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Media Scanner (MediaScannerConnection)

Android's media scanner is the system service that indexes media files into the MediaStore database so they appear in Gallery, Photos, and content queries. Apps trigger it via MediaScannerConnection.scanFile to add or refresh entries after creating or deleting files.

Android developmentAndroid

Media Scanner (MediaScannerConnection)

Also known as: android media scanner, media store rescan, android media scanner

Android's media scanner is the system service that indexes media files into the MediaStore database so they appear in Gallery, Photos, and content queries. Apps trigger it via MediaScannerConnection.scanFile to add or refresh entries after creating or deleting files.

  • The media scanner indexes media into the MediaStore database queried via ContentResolver.
  • Since Android 10, inserting into MediaStore directly is preferred over the deprecated scan broadcast.
  • Deleting via ContentResolver removes both the file and its index entry, avoiding stale gallery thumbnails.

What the media scanner does

The media scanner reads image, audio, and video files on a device, extracts metadata (dimensions, duration, EXIF metadata, MIME type), and writes rows into the MediaStore database. Apps and the system Gallery then query MediaStore through ContentResolver instead of walking the file system directly.

Historically apps called MediaScannerConnection.scanFile() to ask the scanner to index a specific path, or broadcast ACTION_MEDIA_SCANNER_SCAN_FILE for a single file. The scanner also runs automatically at boot and when removable storage is mounted.

How it changed with scoped storage

Since Android 10 introduced scoped storage, the recommended way to add media is to insert directly into MediaStore via ContentResolver.insert(), which registers the file immediately without a separate scan. The legacy ACTION_MEDIA_SCANNER_SCAN_FILE broadcast is deprecated, though MediaScannerConnection.scanFile() remains for files written outside the MediaStore-managed flow.

Conversely, when a file is deleted, its MediaStore entry must be removed so it stops appearing in galleries. Deleting through ContentResolver.delete() removes both the file and its index row; deleting a raw file directly can leave a stale entry until the next scan reconciles it.

Why it matters for cleanup

A cleaner that removes duplicate or junk photos must keep MediaStore in sync, otherwise the Gallery shows ghost thumbnails for files that no longer exist, or fails to show newly freed space. Deleting via ContentResolver keeps the index correct, and a targeted rescan repairs any drift.

Cleanor deletes through the MediaStore-aware path so removed duplicate photos and large files disappear cleanly from Gallery and the index reflects real, reclaimed storage.

Related terms

Keep reading the reference.

Android developmentMediaStore APIMediaStore is Android's system content provider that indexes shared media (images, video, audio, downloads) across the device. Apps query it via ContentResolver to list photos and metadata without raw file access, which is the standard way under scoped storage.AndroidAndroid developmentContentResolverContentResolver is the Android client object that talks to content providers. Apps use it to query, insert, update, and delete data behind content:// URIs, including the MediaStore, which is how they list and read photos and videos under scoped storage.AndroidAndroidScoped storageScoped storage is Android’s privacy model that limits which files an app can see. An app gets free access to its own private folder and to shared media it owns, but needs explicit permission to touch the rest of your files.AndroidPhotos & videoDuplicate photosDuplicate photos are exact or near-exact copies of the same image — created by saving a photo twice, importing from multiple sources, or editing and re-saving. They are low-risk to remove because an identical copy remains.iOSAndroidGeneral

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