Your Android phone comes with two built-in tools for freeing up storage space — here’s how to use them and keep your mobile running smoothly
Publish Date: 2026-05-24 18:30:00
Source Domain: www.techradar.com
Nobody wants to get a “storage full” warning on their Android handset: running out of room means you won’t be able to install any new apps or save any new photos or videos, and performance can quickly start to suffer too.
Google knows how important it is to keep a chunk of space free on Android, though, and the mobile operating system comes with two built-in tools for clearing out some room. You might not have previously discovered them, but they’re straightforward to use, and can solve your storage woes in just a few minutes.
What you get with Android can vary from device to device of course, but the two apps we’re talking about here are Google Photos and Google Files — which should be preinstalled on phones from most Android manufacturers (including Google and Nothing). If you can’t find them on your phone, you can download them via the links above.
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Free up space in Google Photos
Photos and videos probably take up a sizable block of storage space on your Android device: now that we’ve all got high-quality cameras to use, it’s all too easy for images and clips to pile up (most of which you’ll probably never look at again).
If you’re backing up all of these photos and videos to the cloud in Google Photos, then the app can help you free up space on your device, once everything has been safely uploaded to the web. First, though, check the backup settings: in Google Photos, tap your profile picture (top right), then Photos settings Backup Photo and video quality.
There are two options here, Original quality and Storage saver. The latter will slightly compress your photos and videos as they’re transferred to the cloud — which can save a lot of room but can reduce resolution. Videos in 4K will be scaled down to 1080p, for example, and Google has a full explanation of what’s involved here.
Freeing up space in Google Photos (Image credit: Future)
It’s important that you know how your photos…
