Google Is Using More Storage Than You Think - Here's How to Clear It, by The Phone Guardian on YouTube. 6 min 20 s.
- Video length
- 6 min 20 s
- Time to do it
- 15 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Open Settings, then Storage (or Storage and cache on some phones). Wait for the list of categories to load and note which ones are largest.
Tap Apps or App storage and sort by size. Look for Google apps such as Photos, Drive, Chrome, Gmail and Google itself.
For each large app, open App info and tap Clear cache. This removes temporary files without deleting your account or settings.
Open Google Photos, tap your profile picture, then Photos settings and Backup. Check what is backed up before you delete anything from the device.
In Google Photos, open Free up space. It removes copies already safely backed up to your Google account.
Open the Files by Google app, tap Clean, and review the Junk files, Duplicates and Large files suggestions. Delete only what you recognise.
Open Chrome, tap the three dots, then History and Delete browsing data. Tick Cached images and files and confirm.
Open Google Drive, tap the three lines, then Offline or Backups. Remove old device backups and offline files you no longer need.
Check Downloads in Files by Google or your file manager and delete old installers, videos and documents you have finished with.
Restart the phone and check Settings, Storage again to confirm the freed space.
Tips and common mistakes
Clear cache, not data, unless you are happy to sign in and set the app up again.
Empty the trash in Google Photos and Files by Google, or the space is not actually freed.
Keep Google Photos backup on before deleting local copies so you do not lose pictures.
Do not delete folders you do not recognise, especially Android and DCIM, as they hold system and camera files.
Questions
Will clearing cache delete my photos or messages?
No. Cache is temporary data apps rebuild when needed. Your photos, chats and account stay in place.
Why does Google take up so much space?
Google apps store cache, offline files, downloads and device backups. Photos and Drive can also keep local copies of cloud files.
How often should I do this?
Every few months, or whenever storage drops below about 10 percent free, is usually enough.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
