How to Empty Trash on Samsung Phone in 3 Easy Steps (With Photos)

Storage space is a precious commodity with smartphones, especially since most manufacturers nixed micro SD cards. The recycle bin is one way to free up space, and with that in mind, we’re going to show you how to empty trash on Samsung phones.

Recycle and Trash Bins on Android

By design, smartphones put the world within reach including a variety of content from around the globe. You can save photos from the web with a few taps, download music and movies, or take photos to share or store. While browsing the web and making phone calls won’t affect storage space, files and applications can eat up a considerable amount of storage.

Thankfully, Android makes deleting things simple. You can access anything you’ve added to your smartphone or tablet through built-in file browsers or third-party apps. You can delete things with a few taps, but they don’t actually leave your device until you take an extra step. That’s where the trash or recycle bin comes into play.

Whatever you delete is only temporarily deleted from your phone and sent to a special area. On Samsung devices, it’s called the Trash Bin. Unless you change the settings, it automatically keeps files and folders on your smartphone or tablet for up to 30 days. When you’re low on space or want to clear out that bin, follow the steps below.

How to Empty Trash on Samsung Phones

There is no dedicated “trash” app for Samsung phones running Android. The feature is built into the file explorer, which is where you’ll need to go to access it.

1. My Files

Take your Samsung smartphone and swipe up on the screen to access your apps. Tap on the Samsung folder and choose the My Files app or search for the application in the search bar. You can add the My Files app to your home screen once you’ve located it for easier access in the future.

2. Access Trash Bin

This screen will give you a brief breakdown of your storage along with a few categories. Scroll to the bottom of the screen until you see an option marked Trash and tap on it to continue.

3. Empty Trash

Now you’ll see any files you’ve deleted within the last 30 days. To clear the entire trash bin, tap on the 3-dot menu and choose Empty from the sub-menu. A message will appear asking you to confirm your decision. Choose Delete once you’re ready to remove these items permanently from your smartphone.

Trash Bin Options

While there are no real settings for the My Files app that deal with the Trash Bin, there are several actions you can take when you’re in this area. If you have dozens or hundreds of files in your bin, you don’t have to delete them in bulk.

When you choose “Edit” from the trash bin menu, you can manually select files. This is handy if you want to delete certain files or see how much space removing a few photos can free up. Long pressing on an item will bring up the same set of options you see in the following screenshot.

If you don’t recognize a file, you can select it and use the Details feature. With images, it will show you the last date it was modified and the size. It also shows the original path where it was stored on your device. Want to save something from the trash bin and keep it from being removed permanently? That’s easy with the Restore function through this menu.

The only other noteworthy setting related to emptying trash on Samsung phones is tied to certain apps. You can flip a toggle for Contacts, Gallery, Messages, and Reminders along with My Files. This turns off the “save for 30 days” features and ensures anything you want removed is deleted immediately.

The Wrap-Up

Anyone can empty trash on Samsung phones with three steps and a handful of taps. Doing this on a regular basis can save you from device slowdowns, and annoying messages that you are running short on storage space. If you’re looking for the easiest ways to remove or delete content and send it to the trash bin on a Samsung device, we have you covered.