WhatsApp It has established itself as the number one messaging app in our daily lives. Without realizing it, the accumulation of photos, videos, audios, and documents can saturate your phone's memory, slowing it down and causing problems in other apps. Fortunately, there are tricks and tools, both visible and hidden, that will allow you to do this. free up space on whatsapp and keep your device agile. In this guide, you'll discover all these options, how to take advantage of WhatsApp's latest features, and unlock the app's full potential. We'll also teach you how to manage backups, clean hidden files, and configure WhatsApp so it doesn't clog up your phone again. Read on and put these steps into practice to gain several gigabytes of storage in just a few minutes.
WhatsApp and Advanced Storage Management: New and Hidden Features
The evolution of WhatsApp has gone far beyond simple text messages. Today, videos, photos, voice notes, and even work files are shared daily, making WhatsApp one of the most The apps that take up the most space on any mobile phoneTo ensure you don't lose efficiency or storage, it's a good idea to be aware of every new feature the app adds and take advantage of all its management tools.
WhatsApp adds specific features to control storage and filter files and chats.One of the most anticipated is the Advanced chat filtering for storage management, a feature that will allow you to organize and view conversations based on their size or content type. This feature is currently being tested for some beta users, but WhatsApp will be rolling it out to all users soon. While it's being released globally, don't worry, you can already apply many tricks and settings to clean up your WhatsApp.
- Filtering chats and large files: Coming soon, from the WhatsApp storage management screen, you'll be able to filter chats and files by size, type, group, or by selecting only unread files. This will simplify the task of deleting the biggest files in one fell swoop and in just a few steps.
- Detailed storage usage report: WhatsApp now allows you to view an exact report of how much space your chats, images, videos, audios, and documents are taking up in the "Storage and Data" section of the app. This way, you can identify which file types are taking up the most space and take action accordingly.
Additionally, WhatsApp doesn't store data in a trash can like other apps, but it saves deleted files in hidden folders until you manually clean them up. Therefore, in many cases, even if you delete something from the app, you still lose storage. Later, we'll explain how to clean up these folders and free up even more space.
If you want to stay up to date on new WhatsApp features, such as the latest in storage management, consult specialized sources and our updated section on new WhatsApp features.
Why is WhatsApp taking up so much space? Everything you need to know
Every media file you receive or send on WhatsApp is saved locally on your device. As days and weeks go by, WhatsApp can take up several gigabytes., especially if you tend to receive videos, memes, or have long conversations and work or study groups. In addition, backup Local and cloud storage also takes up space, both on your phone and in Google Drive or iCloud.
Not only do photos and documents accumulate, but also deleted files that remain in hidden system folders, as well as old databases (local backups) that WhatsApp keeps "just in case." If your phone starts to slow down, your camera fails, or you can't update other apps, WhatsApp is probably using too much storage.
- Images, videos and audios received and sent
- Files and documents (PDF, Word, Excel, etc.)
- Voice notes, stickers, and memes
- Local and cloud backups
- Duplicate files, temporary files and cache
For all this, Freeing up space on WhatsApp is key to keep your phone running smoothly.
Step by step: How to free up space on WhatsApp from the app itself
WhatsApp offers a very efficient built-in tool for deleting large files, old messages, and documents you no longer need. Here are the essential steps to clean up WhatsApp from the app:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings (three dots icon in the upper right corner).
- Choose Storage and data and click on Manage storage.
- On this screen, you'll see a summary of how much space different file categories are taking up and a list of chats sorted by size.
- You can filter by large files, forwarded files, photos, videos, voicemails, and other documents. Select the ones you want to delete.
- Confirm the final deletion to free up space.
Tip: Perform this cleanup regularly to prevent unwanted buildup and make the most of your phone's memory.
Advanced Cleanup: Delete hidden WhatsApp files and folders from the file manager
Even if you delete photos or videos from WhatsApp, Many files remain in hidden system foldersThis happens especially on Android, which allows you to access the root of your phone's storage. To perform a deep clean and recover several gigabytes of memory, follow these steps using your device's file manager:
- Open the file manager from your mobile (it may also be called “Files”, “File Manager” or “Files”).
- Navigate to Internal storage or "Primary Storage".
- Access the route: Android > media > com.whatsapp > WhatsApp > Media.
- Inside you will find folders like Images, Videos, Audios o Documents. Delete old files or entire folders that you no longer need.
- You can also access the folder Databases to delete old backups (never delete the most recent one, as it will keep your current chats).
This method is especially useful when WhatsApp is taking up too much storage and standard cleanup isn't enough. Delete the files you don't need and you'll notice the difference. in the free memory of your mobile and its overall performance.
Clear all chats and delete linked media files
If you prefer an extensive cleaning, WhatsApp allows Clear the contents of all chats without losing the conversation historyIt's ideal if you have a lot of old messages, photos, or videos, but want to keep chat names and basic information.
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Chats > Chat History.
- Choose empty all chats.
- You can check the option of also delete received media files (This will delete photos and videos linked to those chats.)
- Confirm the action. All media associated with the selected chats will be deleted from both WhatsApp and, if you indicate so, from your phone's gallery.
Important: Before performing this process, make sure you have an up-to-date backup if there is any relevant information you want to keep.
Prevent WhatsApp from filling up again: Tips for setting up automatic downloads and media visibility
One of the main storage problems is the automatic file download On WhatsApp. By default, the app usually saves all the media you receive to your gallery, filling up your storage almost without you even realizing it. You can prevent this by customizing your automatic download and file visibility settings:
- Disable automatic download on WhatsApp: Go to Settings > Storage & data > Auto-download media. Configure options so that photos, videos, audio, and documents are only downloaded when you manually select them or over Wi-Fi, whichever you prefer.
- Prevent WhatsApp photos and videos from appearing in your phone's gallery: From any chat's feed, tap Media Visibility and turn off the Show in Gallery option.
This way, you'll have much better control over your storage and prevent WhatsApp from automatically filling up your phone's memory.
Manage your backup: How to do it without losing important photos and videos
WhatsApp generates automatic backups both in the cloud and locallyThese copies can take up several gigabytes, especially if you have a lot of multimedia-intensive conversations. Here are some key tips for managing them:
- Back up to Google Drive or iCloud from Settings> Chats> BackupThis way, you can easily restore your data if you change your phone or reinstall the app.
- Delete unnecessary local backups: enter the folder Databases from WhatsApp from the file manager and delete the old copies (always leave the most recent one).
- Create a second Google account only for WhatsApp backups if your storage account is full, so you can continue making backups without using up your personal account.
- Check and configure the frequency of cloud backups: weekly, monthly, or only when you press manually, depending on your usage and space needs.
Remember that if you delete files from your phone but already have a backup in the cloud, you can recover them whenever you want as long as you don't overwrite the backup.
Extra tips: free up space without losing essential information
In addition to the above methods, there are some Additional tricks that very few users apply and that can make a difference when you don't want to lose important photos, videos or documents:
- Use cloud storage services such as Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive to save important multimedia and delete it from your phone without losing it forever.
- Clear old voicemails and stickers: They usually take up a lot of space and are rarely consulted after a while. Here we show you how to remove stickers from WhatsApp.
- Reduce the quality of photos and videos that you send from WhatsApp by changing the settings to standard quality. This way, your messages will take up less space and won't saturate your storage or that of your contacts.
- Keep track of active groups: Groups often accumulate memes, viral images, and large videos. If they're not essential, ditch the less useful ones and clean up your media history from time to time.
By applying these tips and tricks, you can get rid of WhatsApp overload, optimize your phone's storage, and avoid slowness, crashes in other apps, and loss of important information. Keeping control of the space WhatsApp takes up is essential to keep your device running at its best and ensuring your memories, conversations, and important files are safe and accessible when you need them.
