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  • The phone's memory is full, what should I do? “Phone memory is full” on Android: reasons and solutions

The phone's memory is full, what should I do? “Phone memory is full” on Android: reasons and solutions

The other day I encountered an age-old problem for most Android device users - how to clear system memory on Android. For example, on my Lenovo p780 phone it is 2 GB. I don’t remember how much was initially there for user needs, but after a year I finally ran out of it, only 80 MB left, and this despite the fact that I was removing a bunch of applications from the internal memory, and the free space did not increase in any way... On the Internet it’s just tons of information on this matter, everyone gives some kind of advice, ranging from banal ones - transfer applications to an SD card to cleaning system applications, but all this did not help me at all. Some even advise doing a general reset - but this is generally the most difficult case. And let's hold off on this for now. So I had to thoroughly understand everything myself and try it at my own peril and risk.

I would like to warn you right away that I in no way insist that everything written below is the ultimate truth. I just shared my experience, and whether to use it or not is only your choice and you alone are responsible for all your actions.

First of all, I made myself a root for full access to the device’s memory and got down to business. I got root access using a computer program - Root Genius.

How to get ROOT rights to Android using Root Genius

Everything is very simple and clear - absolutely any user can understand it.

Data-lazy-type="image" data-src="http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/chistka-pamyati..jpg 450w, http://androidkak.ru/wp- content/uploads/2015/09/chistka-pamyati-300x179.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px"> If you are not a beginner, but a more or less experienced Android user, then you probably already know a rather unpleasant fact: of the gigabytes of memory stated on the box with the phone, not all are available for installing applications.

But before rushing headlong to correct this injustice, it is worth finding out why this happens and how exactly you can clean the system.

Android File System Structure

Data-lazy-type="image" data-src="http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/faylovaya-sistema-android.png" alt="File system structure Android" width="200" height="356" srcset="" data-srcset="http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/faylovaya-sistema-android..png 168w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px"> !} One thing to understand is that the Android file system is not nearly as versatile as, say, the one found in Windows. If on Windows your programs and media files are in the same space, then on Android each type of file has its own section.

System programs - separately, auxiliary files and music - separately. The first partition is called the system memory, while the last one is called the media partition.

Why is this necessary? First of all, to make the OS as secure as possible. If you combine these sections, it turns out that a regular media player can accidentally delete data important for the operation of another program, crash the system, or simply fill it to capacity with its files, without leaving even a byte for the necessary system programs.

Moreover, these two sections have different access levels. In the media section, the user and third-party programs can do whatever they want. There is no access to anything other than these programs in the Android system programs section.

Because of this order of things, sometimes a rather curious situation occurs: the media section has several gigabytes free, but the phone stubbornly reports that it cannot install an application of a couple of tens of megabytes in size. This happens because the section for third-party programs is already full.

In such cases, there is nothing left but to try to clear the system memory in the hope that you will be able to free up these megabytes.

You can see the amount of free system memory in the settings, in the “Memory” section. The first scale shows exactly this value. In addition, it is worth considering that the system requires leaving a certain amount free - from 50 to 600 megabytes, depending on the Android device model and OS version.

Cleaning system memory without superuser rights

If you have not opened root access on your smartphone, then your ability to clean up the system partition will be seriously limited. On the other hand, the warranty on the device will remain intact. Is it worth it? You decide.

Read also: How to find a lost or stolen Android phone - several ways

If you want to clear system memory, do the following:

  • Go to "Settings".
  • Go to the "Applications" section.
  • Next, go to the “Third Party” tab.
  • Click the Menu button (three vertical dots in the upper right corner of the screen).
  • Select sort by size.

.png" alt="List of Android phone applications" width="300" height="169" srcset="" data-srcset="http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/spisok-prilozheniy..png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"> !} After a couple of seconds, you will see a list of the largest applications on your device. If there is something among them that you do not use, then click on it and select “Delete”. If the button is not available, it means that the application is a system application and cannot be erased without superuser rights.

Then select “Uninstall updates”, this way you will free up at least some space. It is also advisable to disable the program by clicking on the corresponding button. But this must be done carefully and only with applications like Facebook that are not part of the system.

The above method does not take into account the fact that Android calculates the size of the application on the entire internal memory. If it takes up 1.2 GB on the internal memory card and only 40 MB on the system partition, it will still show up as 1.2 GB in size.

If you have already carried out such optimization and there is still little space, you have little choice: get superuser rights or try to transfer applications to a memory card. The latter will only work if your system is version 4.0.4 or lower, so the chance is slim. But if you really are a user of a device that is at least three years old, then next to the “Delete” button you will have a “Move to SD card/USB drive” button. Click on it, and part of the data of this application will leave the system partition and will be transferred to the memory card, freeing up space.

Some Android programs are used only by some third-party applications, so they can be erased even without superuser rights. For example, removing “Google Play Services” allows you to free up to 150 MB in the system partition, in return closing the possibility of direct synchronization between devices. If you don't use programs like Pushbullet or MightyText, you can safely delete this. And if some program suddenly needs something, it will offer to download it again. The second candidate for deletion is Google search, but along with its 40-60 MB you will lose Google Now and the “Ok, Google!” command.

Cleaning system memory with superuser rights

Data-lazy-type="image" data-src="http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/chistka-pamyati-root.jpg" alt="Cleaning memory on Android root" width="70" height="69" srcset="" data-srcset="http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/chistka-pamyati-root..jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 70px) 100vw, 70px"> !} With superuser rights, clearing system memory is much easier. And although we will further discuss unstable solutions a la Xposed App2SD, which, for example, allow you to replace the application section with a memory card, root users still have more options.

Read also: How to use Android as a modem - several ways

Removing pre-installed programs

If your Android already had third-party applications installed when purchased (Facebook, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, MTS Assistant), then most likely you will not be able to remove them without superuser rights. This is quite a shame, because they often have significant sizes of 40-160 MB.

.png" alt="Titanium Backup application" width="70" height="70" srcset="" data-srcset="http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Titanium-Backup..png 150w, http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Titanium-Backup-300x300.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 70px) 100vw, 70px"> !}
The solution is the Titanium Backup program, which allows you not only to make a complete backup of all your applications with their settings, but also to clean the closed system partition from such garbage. To do this, simply select the desired application on the second tab of the program and click “Delete”.

Mounting an SD card as internal memory

As mentioned above, 1.5 GB of a game does not always go completely to the system partition. But for those who have internal memory of a couple of gigabytes, this does not make it any easier.

Jpg" alt="Folder Mount program" width="150" height="119"> !} The solution is the FolderMount program, which allows you to transfer cache files (that’s what these one and a half gigabytes are called) to a memory card, leaving a shortcut in their place. In this case, the system will still consider that the files are in the old location, which leads to funny oddities in the “Memory” settings section: for example, you can see that you have 8.2 GB of 3.6 GB occupied, while another 0.98 of these 3.6 are completely free.

If FolderMount cannot create a folder on the SD card, do it yourself with any file manager and specify it in the program. You can also immediately copy the files of the transferred program there, deleting them later from the internal memory - it’s more reliable. And if you see a message that mounting is impossible, turn on “Autostart” or “Mount at startup” in the settings and restart your smartphone.

Other partition extension methods

Data-lazy-type="image" data-src="http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/App2SD.png" alt="App2SD App Manager Save Space" width="100" height="100" srcset="" data-srcset="http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/App2SD..png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px"> !} There are other ways to transfer data from the system partition to a card or internal memory. However, most of them are extremely dangerous in the hands of inexperienced users, are only suitable for a certain model/manufacturer, or require a high level of technical skill.

No matter how much memory you have on your Android tablet or smartphone, you will still be faced with the problem of running out of free space on your device’s storage devices. Modern three-dimensional games, megapixel photos, high-quality music and films manage to bite off gigabytes so quickly that very soon after purchasing Android, it begins to bombard you with warnings about lack of space and errors when installing programs. Therefore, it is necessary to take urgent measures for general cleaning. In this article you will find a detailed action plan that will help you get your gigabytes back.

1. Memory Usage Estimation

Before taking the first steps, you should conduct a reconnaissance of the area and assess the degree of fullness of the disk. Once you know how much space is occupied by various data, it will be easier for you to decide whether certain actions are necessary. One of the best utilities for this purpose is DiskUsage, which allows you to see the full picture of your data placement in a simple and visual form. One glance at the resulting diagram will be enough to identify the most malicious space eaters on the map. By the way, you can start cleaning already at this stage, since you can delete some files you don’t need directly from the application.

Another utility of this kind is “ Disks, Storage and SD cards" This interactive application helps you visualize your device's memory and storage. It will help you free up space on your memory card, quickly find and delete large and unnecessary files in the internal storage.

2. Transferring programs to an external memory card

Almost all Android devices allow you to use an additional SD card, which significantly exceeds the amount of internal memory. Therefore, you should definitely try to transfer your installed programs to an external card. This can be done either using the tools built into the system or using special utilities, which is much more convenient. For example, AppMgr III(formerly App 2 SD) can not only move applications to internal or external storage to free up additional space, but can also hide built-in system programs, and also has the ability to batch remove unnecessary programs.

3. Removing pre-installed programs

Many manufacturers try to stuff their devices with the maximum number of applications, without caring whether you need them or not. Moreover, it is usually impossible to remove them in the usual way, so you have to put up with this garbage, which wastes space and device resources.

However, if you have a device, then the situation is quite fixable. Using the program Root App Delete you can either completely uninstall unnecessary programs or simply disable them. This will come in handy when you are not very sure about the safety of deleting a system application. Just freeze it for a while, and then, if everything works as it should, you can permanently remove it.

4. Cleaning up trash

In the course of their work, the operating system and individual applications create a lot of temporary and auxiliary files, which, accumulating over time, begin to take up quite significant volumes. Therefore, it is recommended to periodically clear the application cache, remnants of uninstalled programs, empty folders and other garbage. The program copes with this task perfectly. Clean Master, about which we wrote in. Just note that recently the authors of this application have managed to stuff it with a whole set of additional functions, so do not forget to disable all auxiliary modules in the settings so that the program does not bother you too much with its tutelage.

5. Save data to an external card

There are many programs that receive data from the network and store their data on the device. These could be podcasts, online music players, e-readers, and so on. As a rule, they all allow you to choose a directory to store your files. If you see that the gadget’s internal memory is filled with downloaded music, videos and documents, then take the time to delve into the settings of the relevant programs and specify the appropriate directories on the external card.

6. Use cloud services

Let's not forget that the Internet is a two-way street, thanks to which you can not only download data to your device, but also upload it to the network. Thanks to the existence of cloud services and the increasing spread of broadband connections, there is no longer a need to store data for all occasions on a mobile or tablet; it is enough to have only what you need at this moment.

For example, the service allows you to save an extensive music collection (20,000 tracks) on a remote server, and load into your smartphone only what you want to listen to when you are not connected to the network. You can no less effectively deal with deposits of photographs and filmed videos. It is enough to install Dropbox or, for example, a social network client

Most users of mobile devices running the Android operating system may encounter problems associated with memory overflow. There is no universal solution to get out of this situation. But it is better to listen to some recommendations.


The article is devoted to the question of how to free up the memory of an Android mobile device. First you need to familiarize yourself with its types. This will allow us to deal with the problem on a global scale. It is worth noting the following types of RAM:

RAM, RandomAccessMemory or RAM;
ROM, ReadOnlyMemory or ROM;
internal drive Interal Storage;
microSD/microSDHC or ExternalStorage.

RAM, RandomAccessMemory or RAM

This RAM is used by the operating system and software to record all necessary data. Thanks to this, applications launch and function without failures. It is worth noting that when you turn off or reboot the device, it is cleared in a fairly short time; the RAM needs constant power. As you know, the larger the volume of RAM, RandomAccessMemory or RAM, the more applications are launched simultaneously on a mobile device. In addition, by its size you can determine what capacity resources can be launched on your device without problems.

If the RAM is full, an error occurs when starting a new application. The user will receive a notification that there is not enough space to play. Thanks to the rapid development of technology, today there are versions of Android 2.2 and higher. In such devices, the operating system independently determines what exactly needs to be removed, as well as which applications need to be closed to free up space.

Currently, most flagship devices are equipped with memory with a capacity of 1 Gigabyte, and even 2 Gigabyte. That is why the problem with its overflow occurs less and less often. As for inexpensive phones, tablets and smartphones, they have a capacity of 512–768 MB. In this case, the issue of freeing up RAM is still relevant.

ROM, ReadOnlyMemory or ROM

RAM is used exclusively for reading. It stores data that was recorded at the manufacturer's factory. They cannot be changed. The only option is to flash the device or reinstall the operating system. ROM consists of several sections that are designed to perform various internal functions.

Interval Storage

It is an internal storage device. It stores all the information that is entered by the owner of the device. The internal drive is analogous to the hard drive used in a computer. When recording all kinds of applications and data, the free space of RAM decreases. To free it up, it is enough to get rid of excess material that is not used. The remaining capacity for data recording can be seen in the device settings. Therefore, often freeing up RAM space is directly related to cleaning the internal storage.

microSD/microSDHC or ExternalStorage memory card

It is a removable memory. Its volumes depend on the card used. True, it is worth considering the presence of the necessary spot in the device, as well as whether it is supported by the device. MicroSD/microSDHC or ExternalStorage can be compared to an external hard drive that is used by a computer. The phone settings will provide all the necessary information about the amount of free space. On such a card it is convenient to store multimedia materials, which include music, images, and videos. Android versions 2.2 and higher allow you to transfer all data to the card. As a result, space on the internal storage is freed up. When removing a card, it is advisable to first unmount it.

Freeing up internal memory on Android smartphones

Most users tend to install more different applications on their device and modify programs. As a result, the gadget will definitely notify him that the system is full. To clean it, you need to download an additional utility or use the settings of your mobile device.

Thus, the user will definitely know that the memory on his device is full. When downloading the next application, the system will display a corresponding message on the screen. To be able to save the material, you can delete unnecessary objects. This will free up space for the required application. As a rule, large volumes are occupied by various updates coming to GooglePlay. A certain number of programs can be moved to the card when using Link2SD.

InternalStorage can be accessed if you have Root rights. This also promotes effective cleansing. You also need to get rid of temporary files with the .rm extension. They are saved in the datalocalmp folder and tend to constantly accumulate and clog the system.

Selection of events

All of the above steps involve temporarily clearing the gadget’s memory. Is there a thorough method to free up the internal storage on your phone? During the installation of programs on a tablet or smartphone running the Android operating system, a file with the extension .dex is created in the datadalvik-cache directory.

Sometimes it happens that some system applications do not have them. At first glance, it is a rather strange phenomenon when a program exists, but does not take up space at all. However, this is quite understandable. The fact is that at the same time as these files, the device’s memory contains files with the same name, but with the extension .odex. You can save them, but then you don’t need to leave the .dex files. It is recommended to download an additional application. An example of this is LuckyPatcher.

After this, you should start performing certain actions that will help you find the answer to the question of how to unload internal memory on Android versions 2.3.6 and higher:

1. First, you should check how much space the application takes up. To do this, use the “Properties” menu.
2. LuckyPatcher starts, after which the required application is selected from the list.
3. You need to click on its icon and hold it down, pausing. As a result, a context menu will pop up on the screen.
4. You must select the first two items. The program will automatically create the necessary odex files.
5. Dex is removed from the datadalvik-cache folder.

After completing all these steps, the application will work perfectly and not create problems, occupying 0 MB. In the same way, you can free up memory for other system applications.

To clear memory from user applications, you need to use a slightly different method. You need to select an application and go to its folder on the memory card. As a result, you can see the free space. For example, there is 1.56 MB of unallocated space, but the dex file covers 1.68 MB. Thus, you can transfer the required application to the system directory. Then the steps described above are performed.

You can also simply select another application and leave this one alone. When an object is moved to user memory and an odex file is created, and then the dex file is deleted, the device performs well. It will perfectly cope with the assigned tasks, open the necessary applications and use them without failures. If you transfer the object to a flash drive, the odex file is deleted, and the program itself stops working. As a result, you will need to install it again or completely clear dalvik-cache.

It is worth taking into account that not every utility can work without dex files. This is typical for games or applications with a dex of up to 1.5 Megabytes. This method is only relevant for those applications whose dex files weigh less than the available memory space. Thus, the steps to answer the question of how to free up internal memory on an Android device are not difficult; they are easy to complete.

When an Android smartphone writes “phone memory is full” or “insufficient space in the device memory”, although you are sure that you did not bring it to this state yourself, I recommend not playing “battleship”, clearing everything, but doing it first data analysis.

Data volume analysis

Install the DiskUsage application from the Play Market (I hope you can find a couple of megabytes on your phone), open it and click “Memory Card”.

After analysis, scale the data map and see what you can remove.

For example, large amounts of data may be hidden:

  • in messenger folders (Viber, Telegram);
  • the DCIM folder and the .thumbnails subfolder if you take a lot of photographs;
  • in the download folder;
  • applications and their cache, etc.

In the DiskUsage utility, by selecting a folder or file, you can immediately delete it (upper right corner “menu button” - delete).

The only negative is that if it is media content (photos, videos), it cannot be viewed. To do this, use a standard file manager (an alternative to ES Explorer and Total Comander) or photo viewing applications.

The application gives us a complete picture of the contents of the smartphone, however, it is inconvenient to use for mass deletion of files or cached application data.

Clearing cached data

Cached application data accumulates in large quantities on a smartphone when programs are actively used. In fact - almost always. You can clear the cache using standard means in your phone settings or by installing a utility with the same functions.

Method 1:


Advice! A smartphone with the Android 8.0 operating system with the EMUI add-on is used. In other versions of the operating system, the cache clearing function may be located differently. A detailed debriefing is written in the article: "".

Method 2:


Additional features

I do not recommend rooting the device to free up memory, especially if the smartphone is several years old and has official firmware. Better remember the following:

  1. The .thumbnails folder contains thumbnails of photos that appear in the system Gallery application. If you delete the photo, the sketch will remain. After several months of active use of the camera, a decent number of thumbnails may accumulate that eat up the gadget’s memory. The article "" will help you understand this issue.
  2. Starting with Android 6.0, it became possible to combine the capacity of an SD card with the memory of a smartphone. This feature will allow you to fully install applications on a memory card. To do this, format the micro SD card and insert it into your smartphone. The system will offer an option to connect data warehouses into one.