When the internal storage fills up, the camera doesn't have space to save photos, apps stop working and the whole UI starts feeling sluggish. Thankfully, on Samsung phones, you get a solid set of storage tools right into One UI, so you don't need a third-party cleaner app to fix it. If your Samsung phone's internal storage is full, follow our guide as I have listed various ways to free up space.
Empty the Recycle Bin
First and foremost, go ahead and empty the recycle bin if the internal storage is full on your Samsung phone. In case you are unaware, when you delete a photo, video or file on a Samsung phone, One UI does not erase it right away. Instead, it moves those files to the Recycle bin where it remains for 30 days before it's permanently removed.
- First off, open the My Files app and tap on Recycle bin at the bottom.
- Next, tap on the three-dot menu at the top-right corner.
- Select Empty and confirm your choice to permanently delete everything.
Note that this action can't be undone, so go through the Recycle bin before emptying it. Alternatively, you can open Settings > Device care > Storage. Here, scroll to the Recycle bin section and tap on each app to clear its deleted files individually.
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Delete Duplicate Files
Duplicate files pile up on your Samsung phone when you download the same image twice or save the same WhatsApp forward again. One UI can easily detect these copies for you, so you don't have to compare files manually and delete them. Here is how to do it.
- Go ahead and open Settings > Device care > Storage. Here, tap on Duplicate files.
- It will show the total size of duplicate files. One UI groups identical files together and lets you choose which copies to delete.
- Now, select the extra copies and tap on Delete.
If you mainly want to clean up photos, the Gallery app has its own tool as well. Open Gallery, tap on the menu and go to Clean out > Delete duplicates. Keep in mind that deleted duplicates also go to the Recycle bin, so empty it once you are done.
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Remove Large Files
Large files often fill up internal storage on Samsung phones. These are forgotten files, such as old screen recordings, long videos, large PDFs, ZIP archives or APK installers. They can easily take up several GBs of storage space. So to remove large files and free up space on your Samsung phone, follow the steps below.
- Open Settings > Device care > Storage and tap on Large files.
- Go through the list and select those heavy files that you no longer need.
- Finally, tap on Delete and then clear the Recycle bin to actually free up the space.
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Uninstall Unused Apps
Most of us install apps for some task and then forget about them. Samsung keeps a track of how often you use apps and shows the ones you have not opened in a long time. You can use this feature to uninstall unused apps and free up internal storage on your Samsung phone.
- Move to Settings > Device care > Storage and tap on Unused apps.
- Here, select the apps you don't need anymore.
- Next, tap on Uninstall to remove them and free up storage. Note that system apps can't be uninstalled.
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Archive Apps Instead of Uninstalling Them
If there are apps you use only occasionally, archiving is a better choice than uninstalling if the internal storage is full on your Samsung phone. Samsung added support for Android's app archiving feature with One UI 7. It removes the app's installation files to free up storage but keeps the app icon and your personal data.
- Head to Settings > Apps and select the app you want to archive.
- Now, tap on Archive at the bottom of the App info page.
- When you need the app again, tap its icon or go back to App info and tap on Restore. Your phone will download the app again with your data intact.
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Clear App Cache
Besides the installation files, apps store temporary files (known as cache), so they can load content faster. However, over time, the cache of social media apps, browsers and streaming apps can grow large and take up a huge space. So, clear the app cache to free up internal storage.
- Open Settings > Apps and select an app that takes up a lot of space.
- For example, apps like Instagram, Chrome or YouTube. Now, tap on Storage.
- Here, tap on Clear cache at the bottom.
Keep in mind that apps rebuild their cache as you use them over time, so this method gives you temporary relief rather than a permanent fix. You need to perform this method every few months.
Clean Up WhatsApp Media
WhatsApp is one of the biggest storage hogs on Indian smartphones, thanks to endless forwards of photos and videos. Thankfully, WhatsApp has a built-in storage manager that shows which chats and files take up the most space. And you can easily remove them to free up internal storage on your Samsung device.
- Go ahead and open WhatsApp and tap on the three-dot menu.
- Now, go to Settings > Storage and data.
- Here, tap on Manage storage at the top.
- Finally, review the files under Larger than 5 MB and Forwarded many times sections.
- Select the files you don't need and tap on the delete icon. You can also open individual chats to see how much space each one uses.
Free Up Space with Google Photos
If you back up your photos and videos to Google Photos, there is no need to keep those files on your phone. Google Photos can remove the local copies of everything that is already backed up in one go. Here is how to use it.
- Open Google Photos and make sure backup is turned on and complete by tapping on the profile icon.
- Here, choose Free up space on this device.
- Google Photos will show how much space you can recover. Now, tap on the free up button to confirm the action.
Don't worry, your photos and videos will still be available in Google Photos and you can view them anytime with an internet connection.
Turn Off RAM Plus
RAM Plus is Samsung's virtual memory feature and it uses some portion of your internal storage as extra RAM. It's enabled by default on supported Galaxy phones and it usually reserves 4GB of storage. If the internal storage is full on your Samsung phone, turning it off would free up crucial storage space.
- Open Settings > Device care and tap on Memory.
- Next, scroll down and tap on RAM Plus.
- Once you are here, turn off the toggle at the top or pick a smaller size if you want to keep the feature.
- Now, restart your Samsung phone to apply the change.
Clear the Downloads Folder and Offline Media
The Downloads folder is where PDFs, APK files, ZIP archives and browser downloads pile up for years. Similarly, downloads from streaming apps like Netflix, Spotify and YouTube can take up a lot of space without showing up in your Gallery. So here is how you can clear your Downloads folder.
- Open the My Files app and tap on Downloads.
- Here, tap on the three-dot menu, choose Sort by and select Size to see the largest files first.
- Select the files you don't need and tap on Delete. That's it.
After that, open streaming apps you use and check its Downloads section. Remove any movies, episodes, playlists or videos from this section.
And that is how you can fix your Samsung phone if the internal storage is full. You can also factory reset your Samsung phone to remove leftover files and start afresh. Finally, you can move files from your phone to an SD card or your PC to free up storage space.
