Your Samsung Galaxy S25 fills up fastest with photos, videos, app caches, and duplicate files, and One UI's built-in Device care tool can clear most of it in a couple of taps. You rarely need a factory reset.
Short answer:
- Open Settings > Battery and device care > Storage to see what's eating space.
- Tap Optimize now in Device care, then clear individual app caches under Settings > Apps.
- Move photos and large videos to the cloud, then empty the Recycle bin in Gallery and My Files.
See Exactly What's Using Your Galaxy S25 Storage
Before deleting anything, find out where the space went. One UI gives you a clear breakdown.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Battery and device care (sometimes shown as Device care).
- Tap Storage.
You'll see categories like Images, Videos, Apps, Documents, and Audio, each with its own size. Tap any category to drill in and sort by the largest items first. On most S25 phones, Images and Videos dominate, followed by app data for things like games and social media. Knowing the breakdown means you clean the right thing instead of guessing.
Run Device Care to Optimize in One Tap
Samsung's Device care is the quickest first pass and it's completely safe, it only removes junk and temporary files.
- Go to Settings > Battery and device care.
- Tap Optimize now at the top.
- Let it close background apps and clear temporary system files.
This won't reclaim gigabytes by itself, but it clears accumulated junk and frees RAM. For storage specifically, scroll to Storage within Device care, where Samsung may suggest removing unused apps, large files, and duplicate files. Review each suggestion, then confirm. These suggestions are a fast way to spot offenders you'd otherwise miss.
Clear App Cache on the Galaxy S25
App caches are temporary files apps store to load faster. They're safe to clear and often the single biggest easy win, especially for Instagram, Chrome, TikTok, and Spotify.
To clear one app's cache:
- Open Settings > Apps.
- Tap the app (for example, Chrome).
- Tap Storage.
- Tap Clear cache.
Important distinction: Clear cache removes only temporary files and is safe. Clear data (sometimes labelled Clear storage) wipes the app back to a fresh install, logging you out and deleting offline downloads, drafts, and settings. Use Clear cache first; only use Clear data if an app is misbehaving and you're prepared to sign in again. For the full breakdown, see clear cache vs clear data on Android.
Repeating this for every app is tedious. If you'd rather clear many at once, see how to clear cache for all apps at once on Android.
Tackle Photos and Large Videos
On a 50MP S25 camera, video and high-res photos are usually the real space hogs. Address them directly.
- Back up to Google Photos or OneDrive, then use the app's Free up space option to remove the local copies that are already safely uploaded.
- Open Gallery, sort by size or date, and delete blurry shots, screenshots, and accidental burst photos.
- Hunt down large videos specifically, a few 4K clips can equal hundreds of photos. Our guide to finding and removing large videos shows the fastest way.
Screenshots quietly pile up too. If you take a lot, the screenshots cleanup approach clears dozens in one sweep.
Empty the Recycle Bin and Hidden Trash
This is the step most people forget. When you delete photos and files on the S25, they go to a Recycle bin for up to 30 days and still count against your storage.
- In Gallery, tap the menu (three lines) > Recycle bin > Empty.
- In My Files, open the menu > Trash > Empty.
- Check the Recycle bin in any cloud apps you use too.
Until you empty these, "deleted" files keep occupying space. Emptying them can instantly free several gigabytes.
Keep Your Galaxy S25 Lean Over Time
A short monthly routine prevents storage anxiety:
- Run Device care > Optimize now weekly.
- Clear caches for your heaviest apps every few weeks.
- Empty the Gallery and My Files Recycle bin regularly.
- Keep photo and video backup turned on so you can safely remove local copies.
Manual cleanup works, but it's slow to find every duplicate, oversized video, and forgotten download. A review-first tool like Cleanor for Android scans on-device and shows your largest videos, duplicate photos, and junk before you confirm a single deletion, so nothing important disappears by accident. For more device-specific tactics, see the free up Android space hub and the storage cleanup FAQ.
With Device care, cache clearing, and an emptied recycle bin, most S25 owners reclaim plenty of space without ever resetting the phone.
Want the fast version? The Cleanor app finds your largest videos, duplicate photos, and heavy caches in one on-device pass — nothing uploaded. For the full routine, see the free up phone storage guide.
FAQ
How do I see what's using storage on my Galaxy S25?
Open Settings, tap Battery and device care (sometimes shown as Device care), then tap Storage. You'll see categories like Images, Videos, Apps, Documents, and Audio with sizes, and you can tap any category to sort by the largest items first.
What does Optimize now in Samsung Device care actually do?
Under Settings > Battery and device care, tapping Optimize now closes background apps and clears temporary system files and junk, freeing RAM. It's completely safe but won't reclaim gigabytes by itself; for storage suggestions like unused, large, and duplicate files, scroll to Storage within Device care.
Why are deleted files still using space on my Galaxy S25?
Deleted photos and files go to a Recycle bin for up to 30 days and keep counting against storage. Empty Gallery's Recycle bin via the menu > Recycle bin > Empty, and in My Files via the menu > Trash > Empty; doing so can instantly free several gigabytes.