How to Empty Trash on an Android Phone or Tablet

Do you want to empty the trash on your Android? You can clear the trash in a variety of apps, including Files by Google, My Files, Gallery, Google Photos, Gmail, and more. In most cases, trash will be deleted automatically after 30 days. You can also remove junk files to clear up space. This wikiHow article teaches you numerous ways to empty the trash on Android.

Quick Steps

Open your Android's Settings.
Tap Storage.
Tap Trash.
Select a trash option.
Select the files you want to delete.
Select Delete or Delete All.

Method 1

Method 1 of 9:

Emptying Trash in Settings

1
Open the Settings menu
. To do so, swipe down from the top of the screen. Then tap the icon that resembles a Gear in the upper-right corner.
2
Tap Storage. On some devices, this may be under Device Care. Tap the Storage option in the Settings menu. Generally, this option will have a bar graph displaying how much storage space you have and how much you have used up.
- If you can’t find the Storage option, tap the icon that resembles a magnifying glass and enter “Storage” in the search bar, then tap Storage.
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3
Tap Trash or Recycle Bin. It’s generally at the bottom of the menu. You may need to scroll down to find it.
4
Tap a trash option. You may have different trash options from different apps. For example, you may have a trash folder from My Files, or Files by Google, or the Gallery.
5
Check the files you want to delete. To do so, tap and hold a single file, and then tap the rest of the files you want to delete. There may also be an option to select all files.
- In some cases, there may be an option to Empty Trash or Delete all. If you don’t see this option on the main page, tap the icon with three dots in the upper-right corner.
6
Tap Delete or Delete All. This option has an icon that resembles a trashcan. It may be at the top or bottom of the screen, depending on your device model and the trash folder you are emptying.
7
Tap Delete. This permanently deletes all the selected items in the trash.
- Items left in the trash for more than 30 days will be deleted automatically.

Method 2

Method 2 of 9:

Emptying Trash in Files by Google

1
Open Files by Google. This app icon looks like a multicolored folder.
- If you don't have the Files by Google app, you can download it for free from the Google Play Store. It will automate deleting junk files and eliminate the need for you to manually delete anything, like in the previous method.
2
Tap the menu icon ☰. It’s the icon that resembles three lines. It’s in the upper-left corner.
3
Tap Trash. It’s in the menu bar on the left.
4
Check the files you want to delete. Tap the circle next to each item to add a checkmark next to the item. Alternatively, you can tap the circle next to All Files to check all files in the trash automatically.
- For items like "Large files," you can tap Clean to see more suggestions. Tap the files to review them or select them to be deleted. Once you have the files selected, tap Move files to Trash. ^{[1]
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5
Tap Delete. It’s at the bottom of the screen. This displays a confirmation pop-up.
6
Tap Delete. It’s in the lower-right corner of the pop-up. The confirms and deletes the files in the trash that you selected.^{[2]
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- Items left in the trash for more than 30 days will be deleted automatically.

Method 3

Method 3 of 9:

Emptying Trash in Samsung My Files

1
Open My Files. It has an icon that resembles a folder. If you have a Samsung Galaxy phone or tablet, My Files comes pre-installed on your phone or tablet.
2
Scroll down and tap Trash or Recycle Bin. It’s at the bottom of the screen below the “Utilities” header.
3
Tap Select. It’s at the top in the upper-right corner. This displays a circle with a checkmark next to all the files in the trash.
4
Select the files you want to delete. By default, all files will be selected automatically. You can tap the circle with the checkmark next to any items you want to keep to uncheck them.
5
Tap Delete or Delete all. It’s at the bottom of the screen. It has an icon that resembles a trash can. This displays a confirmation pop-up.
6
Tap Delete. It’s the red button in the pop-up. This confirms and deletes the selected files in the trash.^{[3]
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- Items left in the trash for more than 30 days will be deleted automatically.

Method 4

Method 4 of 9:

Emptying Trash Within Apps

Apps like Dropbox or OneDrive have a trash can inside the app that you can empty to free up space.
You can usually find the Trash under the menu, which is the icon that resembles three lines in the upper-left corner. If you don’t see Trash under this option, tap the icon with three dots (⋮) in the upper-right corner.
3
Tap Trash. This might be labeled differently for different regions, like "Bin" instead of "Trash."
- On some apps, it may appear as “Recently deleted” or something similar.
4
Tap ⋮ and Empty trash. You'll see the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner of your screen.
- You may see the option to Delete all or Empty trash at the top of the screen.

Method 5

Method 5 of 9:

Emptying Gallery Trash

1
Open the Gallery. If you want to permanently delete the pictures on your Android, you can empty the trash.
2
Tap the Menu icon ☰. It’s the icon that resembles three lines in the lower-left corner.
3
Tap Trash. It’s the button that has an icon that resembles a trash can.
4
Tap Select. It’s at the top in the upper-right corner. This displays a circle with a checkmark next to all the files in the trash.
5
Select the files you want to delete. By default, all files will be selected automatically. You can tap the circle with the checkmark next to any items you want to keep to uncheck them.
6
Tap Delete or Delete all. It’s at the bottom of the screen. It has an icon that resembles a trash can. This displays a confirmation pop-up.
7
Tap Delete. It’s the red button in the pop-up. This confirms and deletes the selected files in the trash.^{[4]
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- Items left in the trash for more than 30 days will be deleted automatically.

Method 6

Method 6 of 9:

Emptying Google Photos Trash

1
Open the Google Photos app. If you have deleted photos in the Google Photos app, you can use this method to empty the trash. This will permanently delete the photos and recover some space on your Android.
2
Tap Collections. It’s the second tab at the bottom of the screen. This allows you to browse photos by albums, places, people, etc. It also displays the Trash folder at the top.
3
Tap Trash. It’s the button that has an icon that resembles a trashcan. It’s at the top of the screen. This opens the trash folder.
4
Tap Select. It’s in the upper-right corner. This places a circle in the upper-right corner of all the pictures in the trash.
5
Select the photos and videos you want to delete. Tap the circle icon in the upper-right corner of the photos and videos you want to delete.
- Alternatively, you can tap Delete all at the bottom of the screen.
6
Tap Delete. It’s at the bottom of the screen in the lower-right corner. This displays a pop-up at the bottom of the screen.
- Alternatively, you can tap the icon with three dots (⋮) in the upper-right corner and tap Empty trash.
7
Tap Delete permanently. It’s in the pop-up at the bottom of the screen. This confirms that you want to delete the selected photos.^{[5]
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Method 7

Method 7 of 9:

Clearing Cache and Unneeded Files

1
Clear the cached data. Although your app cache usually optimizes how your phone interacts with apps, it can also clutter your storage and create speed issues. You can clear the app data by going to Settings > Apps. You then can navigate to a specific app, then tap Storage > Clear cache.^{[6]
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- To open the Settings menu, swipe down from the top of the screen. Then tap the Gear icon in the upper-right corner.
2
Delete downloaded files. To do this, open My Files or Files by Google. Tap Downloads > ⋮ > Select or Select all. Check the files you want to delete. Then tap the trashcan icon at the top or bottom of the app.
- You’ll need to empty the trash to permanently delete the files.
Uninstalling apps means that you'll also be removing all the data that they store, which may speed up your phone. To uninstall apps, press and hold the app icon in the Apps menu and tap Uninstall.^{[7]
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Method 8

Method 8 of 9:

Emptying Google Drive Trash

1
Open Google Drive. When you delete files from Google Drive, they remain in the trash until they are permanently deleted. You can use this method to speed up the process and recover some space in Google Drive.
2
Tap the menu icon ☰. It’s the icon with three lines in the upper-left corner.
3
Tap Trash. It’s in the menu that appears to the left when you tap the Menu icon.
4
Select the files you want to delete. To do so, tap and hold one of the files to place a checkmark next to it. Then tap the rest of the files you want to delete to check them.
5
Tap the trashcan icon. It’s at the top of the screen in the upper-right corner.
- Alternatively, you can tap Empty Trash at the top of the screen to delete all files in the trash.
6
Tap Delete forever. This permanently deletes the files you selected from the trash. ^{[8]
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- Items left in the trash for more than 30 days will be deleted automatically.

Method 9

Method 9 of 9:

Emptying Gmail Trash

1
Open Gmail. Gmail has an icon that resembles a blue, red, yellow, and green “M”. Tap the Gmail icon on your Home screen or Apps menu to open Gmail.
2
That the menu icon ☰. It’s the icon with three lines in the upper-left corner.
3
Tap Trash. It’s next to an icon that resembles a trashcan. You may have to scroll down to find it. This displays all items in your trash folder.
4
Tap Empty trash now. It’s at the top of the page. This displays a confirmation pop-up.
5
Tap Empty. This confirms that you want to delete all emails in your trash folder permanently.