How to Clear the Cache on an Android Device

Dominic Anderson June 24, 2022

These days, smartphones are more than just a device for making phone calls. We use them to take and store photographs, send and receive documents, and play our favorite music. The downside is that these devices only offer so much storage space. This may mean that you may frequently need to free up space on your phone for it to work properly.

If you are having this issue with your Android device, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we discuss how to empty the trash on Android and provide you with a few simple options for doing this.

How to Clear the Cache on an Android

You may find that the apps on your device run slower than usual or that you have insufficient space to create new videos or to store photos. In the latter case, your Android device will prompt you to “Free up storage.”

Deleting items from your phone not only allows you to store new things but also frees up memory, allowing your device to run more efficiently.

There are a few different solutions for clearing files from your phone to free up space. Let’s take a look.

Clearing Cached Data

Cached data is information stored on your device once you visit a website. This data allows you to have a faster browsing experience and helps sites load faster the next time you visit them. However, this cached data also takes up space on your Android device. Deleting it will help free up memory. Here is how to go about deleting cached data:

Navigate to your Settings icon on your home screen and tap it.
Fron here, tap on Storage.
Locate Cached data and press on it. You will be presented with the option to delete the cached data, choose that option.

You also have the option to clear cached data from specific apps. This is handy for those programs that cache a lot of information, such as social media apps. Here is how to do it:

Open up the Settings menu on your device.
From the menu, choose Apps.
Select the app from the list and tap on it.
Scroll through the app info menu to find Storage and tap it.
Tap on Clear Cache or Clear data.

You can repeat this method for different apps on your phone to free up memory.

Uninstall Unused Apps

The apps you install on your Android device take up more space than you may realize. Deleting any unused apps is an excellent way to free up space on your device. Follow these steps to uninstall any unwanted apps:

Again, open up the Settings menu.
From here, tap on Apps.
Choose the app you want to remove and press it.
Select the Uninstall option at the bottom of the screen.

You can repeat these steps for each of the apps you no longer need.

Delete Unwanted Download Files

Deleting downloaded files is another way to empty trash on an Android device. If you scroll through your downloaded files on your phone, you may find that there are many you don’t need or may have even forgotten about. Items such as restaurant menus, old PDF files, work documents, forms all take up space and can be saved to other locations.

Deleting downloaded files is simple:

Navigate to the My Files icon on your device and open it.
Tap on the Downloads option.
Scroll through your downloaded files to find the ones you want to delete. Then, press and hold on one of them. Doing this will check the file and allow you to select others at the same time.
When you have selected all the files you want to remove, tap on Delete.
A pop-up will ask you to confirm your choice, choose Delete.

Delete Duplicate Photos

Another way to clear out space on your device is to delete any duplicate or unwanted photos. Often, if you snap a photo on your device camera and then share it on WhatsApp or Instagram, the device creates a duplicate of this picture. Removing these images takes a few quick steps:

Head to the Gallery on your device and select the photos you no longer need.
Tap Move to Trash.
In the main menu of the gallery, tap the three-dot icon at the top of the screen.
Choose Trash from the drop-down menu.
At the top of the screen is the option to Empty, tap it.
A pop-up will prompt you to confirm your choice, select Empty Trash.

If you don’t want to empty all the photos from your recycle bin at once, you can follow these steps:

In the Trash, press and hold on one image you want to delete. This will select the image and allow you to select others you want to delete.
When you have chosen the images to remove, tap Delete.
A pop-up will ask you to confirm your choice, choose Delete.

Use an SD Card With Your Android Device

If your Android device allows it, using a removable SD card can be beneficial. It adds extra storage space to your phone. This enables you to save additional photos, videos, and other documents without slowing down your device’s operations. Many apps (but not all) allow you to store the app data on the SD card, which further frees up device space and memory. Using an SD card is also handy as you can transfer it from one device to another.

Backup Files to a Different Location

Backing up your files to a different location allows you to delete the files off your device and create more space. Some of these locations include Google Drive, Samsung Cloud, or even your PC. This way, you can keep your photos, videos, documents, and audio files without hampering the device’s efficiency.

Cache Cleared!

Deleting unwanted files, images, and other items from your Android device can pose as a challenge since there is no single trash folder to empty. But, if you use the straightforward instructions in this article, you will find that creating more space and freeing up your device’s memory isn’t as difficult as it may seem. Soon your Android phone will be uncluttered and operating optimally.

Have you cleared the trash on your Android device before? Have you used a process similar to those provided in this guide? Tell us about it in the comments section below.