Modern smartphones Honor i Huawei are famous for their thoughtful shell Magic UIwhich offers users Lots of convenient features for creating and editing images. However, frequent use of the screenshot feature inevitably leads to the accumulation of a large number of files that take up precious space in the internal memory of the device. Over time, the gallery turns into a chaotic storage, where random pictures are lost among important work documents, and the system begins to work slower due to lack of resources.
The cleaning process does not always come down to simply pressing one button, especially when it comes to mass deletion or searching for hidden copies. Algorithms working with the file system in different firmware versions may differ, which sometimes poses a problem for users to a dead end. In this article, we will analyze in detail all existing methods for deleting screenshots, from standard methods to working with cloud services and system folders, so that you can fully control the contents of your gadget.
It is important to understand that competent management of media files is not only a matter of order, but also a necessity for ensuring performance. Android. A full thumbnail cache and indexing of thousands of images can significantly slow down the interface. Therefore, regular cleaning is an important part of maintaining your device Honor.
Standard deletion through the Gallery application
The most obvious and frequently used way to get rid of unnecessary images is to work through the standard application Gallery. It is preinstalled on all smartphones of the brand and provides a convenient interface for sorting and deleting content. To delete one or more screenshots, the user needs to open the application and go to the section, which is usually called Albums or Photo.
Inside you will find a folder with name Screenshots or Screenshots, where all taken screenshots are automatically saved. Clicking on it will show you a grid of images sorted by creation date. To delete a specific file, just click on it and hold your finger until the action menu appears, and then select the trash can icon. If you need to remove many files at once, it is more convenient to use the selection mode.
- 📱 Click on one screenshot, then select the "Select all" option or manually mark the desired files with your finger.
- 🗑️ Click on the trash can icon in the lower corner of the screen to start the process deletion.
- ✅ Confirm the action in the pop-up window so that the files are moved to the trash.
Use the "Select by date" function in the gallery menu to quickly select all screenshots taken for a specific day or week.
It is worth noting that after this action, the images do not disappear irrevocably immediately. They are moved to a special system album Recently deleted, where they are stored for 30 days. This is done to protect against accidental loss of important data. If you accidentally deleted unnecessary things, the file can be easily restored from this folder.
Mass cleaning via File Manager
For deeper work with the smartphone file system Honor the built-in application is ideal Files. This tool allows you to see the folder structure as it physically exists on disk, bypassing the visual gallery albums. This approach is especially useful when you need to delete screenshots that for some reason are not displayed in the standard gallery, or you want to free up space as efficiently as possible.
To find screenshots through Explorer, open the application Files and go to the Internal memorysection. Next you need to follow the path Pictures → Screenshots. In some firmware versions Magic UI the path may look like DCIM → Screenshots. Here are all the original files in their full size.
⚠️ Attention: When deleting files through the file manager, they may not end up in the recycle bin and will be deleted permanently immediately after confirmation. Be extremely careful when choosing files to delete so as not to accidentally erase important documents.
The advantage of using a file manager is the ability to sort files by size. Screenshots can often weigh quite a lot, especially if they are taken in high resolution. You can sort the list by file size to find and delete the heaviest images that take up the most space.
In addition, the file manager has a function for clearing duplicates. If you took screenshots of the same thing, the system may suggest deleting the copies, leaving only one original. This is a great way to optimize space without losing quality or necessary information.
Working with the "Recently Deleted" album
Many users forget about the existence of a security buffer that stores deleted files. In smartphones Honor this function is implemented through the album Recently deleted. Files that end up here continue to take up space on your device's memory until 30 days have passed or you manually empty this folder. To completely free up memory, you need to perform an additional procedure.
To permanently erase data, open the Gallery application and go to the Albumstab. Scroll to the very bottom of the list, where service folders are usually located, and find Recently deleted. Once you enter it, you will see all the images that are waiting to be permanently deleted. Here you can select individual files or click the button to clear the entire album at once.
The final deletion process requires confirmation, as the system warns that it is impossible to restore data after this step. This is an important maintenance step that is often ignored, which leads to a paradoxical situation: the user has deleted thousands of photos, but the phone memory is not free.
☑️ Complete memory clearing
It is also possible to change the settings for storing deleted files. In some versions of the shell, you can configure the retention period or disable the trash function altogether so that files are deleted instantly. However, this requires caution, as it increases the risk of data loss due to erroneous actions.
Deleting screenshots via Google Photos
Owners of smartphones Honor with installed services Google often use the application Google Photos as main gallery. This application has its own synchronization and deletion algorithm, which may differ from the system one. If you use this service, it is important to understand how file management works within the Google ecosystem.
When you delete a screenshot in Google Photos, it is also moved to the trash, but within this application. The peculiarity is that if synchronization is enabled, deleting a file on the phone can lead to its deletion in the cloud and on other devices associated with this account. This must be taken into account when cleaning.
To delete, open the Google Photos application, select the desired screenshots and click on the trash can icon. To find screenshots specifically, you can use the search within the application by entering the query “screenshots” or “screenshots”. Google's smart algorithm will independently recognize the type of content and produce appropriate results.
Both applications| Action | Where performed | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Delete | Honor Gallery | File in Honor Trash (30 days) |
| Delete | Google Photos | File in Google Trash (60 days) |
| Emptying the Trash | Complete removal from the device |
⚠️ Attention: Application interfaces and menu locations may change with software updates. If you do not find the described items, check the "Settings" section inside the Google Photos application itself to update the information.
An important nuance is the "Free up space" function in Google Photos. It allows you to delete from your device those photos and screenshots that have already been successfully saved to cloud storage. This is a great way to quickly clear your phone's memory by leaving copies on the Internet.
Search for hidden copies and messenger cache
It often happens that a user deletes a screenshot from the gallery, but the space is not freed up. This happens because many messengers, such as Telegram, WhatsApp or Vibercreate their own copies of received or sent images. These files can be duplicated in different folders, creating “digital trash.”
To find such hidden copies, you need to go to the file manager and check the folders of specific applications. Usually they are located along the path Android → media or in the root of the internal memory in folders with the names of messengers. For example, screenshots from Telegram are often located in the folder Telegram → Telegram Images.
- 🔍 Open the file manager and use the search for the keyword "screenshot".
- 📂 Check the folders of installed messengers for duplicate images.
- 🧹 Use the built-in The "Cleanup" tool in the phone settings to search for large files.
It is also worth paying attention to the folder .thumbnails (it may be hidden) where image thumbnails are stored. Sometimes the cache of this folder grows to gigantic proportions if there were a lot of photos in the gallery that were later deleted. Clearing the gallery cache through application settings (Settings → Applications → Gallery → Storage → Clear cache) will help solve this problem.
What to do if the file is not deleted?
If the system writes that the file is busy or damaged, try rebooting your smartphone in safe mode. If this does not help, connect the phone to the computer and delete the file through the PC explorer.
Automatic cleaning and optimization of the system
Smartphones Honor equipped with a built-in optimization system Phone Manager (Phone Manager), which allows you to automate cleaning process. This is the most secure and efficient method for users who do not want to manually sort through thousands of files. The system itself analyzes the content and offers to delete unnecessary items.
Launch the application Optimization or Phone Manager and select item Cleaning. The system will scan your device and find categories of files that take up a lot of space, including screenshots, similar images, and temporary files. You can select the "Screenshots" category and delete them all at once or selectively.
In addition, you can enable the automatic cleaning function in the storage settings. It will periodically prompt you to delete old files that you have not opened for a long time. This helps keep your phone clean without constant user intervention.
Regular use of built-in optimization prevents memory overflow and extends the life of your smartphone's storage.
Don't forget that automatic tools may sometimes suggest deleting files that you still need. Always check the list carefully before confirming a mass purge. It’s better to double-check than to look for a way to restore important information later.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Where do screenshots go after being deleted from the gallery?
After being deleted from the gallery, the files are moved to the "Recently Deleted" album, where they are stored for 30 days. Only after the expiration of this period or manual emptying of the recycle bin do they disappear from the device completely.
Is it possible to recover a deleted screenshot on Honor?
Yes, if less than 30 days have passed since the deletion, the file can be found in the "Recently Deleted" album. If the recycle bin has been emptied, recovery is only possible through specialized software for a PC or from a cloud backup if it was made in advance.
Why do screenshots take up so much space?
Modern screens have high resolution, so each screenshot can weigh several megabytes. Hundreds and thousands of such files accumulated over months of use can take up several gigabytes of memory.
How to prohibit saving screenshots in the gallery?
It is impossible to prohibit saving using standard system tools. However, some third-party applications for creating screenshots allow you to customize the saving path or not save the file to a shared gallery, but immediately send it to the cloud or instant messenger.