Based on materials from android-softwares.com
File managers on Android can be a handy tool for organizing data storage on your smartphone, but the structure of Android itself (or its apparent lack) may seem a little confusing out of habit. Application data, pictures, music – and accessing it all from one root folder – is a slightly different approach to hierarchical structure than what PC and Mac users are used to, and this approach gives users a lot more options than iOS.
In Android you will not be able to access deeply hidden system files through a regular file manager or by connecting to a PC. But this does not mean that you can delete any file you want at your whim. Let's take a look at how typical folders are organized in the device's memory, what they are for, and what you can and cannot delete from this.
Device memory hierarchy at Android
Since Android is a Linux -based operating system, your phone also organizes the file system like Linux. In this system, each device has six main partitions: boot, system, recovery, data, cache, and misc. MicroSD cards also have their own memory hierarchy. Devices carrying Android 7.0 Nougat on board received the ability to continuously update due to the fact that a second is created in a pair to the system partition and one of them is updated in the background, and upon reboot, a switch occurs, allowing the updated system to work.
Here is a short description of what each folder contains.
- boot – This folder contains the kernel, virtual disk, etc., that is, what is required to boot the phone when you turn it on.
- system – The system folder contains the operating system files (also known as the system image), which also includes a graphical interface Android and preinstalled applications.
- recovery – An alternative way to boot the OS, programs from the recovery folder allow the user to make backups of other folders and restore them.
- data – The data folder stores user information, from contacts and messages to applications and music, and you have access to this section through a file browser. After a factory reset, this section is erased.
- cache – Android Stores frequently used data and application components here. This section can be erased to correct specific problems and automatically restored and updated over time.
- misc – This section contains other important information about system settings such as USB configuration, your carrier's network settings, and other hardware settings that are displayed as on / off switches in the GUI.
Without root-rights, users Android can only have access to the data section, which opens to you when you connect the device to your PC or use a file browser. If your phone's memory can be expanded with a card, the card's memory is also included in this section with data accessible via a PC or file viewer.
Typically, you only have access to application data that is stored in the user data section. You will need root access to access the rest of the memory
Applications and folders in the data section
So, taking a quick glance at the main folders, we noted that we do not have access to the boot files, recovery files, and or system files Android when we just browse the files with the browser. From which follows a comforting conclusion: you cannot just take and cause the collapse of the system with your actions. A completely different situation arises when you have root rights. One way or another, with what is stored in this section, you need to be more careful: certain applications can use the data that is stored here, and moving or deleting them can lead to unstable system operation.
Now let's see what's in the data section on your device. To make this possible, phones with Android versions of Marshmallow or Nougat have their own file manager, which gives access to the entire section. This option can be found in the Settings-Memory-Storage-Other menu. A number of devices on older versions Android may or may not have their own file manager, depending on the manufacturer.
Alternatively, there are many third party apps available in the Play Store that fulfill the same role, such as FX File Explorer or Total Commander.
You can also manage your files from your PC using a USB connection. Just make sure your phone is in MTP (File Transfer) mode so that you can see all your files.
You can access the memory of your device using a PC or directly through a file browser
If you have a feeling that the device memory looks full and there are too many folders, take a closer look at them. You will see numerous folders associated with applications, perhaps even remnants of applications that you have already deleted. As a rule, it is better not to touch any application folders, but if you remember that the application was deleted, and the folder remains from it, its deletion will not cause harm. Most likely, it is empty or some useless log files remain in it.
Even if you have not installed a large number of applications, by default this section with user data may contain a number of folders – they store your contacts, music, pictures and everything else. Here are the most basic non-third-party folders you can find.
- Android is the default location where application cache and data are saved. It is not recommended to delete this folder unless you want to lose application data. Deleting this folder may cause some of them to work incorrectly.
- Alarms, Ringtones, Notifications – as the names suggest, these folders store audio files for alarms, ringtones and notifications, which can be used by both default and third-party applications.
- Cardboard – This is where data is stored for a number of VR applications, and if there are none, it remains empty.
- DCIM – This contains the photos you took with your main camera app. You can also see such a folder on the microSD card if you save photos to it.
- Downloads – This is where everything you've downloaded in your web browser, such as Chrome or Firefox, is located here.
- Pictures, Music, Movies, Video – These are the default folders used by your media applications. Some applications allow you to assign different folders, but most media players will use these directories by default. Screenshots are most often saved in a folder with pictures.
- Podcasts – This folder is used by a number of applications to separate podcasts from other music files. If you don't use podcast apps, it will be empty.
So which folders can (or should) I delete?
Not sure – don't delete. This is true for all application folders and should not be touched unless you know exactly what you want to do. It is absolutely safe to add and remove files from any media folders, but try not to demolish the folder itself in a fit of tidying up. If you see that the folder is empty, for example, there is nothing in the Alarms folder, you might think that it is not needed itself. But on the other hand, the folder doesn't take up much space. And maybe some application will need it later, so do you really need to delete it?
Over time, your device's built-in memory will contain many more folders than listed above. You will install and uninstall more and more applications. Therefore, it never hurts to put things in order in your device, well, except that you rarely move files on your phone, download and delete them. Also, deleting an empty folder will not free up extra memory space for you. So, if you need to win a place, you better see what you can remove unnecessary applications / films that you will not revisit, etc.
Now that you have a more complete picture of what these folders are stored on your device, it will be easier for you to manage your files without the fear of 'doing something wrong'.