Android/data folder
Also known as: Android data, app-specific storage, data folder Android
The Android/data folder holds app-specific files — caches, downloaded content, and saved data — that each app keeps outside its private storage. It can grow to many gigabytes and is largely off-limits to file managers on modern Android due to scoped storage.
- Per-app working storage on the internal drive
- Locked down by scoped storage since Android 11
- Shrink it via per-app Clear cache or uninstall
What it contains
Inside internal storage, Android/data/[package name] gives each app a working area for cache and files it does not need to expose to other apps — offline maps, streamed media, downloaded podcasts, and game data. Alongside it, Android/obb holds large expansion files.
This folder is a common reason a phone fills up invisibly: heavy apps quietly accumulate cached media here that never shows in the Gallery.
Why you can’t freely browse it
Since Android 11, scoped storage locks down Android/data and Android/obb so general file managers can no longer open or edit them. This protects app data but also hides it from manual cleanup.
The safe way to shrink it is per app: open Settings > Apps > [app] > Storage and tap Clear cache, or uninstall apps you no longer use, which deletes their data folder. On Samsung, Device care > Storage surfaces the biggest offenders.