (Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber) also gives a huge increase in free memory. These applications often store copies of media files in their own folders, which duplicate the contents of the system gallery.
Consider installing cleaning apps that have special algorithms to safely remove your thumbnail cache, such as SD Maid or Files by Google. They know how to find "orphaned" files that are not used by the system and delete them safely.
Is it safe to delete the Thumbnails folder regularly?
Yes, it is safe for personal data. You will not lose the original photos. However, frequent deletion causes the processor to spend resources again on generating thumbnails, which can temporarily reduce the autonomy of the device.
Why did the phone start to work slower after deleting the folder?
When you first launch the gallery after cleaning, the system has to re-create thumbnails for all images. This creates a high load on the processor. After some time, the speed will be restored.
Is it possible to transfer the Thumbnails folder to a memory card?
No using standard means. The path to the system cache is hardcoded in the OS. Transfer is possible only if you have root access and use special link scripts, which is not recommended for ordinary users.
Does the Thumbnails folder take up space in the "System" or "Device Memory" section?
Thumbnail files are usually considered user data and take up space in the "Device Memory" or "Files and Media" section, and not in system partition, so deleting them is safe for booting the OS.