When using an Android phone or tablet and everything is working well, some users may forget that that device is actually a computer and, as such, prone to problems. On an Android smartphone with less than 64 GB of internal memory (but it can also happen on much more capacious phones, especially after many years), it can happen to receive the fearsome warning of "insufficient space" when we try to install new applications or when we download a new video from WhatsApp or a website. If we see the warning appear, we do not panic: everything can be solved and often in a much more painless way than you think!
In this guide we have collected all the simple methods to use to solve the insufficient space on Android, so that you can continue to use the phone and install that much desired app or that large multimedia content without problems.
READ ALSO: Free up Android space on internal memory and SD card
What to do if there is no space on the smartphone
There are various methods that we can use to resolve the error of insufficient space on our Android smartphone: some require the use of menus and options already present in the operating system, others instead provide for the use of apps dedicated to cleaning and searching for large files and folders in the phone memory, so you can erase the superfluous and quickly recover space.Free up space manually
The first method involves manually cleaning the heaviest files directly from the phone's settings menu; let's go to the Settings app and, in the Memory section, Internal memory or Storage space, check what takes up so much space to saturate all the internal memory.
According to the model in our possession we should be able to open the individual items of the storage space, so as to delete the cached data, the superfluous apps or the largest files stored in the system folders (for example the old files of 'update).
Once the problem has been identified, we can proceed from the same screen or by opening the path Settings -> Apps (to delete unnecessary apps) or the Gallery app (to delete photos and videos that take up more space).
By doing this we will eliminate most of the memory problems on our smartphone without even installing a cleaning app (remember that often the space is so little that we cannot even proceed with these apps, we will have to use manual cleaning!).
Integrated cleaning system
On many modern Android smartphones there is an integrated cleaning system, able to perform cleaning automatically without installing any other app. On Xiaomi smartphones, for example, we can reach it at the Settings path -> System info -> Storage space -> Cleaner, while on other manufacturers' systems it can be presented as a dedicated system app or as an item to be reached in the Memory, Memory menu internal or Storage space .
By starting the cleaner we will eliminate most of the superfluous and eliminable files without any risk, obtaining a very high memory recovery (especially if we have not performed the cleaning for a long time). At the end of the cleaning we will be able to obtain other useful options for cleaning the phone, so as to recover other space occupied by files of different nature; for example in the Xiaomi cleaner we can also launch the Facebook Cleaner, the WhatsApp Cleaner and the Deep Cleaning system, able to solve the insufficient space on Android in most scenarios.
Downloadable apps to clean the system
If our smartphone does not have an integrated cleaning system, we can use one of the recommended apps below to be able to make up space on any Android phone, regardless of the model or manufacturer.The first app that we recommend you try is Google Files, available for free for all Android smartphones.
By installing this app we will get a free and effective tool to keep under control the internal memory and the microSD card on our smartphone, so that we can quickly delete unnecessary files, duplicate files or any files of considerable size that occupy the memory of our smartphone . With Google Files we will also have real-time notifications when the space is running out or when it is preferable to carry out a check and cleaning (before the system shows the dreaded "insufficient space" window). In addition to cleaner, this app can be used as a valid file manager, so you can always browse the multimedia folders and folders of the apps on our device.
Another very popular app for cleaning the Android system is Clean Master, which is also available for free.
The main feature of this app is to be very simple to use: just one click to start the default cleaning (which deletes many unnecessary files) and the optimization of the system, so as to free up even the RAM memory and the CPU from unprocessed processes more necessary (even if in a totally different way from the task killers, which as we know are totally useless).
If instead we want to maintain continuity between PC and smartphone, we can install the CCleaner app, the mobile version of the most famous computer cleaner.
Just like on a computer, the app is able to analyze the internal memory and any microSD present, showing as a final result all the files, folders and optimizations that we can make on the phone to speed it up and to solve the insufficient space on Android.
Finally, we can also try the Norton Clean app, available for free for all Android phones.
From the famous antivirus manufacturer we are provided with an app that looks pleasant, as well as very simple to use: just start it and wait for the results of the scan, so you can clean up unwanted files, free the memory from larger files and delete the system and app cache whenever the need arises.
Other apps similar to those visible above can be seen in our article on Apps to clean Android from unnecessary files that take up space .
Preventing the message "insufficient space on Android"
If we want to avoid that the message "insufficient space on Android" often appears, just follow the simple tips applicable to any smartphone with the green robot operating system.First we will have to move our multimedia files (photos and videos) to the cloud, so that we can delete them from internal memory and free up space. The only app to use for the purpose is Google Photos, available for free on every Android device.
With this app started and configured we will be able to make an unlimited backup of all our photos and also save the videos (shot with the cameras or downloaded from social networks or messaging apps) on the space available on Google Drive. The app will also allow you to delete photos and videos already saved online, so as to recover space immediately.
To learn more about the use of Google Photos, please read our Google Photos guides with unlimited backup from Android, iPhone and PC and How to use Google Photos and all its automatic and manual functions .
Once the multimedia files have been fixed, we will have to proceed by moving the applications from the internal memory to the microSD memory (if present). The manual method involves opening the path Settings -> Apps, scrolling through the various lists, opening the largest applications and checking if the button to move the apps to the external memory is available.
Alternatively, we can use the AppMgr III application, designed to move apps from one memory to another.
Unfortunately, you will notice that many apps cannot be moved and that some of the movable ones increase their size on the internal memory with use and with time. The ideal, in case this problem of insufficient memory occurs often, is to unlock the Android phone with root and install an app like Link2SD.
This application "deceives" the system and creates symbolic links by moving the application folders, making the system believe that they are still present in the internal memory when they are actually present on the microSD (which will therefore become the real memory of all the installed apps) .
Conclusions
As we have seen, we can quickly solve the problem of insufficient space on Android, applying both methods already available on our system and installing various apps for cleaning and moving our files and apps.If the problem of insufficient space on the Android device should arise when space is available and we install new apps, we recommend you read our guide on how to solve errors in the Google Play Store .
If instead we wanted to move photos and videos to our computer, we recommend reading our article on how to transfer photos and videos from Android to the PC .
Still on the subject of insufficient memory, we can read our in-depth analysis on How to Survive with Android with internal memory full or out of space on the phone .
