What does other things mean in the phone's memory. Which folders cannot be deleted on Android, and which ones can. Removing dex files

There are four reasons why a phone is not working smoothly or the way you expect it to:

2. No slot for additional MicroSD memory.

3. The device is infected with a virus.

4. The user of the device is in an area with a low signal strength, which leads to battery drain, as the device is constantly searching for a signal / network.

For the fourth option, we have already decided earlier. For those who have built-in and additional memory clogged with files and other data, we can advise you to free them by transferring files to other devices or by backing up to any available cloud storage. Also, automatically backing up media files and clearing cached data from installed apps would be the best option.

File manager

File manager apps can come in handy when it comes to organizing or storing files/data; especially downloaded files from email messages, social networking sites, blogs, and others. The most recommended file manager is ES File Explorer. This app works in tandem with many cloud services such as Google Drive, Box, SkyDrive and Dropbox to provide an efficient way to organize your data.

One of the cheapest cloud storage options is iDrive, which offers 50GB of storage for just 0.99 cents per year.

Cache management

Every time you install an app on an Android device, a folder is created to store user settings, images, files, and logs. For example, every time you view an Instagram video, the data is cached (stored) on your device so that the next time you try to view the same content, the video loads faster. But let's ask ourselves, how many times are we going to watch the same video?

We conclude that in order to win additional space. Also, users can set scheduled cache cleaning. Powerful apps like 1 Tap Cleaner or Clean Master can be used to increase storage space.

App 1 Tap Cleaner is a one-click cache/saved files cleaning solution with a widget. Once the app is installed, users will be able to see the cache usage of individual apps; this way the content and log files can be cleaned up accordingly. Using 1 Tap Cleaner, users will be able to uninstall apps without having to log into the Play Store.

The Clean Master app is a simple app that allows the user to clear cached files; in addition, it can clean up files that are larger than 10 MB. Additionally, it has an option to close applications that are not in use.

Backup automation

If the Android device has a huge amount of photos, videos and music albums, users can assign automated backup to the cloud service. At any given time, not all files will be needed on the device. If using cloud services is not an option, then users can transfer their files to computers to get extra space on their smartphone.

Android phones or tablets without a free workplace can be very easy, especially if you are a big fan of applications and want to try everything.

It doesn't matter if you listen to music or do photo shoots in the bathroom.

The data cache is equally unforgiving, especially if your smartphone provides too little storage space.

The less space on your phone, the faster you need to become an expert in managing your internal storage space.

The first way to free up space - use android tools

Modern versions of Android have a tool that shows you exactly what is taking up space on your phone.

To find out, go to "Settings" and then open "Memory". There you will see how much space is used by applications, their data, photos, videos, music, downloads, data caching and various other files.

For example, you can view a list of which app is taking up the most space with the option to free it up.

Select "Downloads" to see all the files that came to your phone through the download and clear the data cache from installed applications.

When dealing with applications, keep in mind that applications can cache more than 1 GB of disk space. This applies to any application that uses temporary memory.

The second way to free up space on android is to delete large files

Android has a useful tool built into it that allows you to see the space used for different types of data, but the truth is, it still needs work.

From external developers there is a better solution in the form of the DiskUsage program. This is a free app and you can download it from the Play Store at any time.

Then open the app to see which folders and files are taking up the most space.

You can delete them directly from the application, for example, you may encounter leftovers that are left in the folder after deleting a game or application.

Select a folder or file, press the "Menu" button and use the "Delete" command to get rid of unwanted items.

Please note that you may be able to delete files that are dependent on some applications.

Don't delete app-specific data unless you're ready to restore it, although most of the time, the data is synced online and there's an option to re-download it if you need it, but don't get your hopes up.

The third way to increase space on android is to add an external memory card

Many android devices are built with a microSD card slot. If your tablet or smartphone has room for a microSD card, you can win quite a lot of memory.

Unfortunately, the space obtained in this way cannot be used for some applications or operating system files, but it can store music, videos, photos, and other data.

Even if the device already has an SD card, but provided that the amount of space does not satisfy you, you can purchase another one with a larger capacity.

SD cards are quite affordable, so you can add a lot of space at an affordable price.

After installing the card, connect the device to the computer and transfer media files there or use the file manager application.

The fourth way to free up space on android is to move applications to the SD card

As new generations of Android have been released, Google has removed this relocation option for performance, stability, and security reasons.

This option has been removed in 4.4 KitKat. However, it is still found on some Samsung devices even if it runs on KitKat or newer Android versions.

Check your phone to see if your phone has this capability.

If you can transfer apps to your SD card, go to Settings and then Apps.

After selecting the application, you will see the option "Move to SD card". If not, it means that your device does not allow transfer, or the SD card is not installed.

Built-in apps can't be moved like that, also because they have to run in the background.

If the application does not allow move positions, you will see that the button is gray - the operation will be unreachable.

The fifth way to increase space on android is to upload photos to the Internet

Photos often take up the most space on a modern smartphone. Instead of storing them on your phone, you can easily use an app that automatically uploads them to the internet.

Is it Google+, Dropbox or Microsoft OneDrive. Google+ is built into your android and gives you unlimited storage space.

You can access your photos from any computer, tablet or smartphone. You can then delete the copies left on your phone and thus free up a lot of space.

This trick works with other files that take up a lot of space on your device.

For example, you can upload a large amount of music to the Google Play Music service and later launch using the Internet.

Older android devices have a clear distinction between "Internal Memory" and "SD Card".

In this case, the physical storage space will be divided into two parts: one for the system and applications, and the other for data.

This means that you will not be able to free up space for media files by deleting apps, and vice versa, free up space for apps by eliminating media files - this only applies to older devices.

In new android devices on the internal memory in one part, you can use whatever you want. The added SD card will be available as new storage. Good luck.

Some time after the first turn on, too much information accumulates on the phone and there is simply no free space for new files. Especially often, owners of budget Android devices face this problem. But not everything is so simple, all phones have several types of memory, and first you need to figure out what each of them is responsible for, and only then clean the gadget from unnecessary files and irrelevant information. What are the ways to clean up or increase the volume of storage?

Types of memory on Android devices

Each of the memory departments has its own tasks and characteristics, which we will now understand:

Built-in memory - this is the memory that is originally on the phone or tablet and is designed to store various files. Each device has its own hard drive, which contains the operating system itself and the programs necessary for normal and full functioning. After connecting the device to the Internet, or using other methods, you can start filling the internal memory with everything you need: files, programs, music, videos, etc.

The drive or memory card is an addition to the internal memory, which is installed separately. All Android devices have a dedicated SD card slot that allows you to expand the storage by 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 or 128 GB. You can transfer personal information, media files and applications to an external drive.

If the built-in and external memory are completely filled, then you will no longer be able to put anything on the device. It is also possible that the phone will freeze, slow down and refuse to launch applications.

RAM (RAM) - this memory stores information about the processes that are currently taking place, and the files copied to the clipboard. That is, if you launched a game or application, started watching videos or listening to music via the Internet, then the load will go to RAM. In other words, this memory is dedicated to cache storage. Everything that is in this memory is temporary files, as they will be erased after the device is rebooted or when a special button is pressed.

ROM (ROM) - unlike RAM, this is a permanent memory that stores the processes necessary for the full functioning of the system. That is, the ROM is responsible for the loads associated with the operating system and is not reset when the device is rebooted.

If the RAM or ROM is completely full, then the phone will freeze, slow down and stop opening applications. Also, in many devices there is a function due to which, when the RAM or ROM is heavily loaded, it automatically reboots and disables some applications.

How to view statistics on the memory usage of a smartphone or tablet

First, let's check how much and what kind of memory we have left by doing the following:

Open your phone settings.

Opening the settings

Go to the "Memory" section.

Go to the "Memory" section

Here you can view detailed information about the built-in and external memory. The list is divided into sections that describe how much memory is in total, what it is used for, and how much free space is left.

Memory usage information

To find out what part of the RAM and ROM is free, hold down the "Menu" button on the phone panel.

Press the "Menu" button to view the information about the RAM and ROM

The window that opens shows a list of running applications, and at the bottom there is a button with the words "Available ... MB of ... GB." The second digit is the sum of RAM and ROM, the first digit is how much of the total memory is available at the moment.

The button at the bottom of the screen contains information about the available and total memory of RAM and ROM

How to clear device memory

Since everyone faces this problem sooner or later, there are several ways to clear it, each of which is used for a specific memory.

With built-in apps

First of all, we will use what the developers of your smartphone came up with to clear the internal and external memory by following these steps:

Go to phone settings.

Go to settings

Go to the "Memory" section.

Go to the "Memory" section

Click on the "Cache" button.

Click on the "Cache" button

Confirm data deletion.

Confirm cache deletion

Now go to the Miscellaneous section.

Go to the section "Miscellaneous"

Check off those applications whose files you are not afraid to lose. That is, if you delete .vkontakte, you will lose all your saved music and pictures, the same will happen with other applications whose files you will erase.

We mark applications whose files you do not mind deleting

Click on the garbage can icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

Click on the garbage can icon to delete data

Video tutorial: leave the right, delete the excess - how to properly clean the memory in Android

To clear RAM and ROM, follow these steps:

Hold down the "Menu" button on your device.

Hold the "Menu" button to open the list of running applications

In the window that appears, click the button with the broom icon.

Click on the broom icon to close all applications at once

Open your phone settings.

Open phone settings

Go to the "Applications" section.

Go to the "Applications" section

Go to the "Working" subsection.

Go to the "Working" section

Click on an application that can be stopped without losing the device's performance. For example, select "Vkontakte", "Instagram", a browser and similar applications.

Selecting apps to stop

Click the "Stop" button.

Click the "Stop" button

Do the same for all unnecessary applications.

Go to the list of cached applications by clicking on the corresponding icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

Click on a special icon to go to the list of cached applications

Stop all unnecessary applications.

Stopping unnecessary applications

Video tutorial: clearing RAM on an Android device

Freeing up storage space manually

This method involves transferring files and programs from internal memory to external memory, since usually the phone's built-in memory is noticeably smaller than that which can be installed additionally using an SD card. You can transfer pictures, videos, e-books and files that are not involved in maintaining the phone's performance to external memory. In general, transfer everything that is not related to the operating system.

Open File Explorer. This is an application that contains all the folders and files on the device.

Open File Explorer

Go to internal memory.

Go to internal memory

Hold your finger for a couple of seconds on the file you want to transfer.

Select file to transfer

Click on the scissors icon to cut it.

Click the scissors icon to cut the file

Go to the MicroSD section.

Go to the MicroSD section

Click on the paper tablet icon to insert the file.

Paste the cut file with the "Insert" button

Do the same for all files.

You can also transfer part of the application to external memory by following these steps:

Open device settings.

Open phone settings

Go to the "Memory" section.

Go to the "Memory" section

Check the box next to MicroSD.

Check the box next to MicroSD

Reboot your phone. From now on, all applications that are not included in the list of built-in ones will be transferred to external memory. But be careful, if you take out or break the external drive, then the applications will stop running.

We reboot the device

Using a computer

Do not forget that you can use your computer as an external drive. To transfer files from phone to PC, follow these steps:

Connect your phone to your computer with a USB cable.

Connect phone and computer with USB cable

Wait until all drivers are installed.

On your computer, open File Explorer and navigate to the contents of your phone.

Go to phone content

Cut and transfer all files that are not involved in maintaining the device's performance, that is, those that you personally uploaded, and not the creators of the phone.

We expand the capabilities of the gadget using cloud technologies

In recent years, such a branch of the Internet as cloud technologies has been actively developing, allowing you to upload via an Internet file to the "cloud". It happens like this:

You open one of the programs designed for cloud storage. For example, the Yandex.Disk application, which can be downloaded from Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.yandex.disk&hl=ru.

Installing the Yandex.Disk application

Click on the "Upload file" button and select the one you need.

Uploading the necessary files to Yandex cloud servers

Done, now you can delete the file from your phone, it will remain on Yandex Disk until you download or delete it from there. But be careful, carefully read the conditions for storing a file on cloud servers, as some companies set limits on file sizes and storage periods, after which it will be automatically deleted.

We work with third-party programs

In the Play Market, you can easily find many free programs that help you clean your phone in a couple of clicks. Now we will consider the most popular and practical of them:

Clean Master will free storage from unnecessary information

Probably one of the most famous applications, and not only in its category, as it has more than 5,000,000 installations. Clean Master offers a complete cleaning of the device from temporary files, cache, corrupted and empty folders, browser history and other garbage. It also includes automatic closing of unnecessary applications and built-in antivirus. The application has a pleasant and user-friendly interface that allows you to clean the device in just two clicks of the "Analysis" and "Clear" buttons. Link to install from the Play Market -

Installing Clean Master application

System Monitoring in Android Assistant

Also deservedly located in the top Play Market program (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.advancedprocessmanager&hl=ru), which has a very wide list of features:

Constant system monitoring that provides the user with information about system load, memory status, battery temperature and other useful things.

A process manager that allows you to manage running applications with a couple of screen taps.

The ability to view a list of applications that auto-start when the device is turned on and disable them.

The App 2 SD function will allow you to quickly move installed applications from internal to external memory.

And, most importantly, the application will allow you to clear the phone's memory of unnecessary files by pressing one button.

Installing the Android Assistant App

Total Commander will help you structure folders and files

This application is designed to organize all the files on the device. Total Commander allows you to pack and unpack folders with their contents in rar and zip formats. It also includes editing and transferring the contents of the phone from place to place or to another device. Link to install from the Play Market -

Installing the Total Commander app

How to increase internal memory on Android

If cleaning the memory did not solve your problems, then it's time to think about upgrading your device.

First, get an SD card. At the moment, their cost depends on the amount of memory. That is, an 8 GB card will cost twice as much as a 4 GB card. Try to get a card with more memory than you need at the moment, because in the future you can move it to a new phone without having to buy a new one.

Secondly, install the FolderMount application from the Play Market (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devasque.fmount&hl=ru) and the 360root application that will give your device root rights (download it is possible from the official website of the developer http://360root.ru).

We launch the 360root application and click on the button in the middle of the screen. Done, superuser rights obtained.

Press the button to root the phone

We open the application. It is designed to increase the internal memory of the device by combining the butts located there with the SD card. That is, applications can be completely transferred to an external drive from the phone, respectively, freeing up the built-in memory.

Opening the application

We begin to manually combine folders. Learn more about how to do it right in the video tutorial.

Video: Combining folders

Thirdly, we will figure out how to increase the RAM of the device. This can be done using special programs that create a paging file. For example, Ram Manager.

Download the application from the Play Market - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.smartprojects.RAMOptimizationFree&hl=en .

Installing the RAM Manager Free app

We give him root-rights.

Give the application root rights

Choose one of the operating modes.

Choose one of the modes

Ram Manager operating modes:

Balance - maximum optimization of RAM.

Balance (with more free memory) - maximum optimization of RAM for devices with up to 512 MB.

Balance (with more multitasking) - maximum optimization of RAM for devices with more than 512 MB.

Hard Gaming is a mode for those who like to run serious games on their device that require a lot of resources.

Hard Multitasking - this mode will optimize the operation of the device while running several programs at the same time.

Default (Samsung) - this mode is enabled by default on Samsung devices, but now it can be used on phones from other companies.

Default (Nexus S) - mode for phones and tablets from Google.

Default settings of your phone - this function resets the RAM settings to the "default" level.

How not to clog your phone and save system resources

To avoid problems with free device memory in the future, you should follow simple rules:

Download only what you really need. Do not buy into big names and promises of programs that promise to speed up your device several times. They only clog the memory, which will lead to sad consequences.

Make it a rule to transfer photos and videos from your phone to a computer or USB flash drive every couple of weeks. This will significantly unload the memory, and it will not end at the most inopportune moment.

Use programs that clean up memory regularly. For example, Clean Master. They will clear the cache and other junk that has accumulated on your device.

Get an SD card, which will greatly increase the amount of available memory.

The performance of the device directly depends on the free space. If the memory is clogged, then you can not avoid freezing and slowing down the phone's performance. Remember that any computer device requires constant care and protection from viruses. Only if you are careful and careful with your gadget, it will serve you for a long time and with high quality, constantly satisfying your needs.

Android includes a large number of directories, but here the question arises - which folders can be deleted and which cannot be touched?

Before deleting folders, read the article.

This article is suitable for all brands that produce phones on Android 9/8/7/6: Samsung, HTC, Lenovo, LG, Sony, ZTE, Huawei, Meizu, Fly, Alcatel, Xiaomi, Nokia and others. We are not responsible for your actions.

We are not responsible for your actions

Folders Android

The folder list may differ depending on the version of Android. Some applications can create their own directories in memory - for example, instant messengers. However, in general, the list of folders on all versions of Android will be the same, so you only need to know what is stored in them.

• Cache - folder with temporary update files. If you are not going to update the system, you can delete it.
• data/app - installation files for all third-party applications. If you don't use them, you can delete them.
• data/data - settings, saves and other service information necessary for applications to work. If you do not use the installed programs, delete the directory.
• data/clipboard - clipboard with latest screenshots. It is not recommended to delete.
• data/dalvik-cache - A cache area for the java virtual machine that allows the phone to run APK files. It is necessary to regularly clean from files, but cannot be deleted. (read)

The Documents folder contains a variety of documents. If their content is of no interest, feel free to delete the directory. The same applies to the Bluetooth directory, which contains files received via this wireless technology.

Increase

The DCIM folder stores photos taken with the camera. If there are no photos you need, you can safely erase the catalog. Deleting the folders Images, Pictures, Musi, Audio, etc. will not affect the operation of Android.

Folders that cannot be deleted

There are folders in Android that absolutely cannot be deleted, because without them the system will not work correctly. Remember these names:

• efs - information about IMEI, Mac, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
• etc - configuration files used when booting the system and processes of various built-in programs.
• lib - libraries necessary for programs and modules to work.
• mnt - images of mounted systems.
• proc - key information about the installed system.
• sbin - executable files of all programs involved in system management.
• sys is the current system configuration.

In no case should you delete the system folder with all directories nested in it. System is the backbone of the system, so if you delete any data from here, you will flash the phone again.

Removal methods

To delete system folders, you need superuser rights - root. If you don’t have them, then you definitely won’t be able to break Android. If available, you need to be extremely careful - deleting important system files will lead to the fact that you will have to flash the device again.

If you have figured out which folders can be safely deleted, then proceed to clear the memory using standard functions:

1. Open the Android main menu and launch the file browser (file manager).
2. , which can be deleted. Click on it and hold your finger.
3. When the menu appears, select Delete.

Increase

A variant of the manager with support for multiple selection is presented. The delete button is in this case at the top right in the form of a trash can icon.

The standard file manager does not show all the Android files and folders. To clean up the device memory well, use ES File Explorer or another third-party file manager.

1. Launch ES File Explorer.
2. Choose what you want to clean - internal storage (Internal Storage) or a memory card.
3. Hold your finger on the folder you want to delete. Once it's checked, start highlighting other files and folders.
4. After selecting all the items to delete, click on the "Delete" button in the lower menu.

Increase

You can not use file managers on Android, but simply connect your phone to a computer by selecting the media device mode, in which you can view and change the contents of memory.

If the phone's memory is full, you need to free up some space. Removing space-filling cached data will help keep Android from slowing down. You can clean Android from garbage manually or using special cleaning applications.

Manual cleaning

If the phone has not been cleaned for a long time, then the user faces a number of tasks:

1. How to free up system memory.
2. How to free up RAM.
3. How to clear SD card.

If free space runs out, then the first question to be solved is how to clear the cache on Android. Deleting the cache allows you to free up system memory quickly and for free. If you do not understand where the free space goes, clearing the cache will give the answer - the memory on the phone is running out due to the large amount of temporary files. To get rid of them, you need to clean your Android.

1. Open Settings, Applications section.
2. Go to the settings of applications that create a lot of temporary files - Play Market, games, browser, instant messengers, social network clients. Don't forget about the built-in apps like "Galleries". Even if you delete photos and videos from your phone, information about them will remain in the cache.
3. Click Clear Cache.

Manually clearing the internal memory of an Android device is not limited to deleting the app cache. To completely clear the memory of an Android phone, you need to examine the contents of system folders. This can be done manually through file managers. Let's see how you can free up memory on Android by deleting temporary files through File Manager (Explorer).

You can also clean the folders of individual applications - VKontakte, Viber, WhatsApp. You won’t clean the RAM on Android like that, but you will understand how to clear the phone’s internal memory. In addition, by knowing how to clean your phone, you can get rid of viruses that periodically enter the system.

After deleting the cache and unnecessary files, it will become clear where the memory of the Android phone or tablet has gone. The memory is gone because a full set of temporary data has accumulated in the system. The storage device cannot delete them on its own, which causes lag and other problems. Knowing how to clear memory and freeing up system memory, the user extends the device's operating time.

Using Cleaning Applications

We figured out how to clear the internal memory of Android on our own. Now let's see how to completely clean your phone using dedicated apps. In the Play Market you can find a large number of programs in Russian and English. Take a look at the following apps:

• cleanmaster.
• Cleanup Master.
• History Eraser.
• Smart Booster.
• 1Tap Cleaner, etc.

They work on the same principle: you run the program, choose which files to delete, and wait for the optimization procedure to complete.

If you know how to manually clear memory on Android, then this will not be enough to completely delete unnecessary files. Using 2 methods, manual cleaning and optimization through applications, will help you figure out how to remove all the extra data that takes up space.

RAM cleaning

We figured out how to quickly clear system memory on Android, but the question remains, how to clear RAM? RAM on Android is also filled with data, the release of which allows you to answer the question of how to increase the speed of the phone.

Most cleaning programs are able to optimize the RAM on Android and increase performance. If you don’t understand where the speed has gone, then after the application for cleaning RAM on Android is running, you can again use it to the fullest.