|

How to Clear Trash on Samsung Galaxy Phone

ByJim Miller

Samsung Galaxy phones come with a Trash folder in various apps like Gallery, Notes, Contacts, and Files. Clearing the trash in these apps is necessary to free up storage space on your phone. And if you're getting the low-storage warnings on your phone quite often then you can consider clearing up other storage on your Samsung Galaxy phone. In this article, we will guide you on how to empty the trash in different Samsung Galaxy apps.

What Is Trash on a Samsung Galaxy Phone

Trash, also known as the Recycle Bin, is a folder that temporarily stores deleted items for up to 15 or 30 days, depending on the app. It allows you to restore accidentally deleted items such as photos, videos, messages, and contacts. However, after the specified period, the items in the Trash are permanently deleted.

How to Clear Trash in Samsung Gallery

  1. Open the Samsung Gallery app on your phone.
  2. Tap on the three-bar icon on the home screen and select “Trash” from the menu.
  3. In the Trash folder, you can choose to delete specific items by tapping on “Edit” at the top and selecting the items you want to delete. Then, tap on the “Delete” button.
  4. To delete all items from the Trash, tap on the three-dot icon next to Edit and choose “Empty.” Confirm the action by tapping on “Empty Trash” in the pop-up window.

How to Clear Trash in Samsung Files

  1. Open the Samsung Files app on your phone.
  2. Tap on the three-dot icon and select “Trash” from the menu.
  3. Inside the Trash folder, tap on the three-dot icon again and choose “Empty” to delete all items from the Trash. Alternatively, you can select specific items to delete using the “Edit” option.

How to Clear Trash in Samsung Messages

  1. Launch the Samsung Messages app on your phone.
  2. Press the three-dot icon at the top and select “Trash” from the menu.
  3. Tap on “Empty” to clear the Trash folder completely. You can also delete individual messages using the Edit option.

How to Clear Trash in Samsung Contacts

  1. Open the Samsung Contacts app on your phone.
  2. Tap on the three-bar icon and select “Trash” from the menu.
  3. Tap on “Empty” to remove all deleted contacts permanently.

How to Clear Trash in Samsung Notes

  1. Open the Samsung Notes app.
  2. Tap on the three-bar icon and select “Trash” from the menu.
  3. On the Trash screen, tap on the three-dot icon and choose “Empty” to clear all deleted notes.

How to Empty Trash in Google Photos

If you use the Google Photos app on your Samsung Galaxy phone, you should also empty the trash in it separately from the Samsung Gallery app.

  1. Launch the Google Photos app on your phone.
  2. Tap on the “Library” tab at the bottom and select “Trash” on the next screen.
  3. Inside the Trash folder, tap on the three-dot icon and choose “Empty trash” to clear all items in it.

How to Empty Trash Files From All Apps at Once

Samsung does not provide a native option to clear trash files from all apps at once. However, you can delete trash files from different Samsung apps on one screen.

  1. Open Settings on your phone.
  2. Go to “Battery and device care” and tap on “Storage.”
  3. Scroll down to the “Trash” section and tap on the apps whose trash you want to clear. Depending on the app, you will either see the “Empty” option at the top or need to tap on the three-dot icon followed by “Empty.”

By following these steps, you can efficiently clear the trash in various Samsung apps and free up storage space on your Samsung Galaxy phone. Remember to check other reasons that might be taking up storage on your phone to ensure maximum storage optimization.