Android storage cleanup: how one writer reclaimed 36GB without losing photos

How the 36GB was freed

A writer at Android Authority has described how an Android storage cleanup on a Samsung Galaxy S26 recovered 36GB of space without deleting any photos or videos. The phone has 256GB of internal storage and no SD card slot, so space had become a constant problem.

The cleanup covered unused apps, cached data, leftover files, offline downloads and large media moved to an external drive. According to the writer, the process was less tedious than expected.

Removing and archiving apps

The first step was deleting apps that were no longer used, including a video editor opened only twice, abandoned games and browsers installed just for testing. Removing close to a dozen apps freed nearly 4GB.

For apps that were not needed daily but worth keeping, the writer used Android's archive feature. Archiving removes most of an app's core files and temporary data while keeping it installed, cutting its size by roughly 60% to 90%. Tapping the app icon later redownloads the missing files from the Play Store. The option sits under Settings, then Apps, then the app's name.

Clearing cache from the biggest apps

Everyday apps such as Chrome, Instagram, WhatsApp, Spotify, YouTube and Maps had built up large caches, the temporary files apps store to run faster. Android no longer offers a single button to clear every cache at once, so the writer sorted apps by storage use in Settings and cleared the cache of the biggest ones individually.

Working through the largest offenders freed close to 6GB, according to Android Authority.

Finding junk and offline downloads

The Files by Google app has a Clean tab that gathers unwanted items in one place, including duplicate files, old screenshots, blurry photos, large videos and leftover APK installers. The writer deleted dozens of such files and recovered about 4GB. Thumbnails made it possible to review everything without opening each file.

One caution from the article: items deleted through these suggestions sit in the Trash for 30 days, so the Trash tab must be emptied for the space to be reclaimed.

Offline downloads were another hidden drain. Playlists, shows and films saved in streaming apps for a trip had never been removed, and clearing them returned roughly 8GB. The writer notes that saved offline maps in Google Maps can also be very large.

Moving large files to external storage

Even without an SD card slot, a phone's USB-C port can connect a flash drive, an SSD or an SD card reader. The writer moved old 4K videos and photos to an SSD using the Files app, which freed close to 12GB.

This is less convenient than built-in expansion, the writer admits, but it keeps files without deleting anything. In total, the steps restored 36GB of free space, and the writer plans to repeat the routine whenever storage creeps up again.