How to free up storage on Android without a cleaner app
You can free up storage on Android with the tools Android already has, and by removing files and apps you can see and choose yourself. No cleaner app is needed.
Short answer
Before you start
- Check what is actually full. Settings › Storage shows space used by apps, images, videos, audio and documents.
- Menus vary by phone maker and Android version. If a step does not match your phone, search Settings for “storage”.
Use Android’s storage settings
Android has most of what you need built in:1
- Free up space: open Settings › Storage and tap Free up space (on some phones, Storage opens the phone maker’s file app). Pick a category and select files you no longer need.
- Clear an app’s cache: open Settings › Apps, choose an app, tap Storage & cache, then Clear cache. Cache is temporary data the app creates again, so the space may come back as you use the app.
- Clear storage only when you mean it: Clear storage deletes all of that app’s data, including logins and offline files.
- Archive unused apps: Android and Google Play can archive apps you rarely use. The app is removed, but your data is kept and the icon stays, so you can download it again later.2
- Files by Google: its Clean tab suggests downloads, large files and duplicates to review.3
Steps with Applore
- Open Android’s storage screen. On Applore’s Home tab, tap Storage Tools › Free up space. Android’s storage settings open.
- Remove duplicate files. Tap Storage Tools › Duplicate Files to group exact copies and delete the extras. Applore Free removes copies from one group per day. Read how to find duplicate files.
- Find big folders (Pro). On the Files tab, tap Large File Analyzer to see which folders take the most space, largest first.
- Remove apps you do not use. Check screen time in the Activity tab, then remove several apps at once with Storage Tools › Uninstall App, which shows the space you will get back. Read how to find apps you never use.
- Clear out messaging-app media. On the Files tab, open WhatsApp Media (shown only if that folder exists). Media is sorted into categories such as images, videos and voice notes, with their sizes. Select what you no longer need and delete it.
What is safe to delete
| Usually safe to delete | Think twice or keep |
|---|---|
| Downloads you have finished with | Photos and videos with no backup |
| Extra copies from a duplicate group | Folders you do not recognise, especially hidden ones |
| Old app installers (APK files) you no longer need | Anything inside the Android folder |
| Messaging media you have saved elsewhere | Files an app needs offline, such as maps or music |
| An app’s cache, cleared from Settings | Clear storage for apps with logins or offline data |
Some apps keep data in hidden folders. Applore’s own Vault Gallery, for example, lives in a hidden folder on your phone, so deleting unknown hidden folders can delete private files.
Why Applore has no junk cleaner
Applore used to include a junk cleaner and cache cleaner, and they were removed. On modern Android they cannot do what they promise: since Android 11, an app cannot open other apps’ private folders, even with All files access,4 and clearing other apps’ caches is left to Android itself. Instead of showing a cleaning screen that does little, Free up space in Applore opens Android’s own storage settings, and the other tools only show files you can check and delete yourself.
Common problems
Storage fills up again after clearing cache
Cache is temporary. Apps build it again as you use them. Removing duplicates, big downloads and unused apps gives longer-lasting space.
Free up space does nothing on my phone
A few phone makers change Android’s storage screen. Open Settings yourself and search for “storage”.
“Other” or “System” takes a lot of space
Android itself and its updates need space that you cannot delete. Focus on the categories you control: apps, images, videos, audio, documents and downloads.
What stays private
Applore’s storage tools work on your phone. File names, file contents and the lists of duplicates or large folders are not sent to Applore’s servers. For all the storage tools and their Free and Pro limits, see Duplicate Files, Free up space and Large File Analyzer, or browse your files yourself with the file manager in Applore.
Questions
Do cleaner apps make a phone faster?
Cleaner apps cannot do much on modern Android. Since Android 11, an app cannot open other apps' private folders, even with All files access, so it cannot clear their temporary files the way Android can. Cached data is temporary anyway: apps create it again as you use them. Android's own storage settings are the reliable place to clear it.
What happens when I tap Free up space in Applore?
Applore opens Android's own storage settings. From there you can see what uses space and clear an app's cache the way Android intends. Applore does not delete anything itself when you tap Free up space, and it does not show a cleaning animation or a cleaned total.
Is it safe to delete WhatsApp media?
Deleting media files removes them from this phone. Your messages stay, but a deleted photo or video no longer opens from the chat on this phone. Before you delete, save anything you want to keep, for example in Google Photos or on a computer. Voice notes and videos you sent are often the largest files.
Sources
- Free up storage on your Android device, Android Help. Checked 2026-09-15.
- Archive unused apps on Android, Google Play Help. Checked 2026-09-15.
- Delete duplicate files, Files by Google Help. Checked 2026-09-15.
- Storage updates in Android 11, Android Developers. Checked 2026-09-15.