File managers on Android can be a handy tool for organizing data storage on your smartphone. But the Android storage structure itself is very confusing for most users.
In Android, you can’t access deeply hidden system files through a regular file manager or by connecting to a PC. As a result, removing some of the debris from their storage makes it difficult. The largest hidden files and folders are stored in the Other of Android storage.
This step-by-step guide will help you learn how to clear Other storage on Android and clear several gigabytes of space.
What is Other in Android Storage?
The Android file system is more complex than iOS. Therefore, you may not realize how many different files, folders, and other data are stored on your device. It all piles up and takes up precious limited memory.
The Other on Android consolidates all the data difficult for the device’s file system to identify. For example, app cache, saved navigation maps, messenger media files, data copies, operating system update files, and more. Most of this data has no value because it does not affect the system. All system and critical files are located in a special folder, so clearing the Other will not affect the operation of the device.
You can find out how much storage Other occupies on your Android device in a few clicks:
- Open the settings of your Android device.
- Go to the About phone menu.
- Open Storage.
In the Storage menu, there is an infographic showing the space occupied by different data types. Check to see how much storage you have occupied by Other data. It could be more than 10 gigabytes that you don’t know about.
Step-by-step Guide on How to Delete Other Storage on Android
- Clear the temporary garbage in your storage: open the Storage menu > click the Free up button.
- Clear files and folders from the Other menu: open File Manager > More > Other. Delete temporary media files and other data you find.
- Clear the cache of messenger browsers and navigation maps in the applications menu: open Settings > Apps > Manage Apps > select the desired application > Clear Data.
The most important hidden data is often stored in the Other section of the file manager. For example, messenger folders store all the pictures, audio, and video your friends and colleagues send you. Also, in these folders are saved media files from chats and dialogs in which you are a member. Usually, users have a lot of ads and other junk in the Other folder. Therefore, we recommend you check your file manager and clean it out monthly. Otherwise, Others can grow to 10-20 gigabytes.
This monthly cleaning will save you at least 3-5 gigabytes each time in Android storage. Now you know how to delete other storage on Android!
Conclusion
Lack of memory on your smartphone or tablet can be a big problem. For example, you might not be able to take a picture or a video at the most critical moment because of it, or you might not be able to download an important file. So make sure you have free space in the storage of your Android device. Clear folder Other is the best solution to help you delete up to 10 gigabytes of unnecessary information and files.