How to clear up Internal Storage Space on Android Phone

[Wax Bean Tycoon]

I have a Motorola Moto e6 XT2005DL phone running Android 9 (I guess a dinosaur at this point), but it is great for my use, and I don't feel the need to buy a new phone every other year.

I installed a micro SD card with plenty of storage space and designated it as internal storage (so the apps will be installed on the SD card etc.) No need to worry about storage space forever! (I don't store large amounts of data, pics, videos, documents on the phone anyway)

however, I just had a little icon pop up telling me that I'm running out of internal storage (might have said internal shared storage) and that some apps might not run right etc. When I looked up online what to do about it, the 1st suggestion was to start deleting apps that I don't need, however if those apps are installed on the micro SD card what's the point? I have 97.22 GB of free storage left.

Much of the confusion is internal storage vs internal shared storage. My phone tells me that internal storage is 96 GB free, so what should I do, if anything, to free up internal shared storage?

Should I just ignore the warning? When I click on the settings/storage/internal shared storage/ I scroll down to "other apps", and it takes me to Apps Storage. I started selecting apps, 1 by 1, and clearing cache, but it didn't really do anything to free up internal shared storage. I don't know what I'm talking about..... hence I'm here asking 😏

Thanks

 

[Wax Bean Tycoon]

I have a Motorola Moto e6 XT2005DL phone running Android 9 (I guess a dinosaur at this point), but it is great for my use, and I don't feel the need to buy a new phone every other year.

I installed a micro SD card with plenty of storage space and designated it as internal storage (so the apps will be installed on the SD card etc.) No need to worry about storage space forever! (I don't store large amounts of data, pics, videos, documents on the phone anyway)

however, I just had a little icon pop up telling me that I'm running out of internal storage (might have said internal shared storage) and that some apps might not run right etc. When I looked up online what to do about it, the 1st suggestion was to start deleting apps that I don't need, however if those apps are installed on the micro SD card what's the point? I have 97.22 GB of free storage left.

Much of the confusion is internal storage vs internal shared storage. My phone tells me that internal storage is 96 GB free, so what should I do, if anything, to free up internal shared storage?

Should I just ignore the warning? When I click on the settings/storage/internal shared storage/ I scroll down to "other apps", and it takes me to Apps Storage. I started selecting apps, 1 by 1, and clearing cache, but it didn't really do anything to free up internal shared storage. I don't know what I'm talking about..... hence I'm here asking 😏

Thanks
View attachment 175231

So I emptied my recycle bin of the photos, and the free space of the internal shared storage increased slightly. So now I'm a bit more confused. I am assuming that all photos and videos are default stored on the micro sd card, because they appear in the DCIM folder when I plug my phone into my computer, (allowing easy transfer of photos to computer) but when I delete photos and videos, they go into the recycle bin on the internal shared storage of the phone? My head hurts.🤔

 

[svim]

Well currently you have your microSD card set up as just manually added, storage media. Basically, just added storage space. When your card is setup as Portable, you're able to manually between your phone's internal storage and your microSD card's storage. If you did actually setup your card as Internal, than you would not be able to still manage anything on the card. When Internal, the OS manages the card's content, you don't have direct access to it.

With your microSD card configured as 'Portable', its default file system remains (either FAT32 or exFAT) so it's still a transferable storage media between different devices. If you were to reconfigure your card as 'Internal' instead, it will then get reformatted to ext4 (to match up with your Android phone's internal storage) and encrypted (the encryption key linking that card to your phone). When the card is set up as Internal, you no longer have anything to do with the card's storage media, that's all handled by your phone's Android OS -- whatever apps, or parts of apps, and whatever file documents get stored within the card are all managed and maintained by the operating system. You just see an increased amount of storage capacity when the card is setup as Internal, the microSD card's internal storage becomes added to the phone's internal storage, essentially making the card an ad-hoc component of your phone (that's why the card requires a different file system and needs to be encrypted to the phone it's used in).

So pick the best choice that fits your needs. If you do opt for Internal, it's essentially tied to your phone since it's now just added to the internal storage, so you no longer can just transfer files and things to it and use the card elsewhere. If you leave it as Portable, you can just continue using the card as sharable storage space with other devices.
Or you can try using the card formatted as Internal for a while and it you find it an issue when you want to transfer data to other devices, you can always reformat the card back to Portable and restore it back to its original state. Just not that's a pretty disruptive measure, when Internal the Android OS sees the card as added storage space, change the card back to Portable and that messes up things at a file system level with what the OS was working with. That's why it's better to make a decision one way or the other first when it comes to Portable vs Internal for microSD cards. Some manufactures don't even want to bother with it, leaving card formatting as 'Portable' being the sole choice.

 

[Wax Bean Tycoon]

Well currently you have your microSD card set up as just manually added, storage media. Basically, just added storage space. When your card is setup as Portable, you're able to manually between your phone's internal storage and your microSD card's storage. If you did actually setup your card as Internal, than you would not be able to still manage anything on the card. When Internal, the OS manages the card's content, you don't have direct access to it.

With your microSD card configured as 'Portable', its default file system remains (either FAT32 or exFAT) so it's still a transferable storage media between different devices. If you were to reconfigure your card as 'Internal' instead, it will then get reformatted to ext4 (to match up with your Android phone's internal storage) and encrypted (the encryption key linking that card to your phone). When the card is set up as Internal, you no longer have anything to do with the card's storage media, that's all handled by your phone's Android OS -- whatever apps, or parts of apps, and whatever file documents get stored within the card are all managed and maintained by the operating system. You just see an increased amount of storage capacity when the card is setup as Internal, the microSD card's internal storage becomes added to the phone's internal storage, essentially making the card an ad-hoc component of your phone (that's why the card requires a different file system and needs to be encrypted to the phone it's used in).

So pick the best choice that fits your needs. If you do opt for Internal, it's essentially tied to your phone since it's now just added to the internal storage, so you no longer can just transfer files and things to it and use the card elsewhere. If you leave it as Portable, you can just continue using the card as sharable storage space with other devices.
Or you can try using the card formatted as Internal for a while and it you find it an issue when you want to transfer data to other devices, you can always reformat the card back to Portable and restore it back to its original state. Just not that's a pretty disruptive measure, when Internal the Android OS sees the card as added storage space, change the card back to Portable and that messes up things at a file system level with what the OS was working with. That's why it's better to make a decision one way or the other first when it comes to Portable vs Internal for microSD cards. Some manufactures don't even want to bother with it, leaving card formatting as 'Portable' being the sole choice.

Thanks for the reply!! Hmm interesting, thanks. It's confusing, because when I go to the last image I posted above, and click on "Free up space" it brings me to the following place (see image below), which I assume means that if I delete any of the following categories it would free up internal shared storage? But that can't be true if videos and pictures are stored on the portable micro SD card.

So I don't know what I can delete, and where to find it, in order to free up some of the internal shared storage. I really need to be able to transfer videos and pictures from my phone to my laptop computer easily. If I integrate the micro SD card as truly internal, (format ext4) but then I can't transfer images, then that's kinda useless to me.

 

[ocnbrze]

this is always gonna be the problem when you get a phone that only has 16gb of internal storage. the problem is that the os also resides on the internal storage and thus your actual internal storage is much smaller than advertised. having an sd cards helps, but unless you format as internal, you will always have space issues.

next phone you should look for more storage internally.

if you want you can learn ADB and use it to delete some bloatware to free up space. you can do it without having to root the phone first:

How to uninstall carrier/OEM bloatware without root access

If you want to get rid of carrier/OEM apps from your phone, here's how you can uninstall bloatware from your device without root access!

www.xda-developers.com

 

[Wax Bean Tycoon]

this is always gonna be the problem when you get a phone that only has 16gb of internal storage. the problem is that the os also resides on the internal storage and thus your actual internal storage is much smaller than advertised. having an sd cards helps, but unless you format as internal, you will always have space issues.

next phone you should look for more storage internally.

if you want you can learn ADB and use it to delete some bloatware to free up space. you can do it without having to root the phone first:

How to uninstall carrier/OEM bloatware without root access

If you want to get rid of carrier/OEM apps from your phone, here's how you can uninstall bloatware from your device without root access!

www.xda-developers.com

Yep. This was my first smart phone, so I didn't want to go all out on something I didn't know I would like. Next phone will be better......then 2 years later, it will be obsolete lol,

 

[Milo Williamson]

Yep. This was my first smart phone, so I didn't want to go all out on something I didn't know I would like. Next phone will be better......then 2 years later, it will be obsolete lol,

With my moto z 2, Android nine, I just usb plug it in my p.c., empty all my files out and profit that way though..

I kind of push mine to the limits hahaha.

 

[svim]

Motorola Moto E6 - Full phone specifications

www.gsmarena.com

Your two posted screen shots represent two completely different scenarios -- the first indicates a phone with 16 GBs of internal storage, the second indicates a phone with apparently 128 GB or more internal storage. Are they from two different phones, or instead are both from just your Moto E6? (..... and you had your microSD card formatted as Portable in the first screen cap and then formatted as Internal in the second cap, an issue being only so much pertinent details are greyed out.)

 

[Milo Williamson]

I have a Motorola Moto e6 XT2005DL phone running Android 9 (I guess a dinosaur at this point), but it is great for my use, and I don't feel the need to buy a new phone every other year.

I installed a micro SD card with plenty of storage space and designated it as internal storage (so the apps will be installed on the SD card etc.) No need to worry about storage space forever! (I don't store large amounts of data, pics, videos, documents on the phone anyway)

however, I just had a little icon pop up telling me that I'm running out of internal storage (might have said internal shared storage) and that some apps might not run right etc. When I looked up online what to do about it, the 1st suggestion was to start deleting apps that I don't need, however if those apps are installed on the micro SD card what's the point? I have 97.22 GB of free storage left.

Much of the confusion is internal storage vs internal shared storage. My phone tells me that internal storage is 96 GB free, so what should I do, if anything, to free up internal shared storage?

Should I just ignore the warning? When I click on the settings/storage/internal shared storage/ I scroll down to "other apps", and it takes me to Apps Storage. I started selecting apps, 1 by 1, and clearing cache, but it didn't really do anything to free up internal shared storage. I don't know what I'm talking about..... hence I'm here asking 😏

Thanks
View attachment 175231

Other apps?

Bloatwear?
Get rid of them.

 

[Wax Bean Tycoon]

Motorola Moto E6 - Full phone specifications

www.gsmarena.com

Your two posted screen shots represent two completely different scenarios -- the first indicates a phone with 16 GBs of internal storage, the second indicates a phone with apparently 128 GB or more internal storage. Are they from two different phones, or instead are both from just your Moto E6? (..... and you had your microSD card formatted as Portable in the first screen cap and then formatted as Internal in the second cap, an issue being only so much pertinent details are greyed out.)

They are the same phone. I have a 128 micro SD card inserted into the phone, but it is installed as "portal" storage, not integrated "internal" storage. I do remember now , that I wanted the ability to easily transfer files, photos, videos to and from my phone to my laptop so I set it up as portable. I suppose I could re-format the micro SD card so that it's internal, but I guess then there is no easy way to transfer photos, videos, files to/from computer (I guess uploading to cloud) but that's way way too much of a pain.