"Not enough memory" on Android: how to free up space and bring your phone back to life

Are you trying to install a new application, take a photo or update the system, but your phone persistently gives an error "Not enough memory"? Even if your Androiddevice has a memory card, the system may ignore it and require you to free the internal storage. In this article we will look 10 proven methodshow to solve the problem - from basic to advanced, including hidden settings and cleaning automation.

The reasons for lack of memory are different: from banal filling with garbage to failures in the file system. For example, on Samsung Galaxy with shell One UI there are often problems with the cache Android/data, and on Xiaomi with MIUI - with duplicate files in the folder DCIM/.thumbnails. We took into account the features of popular brands and collected solutions that work for Android 8–14.

Important: if the phone not only warns about low memory, but stuck on the screen with an error or has stopped loading, this may be a sign partition damage /data or worn out flash memory. In this case, drastic measures will be required (see the section on resetting settings).

1. Quick cleaning: removing junk and cache

Start with the simplest thing - deleting temporary files. The application cache, remnants of updates and photo thumbnails can occupy up to 5–10 GB on the internal storage. Here's how to find them:

• 📱 Through Android settings: go to Settings → Storage → Free up space. The system itself will analyze what can be deleted (cache, downloads, unused files).
• 🧹 Manual clearing the cache: in the same menu Storage tap on Cached data and confirm the deletion. This is safe - applications will restore the cache the next time they are launched.
• 🗑️ Folder Download: check the folder Downloads (can be opened through any file manager). Often outdated APKs, documents and archives accumulate there.

On Xiaomi, Redmi i POCO there is a built-in utility Security → Cleaning, which finds garbage better than the standard Android tool. And on Samsung it’s useful to look into Device care → Memory → Details —the most “gluttonous” applications are displayed there.

⚠️ Attention: do not manually delete folders with names like com.android.* or android.obb —this may break the system or games. To clean them, use specialized utilities (see section 3).

2. Transferring data to a memory card or cloud

If the internal memory is full and you have a microSDcard, transfer heavy files to it. But keep in mind: not all applications support working with external storage. Here's what you can transfer without risk:

• 📸 Photos and videos: use Google Photos (automatic upload to the cloud) or manually move the folder DCIM to a memory card through a file manager.
• 🎵 Music and podcasts: in applications like Spotify or VK Music you can select a memory card as a place to save offline tracks.
• 🎮 Games: some games (for example, Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile) allow you to transfer the cache to an SD card. Check the game settings section Storage.

To transfer applications to the memory card:

1. Open Settings → Applications.
2. Select the desired application and tap Storage.
3. If the option is available Change, select SD card.

⚠️ Attention: to Android 9+ transferring applications to a memory card is often blocked for security reasons. In this case, use binding the card as internal storage (formatting as Adoptable Storage), but this will delete all data from it!

File type	Can be transferred to SD	Can be transferred to the cloud	Risks
Photo/video	✅ Yes	✅ Yes (Google Photo, Yandex Disk)	When deleted from the phone, the originals will remain only in the cloud
Applications	⚠️ Partially (depending on the Android version)	❌ No	May work slower or crash
Game cache (.obb)	✅ Yes (if the game supports it)	❌ No	When transferring, some games require re-downloading data
Documents (PDF, DOCX)	✅ Yes	✅ Yes (Dropbox, OneDrive)	No risks

3. Removing unnecessary applications and their remains

Many users delete applications, but forget about them residual. files - folders in Android/data i Android/obb. These files can take up gigabytes of memory, even if the application itself has long been uninstalled.

How to find and remove garbage:

1. Install a file manager with rights root (for example, FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /sdcard/Android/data and /sdcard/Android/obb.
3. Delete folders with the names of deleted applications (for example, com.tencent.ig for PUBG Mobile).

For automation, use utilities:

• 🛠️ SD Maid - finds residual files and duplicates.
• 🧹 Files by Google — built-in cleaning tool with search function for large files.
• 🔍 CCleaner — analyzes the cache and garbage, but be careful with its “optimizations” (they sometimes delete the necessary data).

Delete unused apps|Check the Android/data folder for residual files|Clear the cache through Settings → Applications|Disable auto-update of unnecessary applications in the Play Market-->

⚠️ Attention: do not delete the folders of running applications in Android/obb - this will cause the games to crash (for example, Genshin Impact or Honor of Kings will stop launching).

4. Cleaning system files (without root)

Android creates many hidden files that are not visible in the standard manager. For example:

• 📂 .thumbnails — photo and video thumbnails (can weigh 1–3 GB).
• 📄 logs — error logs and debugging information.
• 🔄 temp — APK installer temporary files.

To delete:

1. Connect your phone to the PC and turn on File transfer mode (MTP).
2. Use Total Commander or 7-Zip to search for hidden folders (turn on display hidden files).
3. Delete the contents of the folders .thumbnails, logs, temp (but not the folders themselves!).

On Samsung Additionally check the folder /My Files/Internal storage/Android/data/com.sec.android.app.launcher —there may be duplicate wallpapers and icons.

What to do if hidden folders are not visible?

On Windows: in Explorer, go to the tab View → check the box Hidden elements.

On Mac: in the Finder, click Command + Shift + . (dot).

On Android: in the file manager (for example, FX) enable the option Show hidden files in Settings.

5. Optimizing Android performance: disabling background processes

Many applications continue to run in the background, consuming memory and filling up the cache. For example, Facebook and Instagram can take up to 500 MB only for background processes. Here's how to limit them:

• ⚙️ Disable autorun: on Xiaomi this is done in Settings → Applications → Manage autorun. On Samsung — Settings → Device care → Autorun.
• 🚫 Limit background activity: in the settings of each application (Settings → Applications → [name] → Battery) select Limit background activity.
• 🔄 Disable synchronization: for Google Drive, Photo and other cloud services, disable automatic synchronization in their settings.

For advanced users:

adb shell cmd appops set [application_package] RUN_ANY_IN_BACKGROUND ignore

This command will completely block the background operation of the specified application. You can find out the package using ADB will completely block the background operation of the specified application. You can find out the package using App Inspector.

6. Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If none of the methods helped, and the phone still writes "Not enough memory", the file system may be damaged or the system partitions are clogged. In this case, hard reset will help.

⚠️ Attention: reset will delete all dataincluding photos, contacts and applications. Preliminarily:

1. Make a backup via Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Copy photos and videos to your PC or to the cloud.
3. Record or export SMS (can be done via SMS Backup & Restore).

Reset instructions:

1. Go to Settings → System → Reset settings.
2. Select Delete all data (reset to factory settings).
3. Confirm the action (you may need to enter a pattern key).

If the phone is frozen and does not respond to commands, reset via recovery mode:

1. Turn off the device.
2. Hold down the combination of buttons (depending on the model):
   • Samsung: Power + Volume up + Bixby.
   • Xiaomi/Redmi: Power + Volume up.
   • Google Pixel: Power + Volume down.

V menu Recovery select Wipe data/factory reset (control the volume and power buttons).

After the reset, the phone will be like new. Do not restore the data from the backup immediately - first check if the reset solves the memory problem.

7. root access

If you are ready to experiment, these methods will help free up memory where standard means are powerless. data-i="256">Method 1: Cleaning the folder Attention: wrong actions can lead to data loss or phone failure.

Method 1: Empty the folder /data/log via ADB

System logs can take up hundreds of megabytes. To delete them:

1. Connect the phone to the PC and turn it on USB Debugging (Settings → About phone → Build number - tap 7 times, then go back to Settings → System → For Developers).
2. Open the command line on your PC and enter:

   adb shell
   su
   rm -rf /data/log/*
   exit
   exit

Method 2: Transfer applications to the SD card using Link2SD (root required)

If you have root access, Link2SD allows you to transfer applications to a memory card without Android restrictions. Instructions: Root access data-i="274">For each application, tap

1. Install Link2SD from Play Market.
2. In settings select Ext2/3/4 as the type of second partition on the SD card (it will need to be repartitioned!).
3. For each application, tap Create link and select Move to SD card.

Method 3: Removing built-in applications (debloat)

Manufacturers often install unnecessary applications (bloatware), which cannot be removed using standard means. With root or through ADB they can be uninstalled:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 [application_package]

Lists of safe-to-uninstall packages for popular brands:

• Samsung: com.sec.android.app.launcher (standard launcher), com.samsung.android.bixby.agent.
• Xiaomi: com.miui.analytics, com.xiaomi.mipicks.
• Huawei: com.huawei.android.hsf, com.huawei.appmarket.
How to find the application package?

Install App Inspector from the Play Market. Open the application whose package you want to find out and tap on its icon in the list of running processes.

8. Prevention: how to avoid low memory in the future

To prevent the problem from recurring, follow these rules:

• 📱 Regular cleaning: check once a month Settings → Storage and delete unnecessary files.
• 🔄 Auto clear cache: in Google Play Market disable auto-update of applications or limit it to Wi-Fi only.
• ☁️ Cloud backups: set up automatic photo upload to Google Photos (quality High does not take up space in the cloud).
• 🛡️ Antivirus with cleaning: Malwarebytes or Bitdefender are able to find suspicious files that can clog memory.

For Samsung useful to enable function Auto cleaning in Device care → Settings → Automatic optimization. On Xiaomi there is a similar option in Security → Cleaning → Auto-clean.

If you often install games, use external storage (for example, USB-C flash drive) or cloud gaming (Xbox Cloud Gaming, GeForce NOW). This will eliminate the need to store heavy files on the phone.

💡

Even if you have a phone with 128 GB of memory, regularly clearing the cache and deleting unnecessary files will prolong life of the drive and prevent system slowdown.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about low memory on Android

❓ Why does the phone write “Not enough memory” if there is space on the memory card?

Android by default installs applications and their data in internal memory. A memory card (SD) is usually used only for media files. To transfer applications to SD, you need root access or function support Adoptable Storage (not available on all devices).

❓ Is it possible to increase the internal memory phone?

Physically - no. But you can:

• Use the SD card as internal storage (formatting as Adoptable Storage, but this will delete all data from it).
• Connect USB drive via OTG and transfer some files to it.
• Delete system applications (root required).

On some phones (for example, Samsung Galaxy S22+) you can expand the memory for count virtual RAM, but this does not add space for files.

❓ Why does it quickly run out again after clearing the memory?
Probable reasons:
• 🔄 Background processes (for example, Facebook or TikTok permanently cache data).
• 📥 Auto-updating applications in the Play Market (downloads APK in the background).
• 📸 Automatic media download in instant messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram).
• 🐞 Viruses or adwarewhich downloads files without your knowledge.

Solution: disable autorun of unnecessary applications and scan your phone with an antivirus.

❓ How to clear memory if the phone does not turn on?

If the device does not boot or freezes on the logo:

1. Try logging in recovery mode (see section 6) and execute Wipe cache partition (does not delete user data!).
2. If this does not help, connect the phone to the PC and use ADB to clear the cache:

   adb shell recovery --wipe_cache

3. As a last resort, perform full reset via Recovery (Wipe data/factory reset).

⚠️ If the phone does not even respond to charging, the problem may be hardware failure (flash memory damage). In this case, contact the service center.

❓ Which applications take up the most memory?

Top 5 “gluttonous” applications (according to Android Authority, 2026):

1. Call of Duty: Mobile — up to 8 GB (cache + data).
2. Genshin Impact — up to 15 GB (with updates).
3. Facebook — up to 1 GB cache per month of use.
4. TikTok - up to 500 MB cache per week.
5. Google Maps - up to 2 GB when downloading offline maps.

Check them in Settings → Applications → Storage and clear the cache.