Free Up Storage on Android With Files by Google

If your Android phone keeps warning that storage is almost full, you do not need a cleaner app full of ads. You can free up storage on Android with Files by Google, the free file manager made by Google itself. Its Clean tab finds the junk, duplicates and large files hiding on your phone and lets you remove them in a few taps — while your photos stay exactly where they are.

Files by Google comes pre-installed on Pixel and most Android One phones, and it is free on the Play Store for every other Android phone, including Samsung. It is a small, ad-free app that shows you each file before deleting anything.

Free Up Storage on Android With Files by Google in 7 Steps

Step 1: See What Is Eating Your Storage

Before cleaning, check what is actually full. Open Settings, tap Storage, and look at the breakdown. On most phones, Images and Videos are the biggest category, followed by Apps. On a Samsung Galaxy, the same screen is under Settings > Device care > Storage.

This tells you where to focus. If apps are the biggest category, unused apps are your win. If files are the biggest, the Clean tab below is where the gigabytes hide. Do not delete photos yet — the steps below free space without touching your main photo library.

Step 2: Open Files by Google and Tap Clean

Open the Files by Google app. If it is not on your phone, install it free from the Play Store and grant it storage access when asked — it needs that permission to scan your files. Then tap the Clean tab at the bottom of the screen.

The Clean screen shows review cards — Junk files, Duplicate files, Large files, Old screenshots, Memes, Backed-up media and Unused apps — each showing how much space it can free. Work through them one by one instead of tapping a single "clean everything" button.

Step 3: Clear Junk Files First — the Safest Win

The Junk files card is the safest place to start. It bundles cached data that apps re-download on demand: image thumbnails, video previews, temporary log files and leftover data from uninstalled apps. Nothing you created lives here.

Tap the card, then tap Clean and confirm with Clear. This is usually the biggest single win in the app — anywhere from a few hundred megabytes to several gigabytes on a heavily used phone. One small side effect: the first launch of Instagram or Chrome after cleaning takes a second longer, because the cleared cache rebuilds as you use the app again.

Step 4: Delete Duplicate Files — But Check First

The Duplicate files card groups files with the same content: two identical photos saved in different folders, two copies of the same PDF, the same song in two music folders. Files by Google keeps one copy and offers to delete the others.

Check before you confirm. Open the card, expand each duplicate group, and look at which copy is ticked for deletion. If you have the same photo in DCIM/Camera and in a WhatsApp folder, either copy is usually fine to remove — but if you keep a specific folder structure, untick the copy you want to keep. Then tap Move to Bin to remove the extras.

Step 5: Sort Large Files by Size

Files by Google flags files above 10 MB that you have not opened recently. Open the Large files card and tap Sort by size at the top, so the biggest offenders appear first. On most phones the top of the list is video files, large PDFs and old app backups.

For each big file, ask two questions: can you download it again from the source, and do you have a copy elsewhere? If both answers are yes, delete it. If either answer is no, move it first — tap the three-dot menu on the file and choose Backup to Google Drive, then delete the phone copy once it is safely in the cloud.

Step 6: Clear Old Screenshots, Memes and Unused Apps

The Old screenshots and Memes cards collect exactly what they sound like: screenshots you took once and forgot, and meme images forwarded in chats. Review them quickly and delete the ones you do not need — they add up faster than people expect.

The Unused apps card lists apps you have not opened in months. Uninstall the ones you do not need — the Play Store can reinstall them in a minute, and your account data usually stays saved online.

Step 7: Empty the Trash So the Space Comes Back

Files you delete sit in the Trash for 30 days before disappearing for good, so the space does not come back straight away. To free it now, open Files by Google, tap Menu, then Trash, select everything, and delete it.

Before you do, turn Trash on if it is off — Menu, then Trash, then Turn on Trash — so future deletions stay recoverable for 30 days. Note that junk files cleared from the Junk files card are usually deleted permanently rather than going to Trash, so always review that card before confirming.

What About Samsung Phones?

On a Samsung Galaxy, the built-in My Files app has the same feature: open My Files, tap the three-dot menu, then Manage storage (Analyse storage on older versions). It lists duplicates, large files and unused apps the same way.

What Not to Do

Skip the "RAM booster" and "storage cleaner" apps full of ads. They cannot do anything Android and Files by Google do not already do, they run constantly in the background, and some delete files you actually wanted. The built-in tools above are all you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Files by Google safe to use?

Yes. It is a free app made by Google, with no ads. It shows you each file before deleting anything, and the Junk files it flags are temporary data that apps rebuild on their own. Just review the Duplicate files and Large files cards before confirming, so you do not delete a copy you wanted to keep.

Will cleaning delete my photos?

No — not if you follow the cards above. Junk files, duplicates, large files and old screenshots are separate from your main photo library. Files by Google also has a separate card for photos already backed up to Google Photos, which you can skip entirely if you want your photos to stay on the phone.

How much space can Files by Google free up?

It varies, but a few gigabytes is common on a phone that has never been cleaned — junk files alone often run to several hundred megabytes or more, and unused apps and large files add several gigabytes on top. Run through the cards once a month to keep storage under control.

Also read: Phone Storage Full? 6 Real Ways to Free Up Space Without Deleting Your Photos — if you want the full storage plan, including Google Photos backup. How much space did you free up? Tell us in the comments.