How to clean your gallery and free up storage on Android

Android runs out of space for the same reasons as iPhone: photos and videos, messengers and cache. Menu names differ between manufacturers, but the logic is the same.

1. See what is using your storage

Open Settings → Storage (on Samsung — Settings → Device care → Storage). You will see a breakdown: images, videos, apps, system files.

2. Free up space with Google Photos

If your photos are already backed up to Google Photos, you can remove the local copies: Google Photos → your profile → Free up space. Photos stay in the cloud and remain available in the app. Make sure backup is on and complete first.

3. Clean up the gallery

• Videos — the heaviest part. Sort by size in a file manager or open the Videos album.
• Screenshots — the Screenshots folder; see how to delete all screenshots.
• Messenger media — the Telegram, WhatsApp Images and WhatsApp Video folders.
• Duplicates and bursts — see the duplicates guide.

To avoid ticking photos one by one, use Nixo for Android: your library is shown one photo at a time — swipe left to delete, right to keep. The app installs from the website (APK), no Google Play needed.

4. Empty the trash

Deleted photos stay in the trash for a while: up to 60 days in Google Photos (30 days if the photo was not backed up), 30 days in Samsung Gallery. Google Photos → Library → Trash → Empty trash.

5. Use Files by Google

The Clean tab finds junk files, app cache, downloads, duplicates, large files and messenger media. You can review each category before deleting.

6. Clean up Telegram and WhatsApp

• Telegram: Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Usage → Clear Cache. Set how long media is kept and a cache limit on the same screen.
• WhatsApp: Settings → Storage and data → Manage storage — large files and chats by size. Turn off Settings → Chats → Media visibility so chat photos stop landing in your gallery.

7. App cache

Settings → Apps → the app → Storage → Clear cache. Cache is safe to delete — it is temporary files. “Clear storage” (or “Clear data”) removes everything, including your login, so use it with care.