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8GB of hidden inaccessible files eating my phone memory

Duke17
Visitor

8GB of hidden inaccessible files eating my phone memory

Look at phone memory.Look at phone memory.

Files inside. Just 1GB.Files inside. Just 1GB.

 I don't get it. I need those extra GBs you know. What am I going to do?  I had friends with the same problems, they tried to unroot it and both memories went corrupt.

So I need to be extra careful about this. I don't want to lose anything anymore. Slightly_frowning_Face

5 REPLIES 5
CameronT
Champion

Hi @Duke17,

Go to Settings > Storage > View Usage > Internal Storage, you will get a breakdown of what is using the space.

It is most likely Android system files.

Duke17
Visitor

Well, isn't this taking too much? Screenshot_20170818-085526.png

 It already consumed this unaccessible 6GB and also this? 

CameronT
Champion

That does seem about right for system files.

Here's some tips for managing your memory.

Uninstalling unwanted applications to increase the amount of free internal memory

If the Uninstall option isn't available, the application can't be deleted. Most preinstalled applications can't be deleted as they are integrated in the operating system of your device. All applications that you have downloaded and installed from Google Play™ can be deleted.

To uninstall an application

  1. From your Home screen, tap the Application screen icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings > Apps.
  3. Tap the All tab.
  4. Scroll to the application that you want to uninstall, then tap it.
  5. Select Uninstall > OK.

Clearing the cache and the data of applications on a regular basis

Applications occupy an increasing amount of storage when they are in use. The occupied storage can be distinguished into:

  • Cache. The cache is data which is stored so that future requests for that data can be served faster. Deleting the cache doesn't delete any user data stored in that applications. The application might need a bit longer to start up the next time. This is not perceivable in most cases.
  • Data. The data of an application is the user-related part of an application. This can be highscores or saved games, account data in an application like Facebook™, or personal data like contacts in the Contacts applications. Deleting the data of an application might lead to an irretrievable loss of personal data stored in an application.

To delete the cache or the data of an application

  1. From your Home screen, tap the Application screen icon.
  2. Find and tap Settings > Apps.
  3. Tap the All tab.
  4. Scroll to the application that you want, then tap it.
  5. Select Clear cache to delete the cache of the application, or Clear data to delete all user data (including the cache) stored by the application.

Backing up data to different memory types

Generally, you should not save photos, videos and other personal content solely in the internal memory of your device. If something should happen with the hardware, or if the device is lost or stolen, the data stored in the device internal memory is gone forever.

You do not need to back up or make a copy of applications that you downloaded from Google Play™ (Play Store). They can normally be downloaded again if you have set up a Google™ account in your device. You can find the apps which you have purchased under My apps in Google Play™, so you will not need to either pay, or search, for them again.

Roadrunny76
Enthusiast

Here I would add that apps that can not be uninstalled can be disabled. This will reduce their size to original, thus saving some space also.

TheBob
Visitor

I had the same problem - when using my file manager to transfer files (File Commander), the copy failed but the data was stored in the file manager's cache. The problem was that the file manager's own cache doesn't show up, so there's no way to delete it from within the file manager iteslf. Clearing the cache and data worked and there was no data loss in the process. Thanks!