Over time, a smartphone inevitably turns into a digital dump, where useful tools coexist with forgotten games and imposed pre-installed software. The accumulation of unnecessary files and apps slows down your work operating system, eats up precious space in the internal memory and reduces the battery life of your device. This problem is especially acute for owners of budget models with limited storage space, where every megabyte counts.
A single deletion of icons from the desktop takes forever, if there are dozens or even hundreds of such apps. Fortunately, modern versions Android and specialized tools allow you to solve this problem en masse, freeing up gigabytes of space in a few clicks. In this guide, we will look at all the available methods, from standard system functions to advanced methods for advanced users.
Standard Android system capabilities
Most modern smartphones running Android 11 and above offer a built-in mechanism for batch uninstalling apps. This method is the safest, as it eliminates the risk of deleting critical system components that can lead to unstable operation of the gadget. The user does not need to install additional software or connect the device to the computer.
The process begins by entering the application management menu. Usually the path looks like this: Settings → Applications → Manage applications. However, depending on the manufacturer's shell (MIUI, OneUI, ColorOS), the names of the items may differ slightly. In the list that opens, you will see all installed apps, sorted by name or frequency of use.
To activate the multiple selection mode, you need to press and hold your finger on one of the application icons in the list. Once the app is highlighted, a toolbar with action buttons will appear at the top of the screen. Here you can check off all unnecessary utilities that you plan to eliminate.
- 🗑️ Click the “Delete” button or the trash can icon after selecting all unnecessary apps.
- ✅ Confirm the action in the pop-up window, the system will ask for final consent.
- 📱 Wait for the process to complete, the progress bar will show the cleaning status.
It is worth noting that this method cannot remove system applications that were preinstalled by the manufacturer or telecom operator. For them, the delete button will be inactive or completely absent. In such cases, only the “Disable” action is available, which hides the app from the menu and stops its operation, but does not completely free up memory space.
Using the Google Play Store for cleaning
Many users forget that the official application store Google Play has powerful functionality for managing installed software remotely or directly from the smartphone screen. This is especially convenient if you want to clear memory of games you haven't played for a long time, or apps installed on your other devices.
To use this method, open the application Play Market and go to the content management section. Tap your profile icon in the top right corner, then select Manage apps and device. Go to the “Management” tab, where you will see a complete list of all software linked to your account.
Here you can sort applications by various criteria, for example, select the “Recently Used” or “By Size” filter. This allows you to quickly identify heavy apps that take up a lot of space but are not used. Select the desired items with a long tap and click on the trash icon in the top panel.
⚠️ Attention: When deleting through the Play Market, make sure that you do not erase important data synchronized with your account if the application does not have a cloud backup.
The advantage of this method is that you see not only locally installed apps, but also those that were previously downloaded on other gadgets. This helps maintain order in the digital ecosystem. However, to directly remove from the current device, it must have an active Internet connection.
If you want to remove apps that were not installed through the official store, this method may not work for all items. In this case, it is better to combine cleaning through the Play Market with standard system settings to achieve maximum results.
Mass removal via computer and ADB
For advanced users who want to achieve maximum system cleanliness and remove even the most hated pre-installed software (bloatware), Android Debug Bridge (ADB) will become an indispensable tool. This method requires connecting the smartphone to the PC via a USB cable and enabling debugging mode.
Before you begin, you must activate developer mode. Go to Settings → About phone and quickly click 7 times on the “Build number” item. After this, a new section “For Developers” will appear in the settings menu, where you need to find and enable the “USB Debugging” item.
Connect your phone to the computer and open the command line or terminal in the folder with installed Android platform tools. Enter the command to check the connection:
adb devicesA request for permission to debug from this computer will appear on the smartphone screen - confirm it. You can now manage application packages. To see a list of all installed apps with their package names, use the command:
adb shell pm list packagesTo uninstall a specific application in bulk, you can list the package names in a text file and run the uninstall cycle. However, it is easier to remove them one by one, but very quickly, using the command:
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 package nameThis method allows you to remove system applications for the current user without violating the integrity of the system at a deep level. If something goes wrong, you can get the app back by simply resetting your phone to factory settings.
What are package names?
The package name is a unique identifier for the application, for example, com.facebook.katana for Facebook. You can find it through special applications like App Inspector or through the ADB list packages command.
Third-party utilities for batch cleaning
If you don’t want to mess around with the command line, and standard functions are not enough, specialized applications from the Play Market will come to the rescue. There are many application managers that provide a convenient interface for bulk removal, sorting and analysis of installed software.
Popular solutions, such as App Manager or All-In-One Toolbox, scan the device and offer ready-made lists for cleaning. They can automatically find duplicates, rarely used apps and cache files. The interface of such utilities is usually intuitive: you simply check off the boxes that need to be removed.
Some managers have a “Cold Storage” function, which allows you to freeze applications instead of completely deleting them. This is useful for apps that you rarely use but don't want to lose their settings and data. A frozen application does not run in the background and does not consume the battery.
| Utility name | Main function | Presence of Root | Security |
|---|---|---|---|
| App Manager | Deep analysis and removal | Not required | High |
| Files by Google | Cleaning garbage and duplicates | Not required | High |
| SD Maid | Search for residual files | Optional | Average |
| Clean Master | Acceleration and cleaning | Not required | Average |
You should be careful when choosing third-party software. Avoid dubious “accelerators” that promise performance miracles, but themselves consume a lot of resources. Give preference to trusted developers with a good reputation and a large number of positive reviews.
Before using aggressive cleaners, create a backup copy of your important data. Some utilities may mistakenly delete necessary files along with garbage.
Removing pre-installed software (Bloatware)
One of the main headaches of Android smartphone owners is the abundance of pre-installed applications that cannot be removed in the usual way. Manufacturers and telecom operators often include in the firmware a set of apps that take up space and run in the background.
If the standard menu does not provide a “Delete” button, try clicking “Disable” first. This action will hide the icon from the menu, prevent the application from launching and updating, and also remove all its updates, freeing up some space. For many users, this is quite enough.
To completely physically remove such apps without root access, you will again need the ADB method described above. There are also special graphical shells for ADB, for example Universal Android Debloater, which work on the computer and allow you to remove system software through a convenient interface, and not through the console.
⚠️ Attention: Be extremely careful when removing system components. Removing critical services (for example
com.android.phone) may result in loss of communication or an endless reboot of the device (bootloop).
Always check the purpose of the application before deleting it. There are databases of system packages on the Internet for different smartphone models, which indicate whether a particular component can be safely removed. Do not delete applications whose purpose you are not 100% sure of.
☑️ Preparing to remove system applications
Cleaning residual files after deletion
Even after successfully deleting many applications, “tails” may remain in the phone’s memory - empty folders, cache files and configs, who took up space. Over time, such leftovers can accumulate and take up hundreds of megabytes of space.
You can use the built-in file manager to search for such files. Go to the root directory of the internal memory and pay attention to the folders with the names of deleted applications or developers. Often they are located in the directory Android/data or Android/obb.
However, manually cleaning these folders in new versions of Android (starting from 11th) may be limited by access rights. The system can prevent third-party file managers from viewing the contents of these directories. In this case, only cleaning through the storage settings or resetting to factory settings as a last resort will help.
Regularly checking free space helps maintain system performance. If, after mass deleting applications, the space has not freed up as you expected, most likely the problem is residual garbage or large media files that are not associated with applications.
Fully cleaning a smartphone includes not only deleting APK files of applications, but also manually checking folders with residual data in the storage.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it possible to restore deleted applications?
If you deleted an application through the standard menu or Play Market, you can download it again from the store, if it is available there. Application data will be lost if a backup is not made. System applications deleted via ADB can only be returned by resetting to factory settings (Factory Reset).
Why is the “Delete” button inactive for some applications?
These are system applications that are necessary for the Android operating system to work. The manufacturer blocks their removal to prevent damage to the phone. Such apps can only be disabled in the settings, which will stop them from working and hide them from the menu.
Is it safe to use memory cleaning apps?
Most well-known utilities are safe, but some aggressive “cleaners” can delete necessary files or show intrusive advertising. Use only trusted applications with high ratings and avoid those that require suspicious permissions.
Will your account be deleted from the application when you delete it?
Deleting the application itself does not delete your account with the service (for example, in a social network or bank). However, local login information will be erased from the device. When you reinstall, you will have to enter your login and password again.
How to remove applications if the phone screen does not work?
If the sensor does not work, but there is an image, you can connect a USB mouse via an OTG adapter and control the phone with the cursor. You can also use a computer and the ADB tool to remotely remove apps via the command line.