If you analyze the disk space on your Android device, you may be surprised to find that photos take up several gigabytes more than they actually are. How is this possible and what needs to be done to free up memory?
The problem is the collection of thumbnails of your device's files, which are stored in the Thumbnails folder.
The fact is that for each image file that is stored on the device, the Android OS creates a thumbnail so that they load faster in the gallery when you open it for viewing. Third party apps like WhatsApp and Viber can also create their own thumbnails when they scan image files. Usually the folder where these thumbnails are stored is called Thumbnails.
In order to get rid of unnecessary files, you need to do the following:
1. Open file manager on Android or connect it to PC.
2. Make sure the file manager can show hidden files and create new ones. Otherwise, it is better to use the standard Windows Explorer after connecting the device to the PC.
3. Navigate to SDCard\DCIM\.thumbnails. By the way, DCIM is a standard name for a folder that contains photos and is standard for almost any device, be it a smartphone or a camera.
4. Select and delete the .thumbnails folder, it can take up to several gigabytes.
Once you do this, you won't notice much change in the speed at which you browse images in your gallery.
Since .thumbnails is a system file, Android recreates it again. What's more, you may find multiple copies of the same file in the .thumbnails folder if you've reinstalled Android.
To prevent Android from re-creating the unwieldy folder, we need to create a dummy file that fools Android. To do this, we create a text file in the DCIM folder. You need to give this file the name thumbnails, and then give it the "Read Only" attribute in the Properties. After that, you need to delete the txt extension. As a result of all these actions, an empty and undefined file without an extension should remain.
This dummy file will now prevent Android from creating a huge amount of useless files. You now have free memory space that you can use to your advantage.
When using an Android smartphone, you will invariably come across new menu items or folders whose names will interest you. In this article, we will talk about one of these folders - it is called Thumbnails. What is this folder and what is it for?
The first is a hidden folder, so by default it is not displayed in the smartphone's file manager. As for a computer or laptop, in some cases it is displayed, and in some it is necessary to turn on the display of hidden files and folders in the settings.
Secondly, in the folder you will find thumbnails of images located on your smartphone. As a rule, they take up some free memory, so you should not worry about running out of space on your smartphone. However, there are exceptions when files can really take up a lot of space.
Can a folder be deleted? You should not touch the folder itself, but delete the contents if you so desire. Deleted, by the way, this is as easy as shelling pears - select the file, then click "Delete", for example:
Whether there is a need for this is up to you. Just remember that the thumbnails will still be generated by the system. Thumbnails are generated automatically and are necessary in order not to use smartphone resources.
How to open Thumbnails folder on Android smartphone?
You will need a file manager that supports viewing hidden files and folders. We have this "File Manager +".
You launch the file manager, then open the main memory - it is on it that the DCIM (Digital Camera Images) folder is usually located.
Select the DCIM folder.
In the upper right corner, tap on the icon in the form of three dots, a menu appears, in it click on the "View" line.
Check the box next to "Show hidden files".
The .thumbnails folder, hidden up to this point, has become visible.
It contains miniatures.
Which you can, of course, remove.
Every owner of a mobile gadget is familiar with the situation when, due to lack of space in the device’s memory, it is impossible to install the desired application or the system refuses to save new photos or videos taken.
Of course, the user himself is partially to blame for cluttering up the device’s memory, but the OS also has a hand in this. For example, by storing thumbnail images of thumbnails of drawings and photographs in system directories.
Over time, their number becomes more and more and the folders in which they are saved reach huge sizes, calculated in gigabytes.
What is the folder and can it be deleted?
Most readers have already guessed from the preamble of the article what the Thumbnails folder is. It is a directory for storing thumbnails of videos and photos. It is their small images that the user sees while viewing the contents of the Gallery.
This system directory was inherited from the progenitor of Android - "Linux". The directory is created by the OS itself automatically, so even if you delete it, Android will create it again and gradually fill it with thumbnails.
Thus, you can delete the folder, but this is a useless exercise. Very soon, the OS again acquires a catalog and begins to fill it rapidly.
Next, we will consider several ways that will effectively free up the gadget's memory from unnecessary ballast.
Method 1: Replacing the folder with a dummy file
Obviously, in order to replace a directory, you need to know where it is located. The location of the folder can be seen in the "DCIM" photo and video directory.
The difficulty is that "thumbnails" is hidden from the user's eyes by the system and you can see it or perform certain actions with it by obtaining root permissions on the phone or through special. applications.
These methods will be discussed below, and the first method does not involve rooting and installing programs in an android device. It is enough to connect the gadget to a PC and carry out all the manipulations through the explorer (if the user does not have a computer, it is recommended to proceed to the study of the following methods described in this guide below).
The first technique is a little more difficult to perform, but it is the most effective. After the execution of the above measures, the directory will not be able to be created, since Android cannot create system files with identical names.
If the method seemed too complicated, then the following is a description of simpler methods that allow you to clear the memory of a mobile device from accumulated thumbnails.
Method 2: Clear Thumbnail Memory Using Third-Party Apps
The second method is the simplest, but has one significant drawback. After deleting the contents of the directory, after a while it starts to clog up with thumbnails again, taking away the precious memory of the gadget. As a result, the user will have to deal with cleaning regularly.
Programmers have developed special utilities to get rid of such "garbage". One of the best such programs is called "Ccleaner".
It automatically searches for cached files that can be safely deleted. After analyzing the contents of the OS, it remains for the user to mark "garbage" and tap "Clear". 
Method 3: C, using "ES Explorer"
If there is no computer to which you can connect your phone (method 1) and you are not satisfied with the temporary measure of clearing the thumbnail folder (method 2), then installing the ES File Explorer application can solve the problem once and for all.
You need to do the following:
In a similar way, the problem is solved using the Root Explorer utility. All actions are the same as in the case of working with "ES Explorer", only the gadget must be rooted, otherwise you will not be able to get access to the desired folder. 
Method 4: Using "Total Commander"
It will not be difficult for a person who has become familiar with the principle of the previous method at number 3 to get rid of thumbnails using the popular Total Commander file manager.
Many users already have it installed, and if not, then it is distributed free of charge in the Google Play Store. The advantages of the shell include the low weight of the distribution and wide functionality. In it, by default, the mode of showing hidden elements is activated, but sometimes you need to first obtain extended permissions (root-rights) to the device.
After deleting a weighty directory and creating an empty file, thumbnails will no longer accumulate and load the device's memory. 
On a smartphone or tablet, the Thumbnails folder - what kind of folder is this - this question interests many users. The limited amount of memory on smartphones and tablets can turn your head, free memory is melting right before your eyes, and the reason is not always obvious. Alas, Android does not have a good optimization of the workspace, the RAM and permanent memory are heavily clogged.
With each passing day, the moment is approaching when the user will peer into every corner of the operating system in search of elements that are not useful and that can be abandoned. The more actively a smartphone or tablet is used, the faster the memory disappears. The reason is that many items are cached, and this cache is used to quickly load and display pictures, videos, etc.
Instead of uploading photos from the smartphone’s memory each time and processing them at the same time, an intermediate link is used - the cache. It is processed much faster and creates a feeling of operational operation of the system and at the same time it is loaded slightly.
Thumbnails - what is this folder and can it be deleted?
So, Thumbnails - what is this folder and can it be deleted? This is a folder that contains thumbnails, thumbnails, a cache for quick processing of multimedia elements. As the smartphone works, the need for each individual element is significantly reduced, and the place remains reserved, so we will free up additional memory without losing important data.
In fact, the answer to the question - is it possible to delete the Thumbnails folder is positive, since the folder itself contains only temporary files, they do not have any strategic value either for the user or for the operating system. The only thing is that for the first time, the photos will take a little longer to load.
The behavior of the system is clear, every time you view a photo, it makes thumbnails of them and copies them to the Thumbnails folder. Alas, it is impossible to simply disable such Android functionality, so you will have to do it in alternative ways.
Having learned whether the Thumbnails folder can be deleted, another logical question arises, how to get rid of it. This is where things get interesting, just clearing a directory is easy, but preventing new files from appearing will not be easy.
We will not reinvent the wheel, as there are already special programs that clean up the Thumbnails folder and other similar functions. In the field of cleaning the system of garbage, temporary files and cache or thumbnails, there is a fairly simple, advanced and free tool - CCleaner. It performs well on both desktop and mobile devices.
To clear a folder:
- Go to the Play Market and enter a request;
- Install the application;
- Run the program and activate the search in it;
- When finished, you will see in the "Thumbnail Cache" section the amount of memory that will be freed up, click on "Clear".
The disadvantage of this approach is that it will need to be carried out with a certain regularity, as the folder fills up. There is also an alternative method that will block, in our case, the malicious Android function.
Creating an empty file
Having figured out whether it is possible to delete Thumbnails and how to clear it, let's smoothly move on to the most effective way to save space. In order for the system not to create new files that will be filled with the same data, it is necessary to replace the file with one that will not be usable by the system, but at the same time will replace it.
To perform the procedure, it is better to use a computer and connect a gadget to it, then:
- After connecting, select the device type as the carrier;
- Click in Explorer on "Organize", where select "Folder and search options";
- Set the flag next to "Show hidden files ...";
- Deselect "Hide extensions..."
- Go to the root of your smartphone or tablet and select the DCIM folder;
- Delete the folder called .thumbnails;
- Create a .thumbnails.txt file in this directory using RMB and the New -> Text Document option;
- RMB on the new file, select "Rename" and remove the .txt extension so that only .thumbnails remains;
- Right click again and click on "Properties";
- Check the box next to "Read Only".
Now disconnect the device from the computer and you can check the result of the procedure using the camera, image viewer, gallery, the size of the .thumbnails file should not change.
In this way, you can achieve the goal without using a computer, but native Explorer will not help you in this task. To perform renaming to such a complex format, you need to use Total Commander or ES Explorer. The procedure as a whole does not differ, the actions are similar, the main task is to create an alternative file, so that a new one will not be formed. Since the mode is "Read only", the file size will not increase.
To date, the only viable way to completely get rid of photo caching is to use the workaround described above. However, it may be enough for you to simply clean the folder with CCleaner from time to time and the result will remain similar. Using one of the described approaches, you can free up a lot of space, up to gigabytes.
If you still have questions on the topic “On a smartphone or tablet Thumbnails - what is this folder and can it be deleted?”, You can ask them in the comments
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One of the most popular operating systems today is Android. It is installed on millions of mobile devices. The system is a collection of folders and files that make it work. But have you ever wondered what will be contained in each folder? Some are heavy enough that the hand reaches out to remove them. Before doing this, you should definitely familiarize yourself with what each folder is responsible for and, as well as how important it is for the operating system. We will also tell you what are the ways to delete an unnecessary folder.
Main key directories in android operating system
The first task before deleting is to find out what the directory contains, because this determines whether you can delete it or not. If you mistakenly erase important files, you can not only break some applications, but also lead to complete inoperability of the entire operating system.
It is worth noting that the list of folders may differ depending on the device and version of the android system. Also, specific applications can create their own folders in the phone's memory on Android. Consider what directories are available in Android.
Cache is a folder for storing temporary files. It may contain a system update. If you are not going to update to a more recent version of Android, then you do not need an update file. You can delete this folder, and in some cases even need to.
Data is one of the largest catalogs, which, as you can guess from the name, contains a variety of data. This includes account information, information about saved passwords, Wi-Fi hotspots, and more. Since this folder contains a lot of information, consider its subdirectories:
- App is a directory that contains installation files for various applications. It can be removed if you do not need all the applications downloaded to your phone;
- Data - includes settings, saves and other service information necessary for the operation of specific applications. If there is no data important to you in the applications, you can also delete it;
- Clipboard is a special clipboard that also contains recent screenshots. You can delete this folder, but it is not recommended;
- Dalvik-cache is a cache area for a program called Davlink. This application is a virtual Java machine that allows the phone to run application apk files. To speed up this process as much as possible, files are created in the cache. It is recommended to clean the contents regularly, but you should not delete dalvik-cache.
The efs folder contains information about the phone's serial number (IMEI), MAC address, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. This directory cannot be deleted. Moreover, it is recommended to make a backup of this folder, as deleting it will lead to the loss of the unique number of your smartphone.
The etc directory contains configuration files that are mainly used during OS boot, processes of various programs, for example, to determine the location using GPS. This is one of the system directories that cannot be deleted.
The lib directory - it contains various libraries necessary for the correct operation of the functions of programs and modules. Also, this folder contains files that ensure the operation of the drivers. It cannot be deleted.
The mnt directory contains images of mounted systems. Partitions of an installed memory card, internal memory, or other virtual devices can be located here. Naturally, this directory cannot be deleted either.
The proc folder - it contains all the key information regarding the installed Android OS: information about the kernel, configuration parameters and hardware. All available files and folders are virtual and weigh zero bytes. The system automatically creates them when the user accesses them. You cannot delete this folder with normal user rights.
The sbin directory is one of the key folders required for the phone to work. It contains executable files of all programs designed to manage the system. Therefore, it cannot be deleted.
The sys directory contains the current system configuration. This is a dynamic directory. The information in it is constantly changing. You cannot delete this folder.
The system section is the “backbone” of the entire operating system, since it is in it that all the files are located, without which android cannot work. The System directory (as well as any other internal directories) cannot be deleted. To get acquainted, let's take a closer look at the contents of this directory:
- App - system wallpapers, standard applications (calendar, notebook, SMS) are located in this folder.
- Bin includes executables and links;
- Build.prop contains a huge number of settings on the phone, for example, how long the sensor is delayed after pressing, what is the density of the screen, and more;
- Fonts - information about all stock fonts supported by the phone.
- Framework - everything that is necessary for the interface, in particular icons, curtains and other graphic elements;
- Lib - application library;
- Media - all standard melodies and sounds (alarm clock, SMS alerts, ring tones);
- Tts includes language packs.
Documents - a folder that can contain various documents, in particular .doc and .pdf files. If you are not interested in the contents of a folder, you can delete it.
Bluetooth - contains all the files that were received by the device via Bluetooth. If there is no important data in it, it is deleted without problems. It can be located not only in the internal memory, but also on the SD card.
DCIM is a special directory for saving photos taken with your smartphone's camera. As a rule, it includes the Camera section, in which all photos are located. If the photo you need is not on your phone, you can delete it. Sections such as Pictures, Images, Audio, Music (in the absence of important files inside) can also be deleted.
Removal Methods
How can I delete a specific folder? The first way is to use the standard functions. For this you need:
