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2 weeks ago
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Published Oct 15, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT
Shimul studied pyschology as her major but never looked back at her degree once she graduated. She began her journey in college as a social media intern and eventually became a social media manager for publications like iGeeksBlog, Guiding Tech, and MySmartPrice, along with popular tech influencers like Rajiv Makhni.
For the initial years of her career, she focused primarily on social media until she joined MySmartPrice, where she stepped into the world of consumer tech writing. That's where her love for writing really took off, especially when it comes to the Apple ecosystem, Android smartphones, and finding clever tips and tricks that make everyday life easier.
When she's not reading or writing, you'll probably find her cooking and making sure everyone tries her delicious food.
My Samsung Galaxy was running out of storage, and I was tired of constantly deleting photos, videos, and important documents just to make room. This time, though, I decided I wouldn't delete any of them. Instead, I wanted to figure out what was really eating up all that space on my phone and whether I could get rid of it without losing anything important.
And I'm glad I did. I found quite a few things taking up unnecessary space, and after removing what I didn't need, I freed up over 13GB of storage without deleting anything I actually cared about.
My storage was full of things I didn't even want
1GB of storage and nothing worth keeping
Credit: Shimul Sood / MakeUseOf
First, I wanted to figure out what was taking up so much space. So I opened the Settings app, went to Storage, and started looking through the biggest files. That's when I noticed just how many random photos and large videos I had received on WhatsApp over time. Most were forwarded messages I didn't even remember receiving, let alone needing anymore.
So, I started deleting them, and before I knew it, I had freed up almost 1GB of storage — that's a lot of space for files I didn't even care about keeping. I'd recommend checking the Storage section in your Galaxy's Settings app every once in a while. It's an easy way to see what's eating up space, delete what you no longer need, and avoid filling your phone so much that it starts affecting performance.
Files by Google helped me find even more clutter
My phone had become a museum of forgotten downloads
I also wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything, so I opened Files by Google to see if I could remove more clutter. The app makes it easy to find junk files, duplicates, and large photos or videos you might have forgotten about. At least that's what happened for me.
If you want to check and do the same on your Galaxy, follow these steps:
Open the Files by Google app on your phone. Under Categories, you'll find Downloads, Images, Videos, Audio, Documents, and Apps. Go through each category and check which files you no longer need. After you review a category, tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner. Tap Select all to remove everything in that category, or manually select the files you don't need. Then, tap the Delete icon.I strongly recommend reviewing everything before deleting anything, especially if you have important documents or photos saved on your phone.
I took my sweet time reviewing the files, and by the time I was done, I had freed up another 7.6GB of storage. That's a pretty significant amount of space for things I didn't even know about.
SD Maid SE did the final job
A lot of skeletons in my phone's closet
Credit: Shimul Sood / MakeUseOf
Even after clearing out those unnecessary files, I wanted to see if anything else was taking up space on my phone. That's when I decided to try SD Maid SE. Unlike the other methods I'd used, this app can find things that aren't always easy to spot, like leftover files from uninstalled apps, temporary files, and app caches that build up over time.
I downloaded SD Maid SE on my Galaxy and gave it the permissions it needed to scan my phone. Depending on the features you use, the app may ask for access to notifications, storage, usage statistics, and accessibility services. Some of these permissions are pretty extensive, but they're needed for certain cleaning functions to work properly.
Once everything was set up, I ran the app's cleaning modules to look for leftover app data, unnecessary temporary files, caches, and duplicate or similar images. What I particularly liked was that I didn't have to blindly trust the app to delete everything it found. I could review each scan's results, decide what I wanted to keep, and then confirm what to remove. And I'd strongly recommend doing the same.
Just because a file is flagged as unnecessary doesn't mean you won't need it later, especially with app data and media.
Since SD Maid SE asks for fairly sensitive permissions, I also revoked them once I finished cleaning. You can always grant them again the next time you need to use the app. I'd rather not leave those permissions enabled when I'm not using it, especially since I'm pretty particular about my privacy.
To my surprise, SD Maid SE freed up another 4.7GB of storage. I'd already cleared out quite a bit using Samsung's storage settings and Files by Google, so I didn't expect so much unnecessary data to still be taking up space on my phone.
13.3GB lighter, and my photos are still right where I left them
By the time I finished cleaning up my Galaxy, I'd freed up about 13.3GB of storage, and the difference has been noticeable. My phone feels a little more responsive, and I'm no longer constantly worrying about running out of space. If your Galaxy is struggling with storage, I'd definitely recommend trying these methods before you start deleting things you care about.
Just review everything before removing it, and revoke any unnecessary permissions you've granted along the way. After all, freeing up storage shouldn't mean giving up your important files or your privacy.
