5 Ways to Increase Internal Storage on an Android Device

If you are running out of storage space on your Android phone, you can generate more internal memory through several different methods. To substantially increase your phone's memory, you can transfer data to an SD card on some phone models. Other quick options include removing cached data and large downloads, temporarily disabling apps, and removing photos and videos. This wikiHow article teaches you how to increase your storage space on an Android device.

Increase Internal Storage Space on Android

You can free up storage space by deleting unused apps, files, photos, and videos on your Android. You can archive unused apps in the Google Play Store. You can also delete app cache and app data in the Settings menu. Some phones support a microSD card expansion.

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:

Archiving Unused Apps

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1
Open the Google Play Store
. You can set your phone to archive apps you no longer use in the Google Play Store. This will automatically delete apps you don’t use very often, but keep the app data on your phone in case you want to download them again. Tap the Google Play Store icon to open it.
2
Tap your profile icon. It’s in the upper-right corner. This opens your account menu.

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3
Tap Settings
. It’s next to an icon that resembles a gear. It’s near the bottom of the Google menu.
4
Tap General. It’s the first option at the top of the page.
5
Tap the toggle switch next to “Automatically archive apps”. This will set the Play Store to automatically archive apps you don’t use very often.

Method 2

Method 2 of 6:

Manually Deleting Unused Apps

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1
Open the Apps menu. You can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the Apps menu on most Android phones. Some models may have a dedicated Apps menu button you tap at the bottom of the screen
2
Look for apps you no longer use. You can scroll through the apps menu by swiping left and right. Look for apps you no longer use or could do without. The largest apps tend to be games, video streaming apps, and social media apps.
3
Delete apps you no longer use. To do so, tap and hold the app icon in the Apps menu. Then tap Delete or Uninstall.

Method 3

Method 3 of 6:

Clearing App Cache and Data

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1
Open the Settings menu. To open the Settings menu, swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the Gear/Settings icon.
2
Tap Apps. You should see the Apps menu in the Settings menu.
3
Tap an app that uses a lot of storage space. Apps are listed in alphabetical order. It generally says how much space an app uses below its name.
4
Tap Storage. This will be in the App Info screen. This will display information about how much storage the app uses, how much data it takes up, and how much storage the cache is using.
5
Tap Clear cache. It’s one of the tabs at the bottom. This will delete the temporary data for the app. This may cause the app to run a little slower next time you run it, and you may need to log in again, but it shouldn’t delete any saved data.
- If the app is currently running, you may need to tap Force Quit or Disable at the bottom of the screen first.
6
Tap Clear data. This will delete the app data. You will most likely lose your saved data. Only do this if you don’t mind starting over with the app and you really need the storage space. After tapping this button, tap Delete to confirm you want to delete the app data.
- If the app is currently running, you may need to tap Force Quit or Disable at the bottom of the screen first.
7
Repeat with as many apps as needed. To free up more storage space, clear the app cache and data for as many apps as possible.

Method 4

Method 4 of 6:

Deleting Photos and Videos

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1
Back up the photos and videos you want to keep. Photos and videos (especially videos) can take up a lot of space on your phone. You can free up space by deleting them. However, you may want to back up the photos and videos you want to keep so that you don’t accidentally delete them.
- Backing up your photos and videos to Google Photos won’t prevent them from being deleted. Google Photos is a syncing service. When you delete a photo or video on your phone, it also deletes it on Google Photos and vice versa. You may be able to temporarily prevent this by disabling sync in Google Photos, but once you re-enable it, you may lose your photos in one or both places.
- It’s recommended that you back up your photos to two locations. You can use a separate cloud storage service, like OneDrive or Dropbox, that isn’t synced with your phone. You should also back up your photos to an external hard drive or a computer.
- You can transfer files from your Android phone to a PC using a USB cable or the Phone Link app.
2
Open the Gallery. You can find all the videos and photos stored on your phone in the Gallery. It generally has an icon that resembles a photograph or a stack of photos. Tap the Gallery icon to open it.
3
Tap and hold a file or photo or video you want to delete. This will display a checkmark next to the video or photo, as well as an empty checkmark bubble in the upper-right corner of all the other photos and videos.
- You can tap Albums at the bottom of the screen to browse your photos and videos by album. You can also tap Pictures at the bottom to browse photos and videos by date.
4
Select all the rest of the photos and videos you want to delete. Tap the thumbnail image of each photo or video you want to delete. This will display a checkmark in the upper-right corner of each of the photos and videos you selected.
5
Tap Delete. It’s the icon that resembles a trash can at the bottom of the screen.
6
Tap Move to Trash. This will move the selected photos and videos to the trash. Photos and videos will stay in the trash for 30 days before they are automatically deleted.
7
Empty the trash. To permanently remove the photos and videos and free up space, you will need to empty the trash. All photos and videos in the trash will be permanently deleted. Use the following steps to empty the trash.
- Tap Pictures at the bottom of the screen (if you are in an album).
- Tap the Menu icon with three lines (☰) in the lower-right corner.
- Tap Trash.
- Tap the icon with three dots (⋮) in the upper-right corner.
- Tap Empty.
- Tap Delete.

Method 5

Method 5 of 6:

Transferring Files to an SD Card

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1
Make sure your phone model supports an SD card expansion. Most newer phone models don’t have an SD card expansion slot. Use the SIM ejector tool or a paperclip to eject the SIM card tray from your phone. It will most likely be along the side of your phone. Check if there is a microSD card slot on the tray. If there isn’t, check to see if there is another tray along the side of your phone. If you can’t find one, your phone most likely doesn’t have an SD card expansion slot.
- If your phone has a removable battery, you’ll likely find the SD card compartment below the battery.
- You can also check the specs of your phone on the manufacturer’s website or the instruction manual to see if it has an SD card expansion slot and where you can find it.
2
Insert a microSD card in your phone. If there is a microSD card slot on the SIM card tray, place a microSD card in the tray and reinsert it into your phone. If there is a separate tray, place the SD card on the tray and reinsert it. On some phone models, there may be a slot where you just slide the card in and press it down to lock it in place.
3
Open the Storage settings. When you insert an SD card, you may receive a notification that an SD card was detected. If so, swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the notification to begin formatting it. If you do not receive a notification, use the following steps to navigate to the Storage menu in Settings:
- Swipe down from the top of the screen.
- Tap the Gear/Settings icon.
- Tap the magnifying glass icon.
- Search “Storage.”
- Tap the Storage option.
4
Select your SD card. If you see SD card in the storage menu, tap it. On some phone models, there may be a drop-down menu at the top of the screen you can use to switch between your phone’s internal storage and your SD card storage.
- Check to see if there are any files you want to keep on the SD card. If there are, you may want to back them up. Formatting the SD card will erase all data on the SD card. If you just want to use the SD card as portable file storage, you may not need to format it. If you want to install apps on the SD card, you will need to format it.
5
Tap ⋮. It’s the icon with three dots in the upper-right corner. This displays a drop-down menu.
6
Tap Format. This option may be under “Storage settings” on some devices.
7
Choose to format the SD card as portable or adoptable storage. If you want to format the SD card as portable storage, tap Format or Format as portable storage. If you want to format it as adoptable storage, tap Format another way or Format as internal storage.
- “Portable storage” formats the SD card so that it is readable on other devices. This allows you to save files, photos, and videos to the SD card and transfer them to other devices. However, you will not be able to install apps on the SD card.
- “Adoptable (or internal) storage” formats the SD card so that it can be used as an extension of your internal storage. This allows you to install apps on the SD card as well as save files, photos, and videos on the SD card. However, the SD card will only be usable on your phone and not readable on other devices.
8
Tap Format or Format Card. This formats your SD card in the format you selected.^{[1]
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- Once your SD card is formatted, you can use Files by Google or My Files app to transfer files from your phone’s internal storage to the SD card.

Method 6

Method 6 of 6:

Frequently Asked Questions

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1
Can I increase my phone storage without an SD card? No. Internal storage is physical. Most Android phones have a fixed storage drive attached to the main board. It is not removable or expandable.
2
Can I increase RAM or memory? No, your Android phone comes with a fixed amount of RAM that is attached to the main board. You cannot remove or expand the RAM that comes with your phone.
3
Can I use an external hard drive with my Android phone? Yes, you can connect an external hard drive to the USB charging port on your phone. You can use the Files or My Files app to transfer files to the external hard drive. However, you will not be able to install apps on the external hard drive.
4
Can I use an SD card with an adapter? Yes, if your phone does not have an SD card slot, you can connect an SD card to your phone using a USB adapter. However, you will not be able to format it as adoptive storage and install apps on the SD card.

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Question

How can I use my SD card as internal memory in Android?

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Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

A feature in Android version Marshmallow (6.0) and later that allows you to do this. However, not many phone models actually support it, so look up your model before going any further. There are also good reasons to avoid using an SD card as internal memory. If you do, you cannot ever remove the card, or your phone will start getting a lot of error messages and prompt you to reinsert it. Also, using an SD card for internal memory could cause the card to wear out faster and cause errors or slow down your phone.

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Question

What do I do if my device storage is counting the space of the SD card and, when I remove the card, the space is freed up?

Community Answer

You need not remove the card. You can share files that are taking up too much space on your phone to another card or phone so that space is freed up.

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What can I do if I don't have any extra apps, but my phone says that the storage is full?

Community Answer

It might be glitched. Try reloading it or exiting out of the app and rejoin it and try again. Also check to make sure that your storage is not taken up by videos and music.

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Tips

Back up your memory card contents before transferring data to an SD card.

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Have a charged phone to avoid any disruptions.

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You must root your phone before transferring data to an SD card.

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