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Storage is full

Once the 'Storage full' warning appears, everything stops — no photos/videos, no app installs. Try these ways to free up space.

Steps

  1. See what's eating storage
    Open Settings > Storage — it shows whether Photos, Videos, Apps or 'Other' is taking the most space. Then clean with a target.
  2. Empty the gallery trash
    Deleted photos sit in the Trash/Recycle Bin for 30 days and keep taking up space. Go to Gallery > Trash > 'Delete All'.
  3. Clean WhatsApp junk
    WhatsApp > Settings > Storage and Data > Manage Storage — videos 'Larger than 5MB' and forwarded junk can be bulk-deleted here. You can often free 3–5 GB this way.
  4. Remove offline downloads
    Offline downloads from YouTube/Spotify/Netflix take a lot of space. Open the Downloads section in each app and delete old ones.
  5. Clear the cache
    In Settings > Apps, use Storage > Clear Cache for big apps (Chrome, TikTok, Facebook). Only tap 'Clear Data' when you want to reset the app's login/settings.
  6. Move files to the cloud
    Back up important photos/videos to Google Photos or Drive and delete them from the phone — you free space and keep the photos safe if the phone is lost.

Tips