Smartphone owners Samsung often face a situation where the device’s memory is rapidly filling up. One of the common reasons for this phenomenon is the messenger WhatsApp, which accumulates gigabytes of media files. Among them, a special place is occupied by stickers - bright images that users actively use to add emotional color to correspondence. Over time, the collection grows, taking up valuable space in the internal memory.
The cleaning process is not always intuitive, since the application interface is hidden behind several levels of menus. On brand devices Samsung the situation is complicated by the presence of a proprietary shell One UI, which may differ from the stock one Android. If you want to free up space or simply clean up your chats, you need to know the exact algorithm of actions. This article will examine in detail all removal methods - from built-in functions to working with the file system.
We will look at both standard packages and third-party packages installed from the store. You'll learn how to find hidden data folders and safely delete them without the risk of losing important communications. Proper cleaning will speed up your work Galaxy and increase overall system performance.
Removing third-party packages through application settings
The easiest and safest way to get rid of unnecessary pictures is to use the built-in functionality of the messenger. This method is ideal for those who downloaded additional packs through the Sticker Store button. You do not need third-party software or access to system files.
First, open the application and go to any active correspondence. Tap the text input field to bring up the emoji panel. To the right of the input line you will see a sticker icon. By clicking on it, you will open a panel with your favorite sets. At the bottom of the screen or in the corner there is usually a gear or plus icon responsible for managing the collection.
Click on the management icon to see the full list of installed packages. Here you can select any unnecessary set. Hold your finger on the package icon or find the delete button next to the name. The system will ask you to confirm the action. After confirmation data will be deleted instantly, freeing up disk space.
- 📱 Open the chat and click on the sticker icon in the input field.
- ⚙️ Go to the control menu (gear or three dots).
- 🗑️ Select an unnecessary package and confirm deletion.
- ✅ Check if the set has disappeared from your collection.
It's worth noting that this method only removes the package link and display cache. In some cases, the original files may remain deep in the system if they were downloaded as separate images earlier. However, for most users, this method is enough to clear the interface and the basic cache.
Manual cleaning through the Samsung file manager
If automatic deletion does not help or you want to ensure that all traces of files are erased, you will have to use the file manager. Smartphones Samsung come pre-installed with the “My Files” application, which has sufficient functionality for this task. This is a more advanced method that requires attention.
Launch the application My files and go to the “Internal Memory” section. You need to find the root folder Android. Inside it, place a directory media, and then a folder com.whatsapp. This is where all the messenger media data is stored, including the image cache.
Next follow the path WhatsApp → Media → WhatsApp Stickers. This directory stores files of third-party stickers in the .webpformat. You can select all the files in this folder and delete them. The system will warn you that the action is irreversible. After cleaning, restart your smartphone for the changes to take effect.
⚠️ Attention: Deleting files through the file manager is irreversible. If you accidentally delete the necessary images, it will be impossible to restore them without special software.
☑️ Check before deleting files
It is important to understand the difference between folders. The directory WhatsApp Images stores ordinary photographs, and the directory WhatsApp Stickers stores sets of stickers. Be extremely careful when choosing a folder so as not to delete valuable memories instead of unnecessary pictures.
Clearing the cache and application data
Sometimes the problem of garbage accumulation is solved by globally clearing the cache. This method does not delete your conversations, but it does reset temporary files, which can take up hundreds of megabytes. On devices Samsung application memory management is placed in separate system settings.
Go to Settings your smartphone and find the “Applications” section. In the list of installed apps, find WhatsApp. Click on it to open the application card. Here you are interested in the “Memory” or “Storage” item, depending on the shell version One UI.
You will see two main buttons: “Clear cache” and “Clear data”. Click the first button. This will safely delete temporary files, including sticker thumbnails and downloaded media previews. If you click “Clear data”, the application will return to its factory state, and all chats will be deleted if there is no backup.
| Action | What is being deleted | Risk of losing chats | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delete package | Only selected set | No | Safe |
| Clear cache | Temporary files, thumbnails | No | Recommended regularly |
| Data clearing | All settings, chats, media | High | Only when resetting |
| Deleting files | Specific files from a folder | Medium | Only for experienced |
Periodic clearing of the cache (once a month) helps maintain the performance of the messenger on Samsung smartphones with a small amount of RAM.
After clearing the cache, it may take some time for the stickers to be reloaded from the network when you reopen chats. This is normal system behavior, indicating that the temporary storage has been successfully reset.
Deleting custom stickers and personal sets
Users often create their own sticker sets from photos of friends or pets using third-party creator applications. Such files are often not displayed in the standard delete menu inside WhatsApp. You have to search for them manually.
Personal stickers are usually saved in a separate folder within the structure WhatsApp. The path may look like Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Stickers/ThirdParty. There may be files created through applications like Sticker Maker.
To delete, go to this folder through the file manager. You will see files with the extension .webp or folders with the names of the created sets. Select them and delete them. After that, go to WhatsApp, open the sticker panel and refresh the list (usually this happens automatically when you restart the application).
⚠️ Warning: Third-party sticker apps may duplicate files in their own folder. Also check the “Downloads” section or the folder of the designer application itself.
If you use the “My Stickers” function inside WhatsApp itself (adding photos from the gallery), then the original photos remain in your Gallery. Removing a sticker from a chat does not delete the original photo from the phone's memory. This must be taken into account when planning to clean up space.
Features of working on different versions of Android and One UI
The interface and file paths may vary slightly depending on the version of the operating system. On older versions Android 10 and below, access to the folder Android was free. Starting from Android 11 and higher, the security policy has become stricter, and access to some system directories is limited.
On smartphones Samsung with shell One UI 5.0 and newer, the file manager may request special permission the first time you try to enter the folder. Android. You will need to click Allow and confirm access to this area. Without this, you will not be able to see the contents of the folder com.whatsapp.
It is also worth considering that on some models of the series Galaxy A or M with a stripped-down version of the software, a standard file manager can hide system folders by default. In the settings of the My Files application, enable the display of hidden system files, if the option is available.
What to do if the Android folder is empty?
If you go to the Android folder and see it empty, most likely your file manager does not have access rights. Try using a third-party file manager, for example, Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer, which can correctly request permissions on Android 11+.
Owners of new flagships, such as S23 or S24are advised to regularly check system updates. Engineers Samsung are constantly optimizing the work with memory, and new patches may include built-in tools for more convenient cleaning of garbage.
Preventing memory clogging with stickers
In order not to return to the problem of cleaning every month, it is worth setting up automatic saving of media. By default, WhatsApp saves all received pictures and stickers to the phone gallery, which double-clicks the memory. This feature can be disabled.
Go to WhatsApp settings, select the “Chats” section. Find the "Media Visibility" or "Save to Gallery" toggle. Turn it off. Now new stickers and pictures will be visible only inside the messenger and will not be duplicated in the system gallery Samsung.
It is also useful to regularly view the “Storage” section inside the settings of WhatsApp itself. There, the application itself shows which chats take up the most space. You can go into a specific dialog and delete old stickers selectively without touching the entire data array.
Disabling autosaving of media in the Gallery is the most effective way to prevent the memory from quickly filling up on Samsung smartphones.
Remember that stickers are not just pictures, but data that is indexed by the system. The less garbage in the file system, the faster the search works and the more responsive the interface of your smartphone. Regular hygiene of the digital space prolongs the life of the device.
Will stickers be deleted from my interlocutor if I delete them on myself?
No, stickers are deleted only locally on your device. The interlocutor will continue to see them in the conversation history unless he deletes them from his phone.
Can deleted stickers be restored?
If you deleted a third-party package through the settings, you can download it again from the sticker store. If you deleted files manually through the file manager without a backup, recovery is not possible.
Why does the sticker folder appear again after deletion?
Whatsapp automatically creates service folders when launched. If you deleted the content but not the application itself, the empty folder will be created again the next time you update the cache or get a new sticker.
Do stickers take up a lot of space on Samsung?
One sticker weighs a little, but popular packs can contain 30-50 images. In total, over a year of active correspondence, a collection of stickers can take up from 100 MB to 1 GB of space, which is significant for budget models.