If your Android device displays the error message "Not enough storage space", it means that most of the internal memory is occupied and that the free one is no longer sufficient for normal activities. To solve this situation, you need to free up memory space by deleting applications and files you no longer use. Alternatively, you can expand the storage capacity of the device by installing an SD or micro SD card. However, this error message sometimes appears even when the amount of available memory is very large. In this case, to solve the problem, you need to restart the device, clear the cache of installed apps or reset the Google Play Store application.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Use the Standard Solution
Step 1. Check how much memory is still free
Often, on older Android devices, the "Insufficient Storage Space" error message was the result of an operating system malfunction and not a warning that the available memory space was really running out. For this reason, before proceeding further, it is good to check the status of the internal memory of the smartphone or tablet.
- To do this, you need to start the Settings app and access the "Memory" section.
- If your device has more than 15GB of internal memory, the problem may not be related to storage space.
Step 2. Restart your smartphone
To do this, press and hold the "Power" button to access its context menu, then choose the Power Off option or the equivalent. Once the device is completely off, press and hold the power button again until the screen lights up.
Restarting the device will automatically reset the operating system process that manages the RAM memory. If the error message is displayed due to an incorrect management of the internal memory by the operating system, this step will have the double benefit of solving the problem and increasing the performance of the smartphone
Step 3. Uninstall any unused applications
If the amount of available memory is indeed very low, to free up storage space quickly and easily, simply remove all installed but no longer used applications.
To uninstall an app, just hold down its icon and then drag and drop it on the "Remove" item (which is normally located at the top of the screen)
Step 4. Delete unused media files
In this case we are talking about images, photographs, videos, audio, etc. All of these file formats take up a considerable amount of memory, so deleting even a small number of them could free up a large amount of internal memory.
If you want to keep some pictures or videos, you can refer to this article to back them up to Google Drive instead of deleting them
Step 5. Purchase some external storage space
If your Android device is equipped with a slot to accommodate an SD card that is not yet used, you can consider purchasing a micro SD card directly online or in any electronics store and having it installed.
If you already have an SD memory card that you don't use, you can consider using it to transfer applications and personal data to it, effectively freeing the device's internal memory without having to delete any files. To do this, access the Settings app, choose the "Application Manager" item, select the name of the app you want to transfer to the card, then press the Move to SD card button
Method 2 of 3: Clear the Application Cache
Step 1. Launch the Settings app
Step 2. Tap the Applications menu item
Step 3. Press the ⋮ button
Step 4. Choose the Sort by size option
In this way, the list of applications installed on the device will be sorted according to their size, showing the ones that occupy the most space in the first positions.
Step 5. Tap the application you want to clear the cache
Step 6. Press the Clear Cache button
All the data of the application in question present in the cache will be deleted, freeing up valuable memory space. You may need to repeat the process for other applications as well.
Some Android devices allow you to clear the cache of all installed applications at the same time. To do this, you need to go to the "Memory" section of the Settings app. If this option is present, in the "Memory" menu you will find the item Cached data. Selecting it you will have the possibility to delete all the data present in the cache of the device
Method 3 of 3: Reset the Google Play Store
Step 1. Launch the Settings app
Restoring the correct version of the Google Play Store installed on the device can solve the problems that cause the "Insufficient storage space" error message to appear if they are not related to an actual exhaustion of the device's internal memory.
Step 2. Tap the Applications item
Step 3. Select the Google Play Store app
Step 4. Press the ⋮ button
Step 5. Press the Uninstall Updates button
To perform this step, you may need to confirm your willingness to proceed.
Step 6. Wait for the original version of the Google Play Store application to be restored
Step 7. Launch the Play Store app
At the first launch of the application, after performing the reset, it may be necessary to update it to the latest version available. In this case, simply follow the instructions that appear on the screen. After the update is complete, you should again be able to download and install new applications.
