How to clear cell phone storage quickly and easily

Have you ever come across that message on your phone saying that your storage is full? This is quite common, especially when we're using the device to store photos, videos and applications. The news that will cheer you up is that clearing your phone's storage can be simple and quick.

Why does your phone's storage get full?

With daily use, it's normal for your phone's storage to accumulate a large amount of data. Application files, photos, videos and even messages can take up more space than you think. What's more, many apps save temporary data, such as caches, which take up space without you even realizing it.

The question is: how to deal with this in a practical way?

1# Check your phone's storage

Before you go deleting things without knowing what's taking up space, it's a good idea to take a look at what's actually taking up memory on your phone. To do this, simply go to your device's settings.

On Android:

• Open the Settings.
• Search for Storage.
• There, you'll see a list of categories that are consuming space, such as photos, videos, apps and even the app cache.

On the iPhone:

• Go to Adjustments.
• Select General and then iPhone storage.
• As with Android, the system shows you what's taking up the most space.

With this, you can already get a general idea of where the biggest villains of your storage are.

2# Delete unnecessary files

One of the quickest ways to free up space is to delete files you no longer need. This includes photos and videos you've already shared, old documents, and even downloads that have been forgotten.

Photos and videos:

It's easy to accumulate photos and videos on your phone. Many of us don't even remember certain records anymore, but the storage is still full. One tip is to clean up duplicate images and videos. You can use applications to detect and delete these copies.

Download files:

Download files such as PDFs, documents or even movies can accumulate without you even realizing it. Check your phone's downloads folder and delete what you no longer need.

3# Cleaning the application cache

The application cache is a kind of "temporary storage" that makes it easier to load data more quickly. However, over time, this cache can become large enough to take up a lot of space on your phone.

On Android:

• Go to Settings.
• Access Storage and then Cached data.
• You can clear the cache data of all applications at once.

On the iPhone:

• Unfortunately, the iPhone doesn't allow you to clear the cache of all applications at once. The solution is to uninstall and reinstall the apps that are consuming too much space. This eliminates the accumulated cache.

This can be done quickly and can free up a lot of storage space.

4# Delete or move infrequently used apps

Did you know that many apps can take up a lot of space on your phone, especially games or photo editing apps? If you don't use a particular app very often, it might be a good idea to delete it or transfer it to the memory card, if your phone allows it.

How to check which apps take up the most space:

• Go to the Settings on your cell phone and then on Storage.
• There, you'll see a list of apps with the amount of space each one takes up. If an app is taking up more space than you'd like, consider uninstalling it or moving it to another device.

5# Use cloud storage services

A great way to free up space on your phone without losing your files is to use cloud storage services such as Google Photos, iCloud or OneDrive. They allow you to back up your photos, videos and documents without taking up space on your device.

After backing up, you can delete the files from your phone, knowing that they are safe in the cloud. This is especially useful for those who have a lot of photos and videos and don't want to lose any memories.

6# Restart your phone

Often, a simple restart can help free up some space on your phone. This is because when you restart, the system closes applications in the background and clears temporary data that may be taking up memory.

This solution is very simple and can be done whenever you notice that your phone is slow or running low on space.

7# Factory reset (as a last resort)

If, after trying all the previous options, you still feel that your phone has too much storage and poor performance, it may be time to perform a factory reset. This will erase all the data on your phone and return it to its initial settings.

Before you do this, it's important to back up all your data, because once you restore it, you'll lose everything on the device.

How to restore your phone to factory settings:

• In Android, go to Settings, then System, Resetand finally, Restore factory data.
• In iPhonego to Adjustments, then General, Reset and finally, Delete Content and Settings.

This step should only be used if none of the other options work, as it will erase all data from the phone.

Clear your phone's storage

Cleaning up your phone's storage doesn't have to be a difficult task. With a few simple actions, such as checking storage usage, deleting unnecessary files and clearing the cache of applications, you can free up a good amount of space and improve your device's performance. Remember that the cloud can be a great ally for storing files without taking up space on your phone. And if necessary, a reboot or even a factory reset could be the definitive solution.

Now that you know how to free up space quickly and easily, how about putting these tips into practice and making your cell phone faster and lighter?

See also: 8 best apps for easy video editing

January 14th, 2025