Check Folder Sizes on Android — Find Storage Hogs

To check which folders are consuming your Android storage, open AnExplorer and use Sort by Size — it calculates folder sizes recursively and displays them largest-first, letting you drill down through directory levels to find exactly which files and folders are eating your space. For a complete visual overview, use AnExplorer's Storage Analyser which scans everything at once and presents a categorized breakdown.

Why Android Doesn't Show Folder Sizes Normally

Unlike desktop operating systems where folder sizes display in file properties, Android's default Files app intentionally avoids showing folder sizes. The reason is performance — calculating a folder's true size requires scanning every file inside it recursively, which can take seconds or minutes for folders containing thousands of files (like DCIM with years of photos, or game data folders with thousands of assets).

Android's Settings → Storage shows a simplified category breakdown (Apps, Images, Videos, Audio, Documents, Other), but this does not tell you WHICH specific folders are the problem. You need a proper file manager to get directory-level size information.

Method 1: Sort by Size in AnExplorer

The fastest way to find large folders:

1. Open AnExplorer
2. Navigate to Internal Storage (the root of your user storage)
3. Tap the sort/view menu (usually a grid/list icon or sort option in the toolbar)
4. Select Sort by Size → Largest First
5. AnExplorer calculates sizes for each folder and file, then reorders the listing

You now see the biggest storage consumers at the top. Common results:

Drilling Down

Once you identify the large folder, tap into it and sort by size again at each level:

• DCIM/Camera/ → sort by size reveals large video recordings
• Android/data/com.game.name/ → reveals game asset caches
• WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Video/ → reveals received videos

Continue drilling until you find the individual files (large videos, game caches, old downloads) that you can delete or move.

Method 2: Storage Analyser

AnExplorer's Storage Analyser provides a complete visual breakdown without manually navigating folders:

1. Open AnExplorer
2. Tap Storage Analyser (from the sidebar/drawer or home screen)
3. Select which storage to analyze (Internal / SD Card)
4. Wait for the scan to complete (usually 5-30 seconds)
5. View the categorized breakdown showing exactly where your space is going

The Analyser typically shows:

• Storage map: Visual representation of space usage by category
• Largest folders: Ranked list of directories by total size
• File type breakdown: How much space images, videos, audio, documents, and other files consume
• App data: Space consumed by installed apps and their caches

This is the most efficient way to get a complete storage picture without navigating folder by folder.

Method 3: Check Folder Properties

For a specific folder's size without sorting the entire directory:

1. Navigate to the folder in AnExplorer
2. Long-press the folder to select it
3. Tap ⋮ (More) → Properties or Details
4. AnExplorer calculates the total size including all subfolders and files
5. The properties dialog shows: total size, number of files, number of folders, and path

This is useful when you already know which folder to check but want an exact size number.

Common Storage Hogs and What to Do

DCIM/Camera — Photos and Videos

Camera videos are the #1 space consumer for most users. A single 4K video can be 300-600 MB per minute. Check:

• Sort camera folder by size
• Old videos you have already backed up to cloud can be deleted locally
• 4K videos from years ago that you will never watch again
• Burst photo sequences (dozens of nearly identical photos)

Android/data — App Caches and Game Assets

This folder contains per-app storage that can grow enormous:

• Game assets (Genshin Impact: 20+ GB, Call of Duty Mobile: 10+ GB)
• Streaming app caches (Netflix, Spotify offline downloads)
• Social media caches (Instagram, TikTok cached videos)

Cleaning options:

• Settings → Apps → App → Storage → Clear Cache (safe for any app)
• Uninstall games you no longer play (Android/data/game/ is removed with the app)
• Delete offline downloads from streaming apps you have already watched

WhatsApp/Media — Received Media

WhatsApp stores every photo, video, GIF, voice note, and document ever received:

• WhatsApp Video/ — often the largest (received and forwarded videos)
• WhatsApp Images/ — every image from every chat
• WhatsApp Audio/ — voice messages
• WhatsApp Documents/ — received PDFs, APKs, etc.

Use AnExplorer to sort by size within each subfolder and delete media you no longer need.

Download/ — Forgotten Downloads

The Downloads folder accumulates files over years:

• APK files from manual app installations (can delete after installing)
• Duplicate downloads of the same file
• Large files downloaded once for sharing, now forgotten
• PDFs and documents viewed once and never needed again

Sort by size and by date — old large files are almost always safe to delete.

Storage Analysis Tips

Check for duplicate files

Large files sometimes get downloaded or copied multiple times. Use AnExplorer to:

1. Sort by size to spot files with identical sizes
2. Compare file names — duplicates often have "(1)" or "-copy" suffixes
3. Check Downloads folder specifically for multiple copies

Check hidden folders

Enable Show Hidden Files in AnExplorer before analyzing. Hidden folders like .thumbnails (can be 500 MB+), .trash/, and app-created hidden directories can consume surprising amounts of space.

Look at modification dates

Sort by date (oldest first) to find files that have been sitting untouched for years. Old data is often safe to delete or archive to cloud storage.

Compare with Android Settings

Cross-reference your findings with Settings → Storage:

• If Settings shows "Other" as a large category, those are files the system cannot categorize — usually app data, archives, or unusual file types
• If "Apps" is large, check Settings → Apps → sort by size to find the biggest installed apps
• If "System" is large, that is the OS itself and cannot be reduced

Understanding Storage Categories

When Settings → Storage shows categories, here is what maps where:

Automating Storage Monitoring

To prevent storage from filling up silently:

1. Check monthly: Open AnExplorer's Storage Analyser once a month to catch growth early
2. Clear caches regularly: Settings → Storage → Clear Cache (clears all app caches at once on some Android versions)
3. Enable cloud backup: Use Google Drive, Dropbox, or other cloud services through AnExplorer to offload old media
4. Set download cleanup reminders: Delete downloaded files after you have used them
5. Review WhatsApp storage: WhatsApp → Settings → Storage and data → Manage storage (shows largest files and frequently forwarded items)

Troubleshooting

Sort by size shows "calculating" indefinitely

Large directories (10,000+ files) take longer to calculate. Wait for AnExplorer to finish scanning. If it seems stuck, navigate to a specific subfolder first and sort there — scanning a smaller scope completes faster.

Folder size doesn't match what I expect

Some possible explanations:

• Hidden files not included (enable Show Hidden Files)
• Android/data/ contents may not be accessible without All Files Access permission
• File system overhead (formatted capacity is less than advertised)
• "Other" category in Settings includes file system metadata

Deleted files but storage didn't increase

• Check your phone's Trash/Recycle bin — deleted files sit there for 30 days before permanent removal
• Some apps use their own recycle bin (Google Photos keeps deleted items for 60 days)
• Clear the trash: Files app → Trash → Empty Trash, or Google Photos → Trash → Empty Trash

Related Guides

• Storage Full on Android — comprehensive storage recovery guide
• Find Large Files — locate individual large files
• Clear Cache on Android — safely reclaim cache space
• Free Space Without Deleting — alternatives to deletion