How to Empty the Trash Bin on Samsung Phones

The trash or recycle bin is a useful feature on Android phones that allows you to temporarily store deleted files for up to 30 days before they are removed permanently. For Samsung phone owners, regularly emptying this bin in the pre-installed "My Files" app is important to free up storage space and keep your device running smoothly.

Overview: Why You Should Empty the Trash Bin on Your Samsung Phone

When you delete photos, downloads, screenshots and other files on your Samsung Galaxy phone, they aren‘t fully erased right away. Instead, these deleted items get stored in a virtual trash bin where they will sit for up to 30 days.

This means two things:

1. The files are taking up valuable storage space even when deleted
2. The files can still be recovered during this 30 day period if needed

Over time, your trash bin may accumulate hundreds of files you thought you already removed. This eats into the available storage capacity on your phone, which can slow it down and give low storage warnings.

So it‘s recommended to periodically empty the trash bin to purge these temporary files and free up space. Don‘t worry, you can still restore items within 30 days of deletion in case you change your mind.

Now let‘s see how to access and permanently clear out the trash bin on popular Samsung models.

Step 1 – Locate the My Files App

Samsung phones running Android do not have a separate trash app. The trash bin lives inside an app called My Files (also called File Manager on some models). To access it:

1. Swipe up from the home screen to launch the app drawer

2. Look for the My Files app in the Samsung folder

   or

3. Type "My Files" directly into the Google search bar

Once located, tap to launch the app. You may want to add a shortcut for My Files directly on your homescreen for quicker access later.

Tip: Still can‘t find My Files? Try searching File Manager instead on some models.

Step 2 – Navigate to the Trash Bin

Inside My Files you will see a storage usage analysis on top with options to browse files and folders.

1. Scroll down and look for the Trash option
2. Tap on the trash icon to view contents

Example (Galaxy S20):

As seen above, the trash bin location can differ slightly across Samsung devices but is always accessible in My Files.

Step 3 – Empty the Trash Bin

Once inside the trash area:

1. Select trash icon on top bar
2. Choose Empty trash option
3. Confirm by tapping Delete on prompt

That‘s it! All your previously deleted content will now be permanently removed, freeing up storage capacity on the device.

Note: You can still recover recently cleared items from trash for up to 30 days on Samsung phones. But storage space will be freed up right away.

Additional Options & Features

Beyond just bulk deleting everything, the trash bin provides other useful options:

• View file names and details
• Select multiple files to remove
• Restore specific items back to device
• Permanently delete only some files

So feel free to explore and utilize these additional capabilities as needed before emptying trash.

Recap & Key Takeaways

• The trash bin temporarily holds deleted files for 30 days on Samsung phones
• Needs to be manually cleared periodically to free up device storage
• Quickly accessible in pre-installed My Files or File Manager app
• Make sure to empty trash bin especially when getting low storage warnings!

Clearing your Samsung phone‘s trash bin from time to time is an easy way to keep it running smoothly. Just be mindful of those deleted files still taking up space in the background.

Hope this guide helps you reclaim some precious storage! Feel free to reach out in comments if you have any other questions.