Internal Storage Missing about 4GB ..how can I see what's using it?

[AC Question]

Interal Storage "Missing" about 4GB ...

Android 5.1.
Settings -> Storage
Draws a bar chart of usage, with free space in light grey, which is about half of it
Stated free space is only 450MB though. It doesn't add up (total space 9.12GB, apps 3.32GB, Pictures 88KB, Audio 204KB, downloads 8KB, Cached data 30MB, other users 1.28GB, which clearly doesn't add up; what is left should be something like 4.5GB, not 10th of that). Whilst the Storage page is not showing a number for the Android System (like it does on my phone), I'm assuming that is the difference between the 9.12GB and 16GB advertised on the tablet specs/
If I plug tablet into PC, Explorer shows similar picture, but again the files don't add up to the stated amount used.
So, how do I get the space back? How can I even see what it is being used for?
I can't even install new apps or update existing ones as it claims there is not enough internal storage (even though I'd expect 450MB to be enough)

Is my only option a factory reset?

 

[Golfdriver97]

Re: Interal Storage "Missing" about 4GB ...

Welcome to the forums. A reset is probably what you need to do. The OS usually does take about 4 GB of space space on a 16 GB device.

 

[Rukbat]

Re: Interal Storage "Missing" about 4GB ...

A reset will wipe the device - all your data and downloaded apps.

The device needs about 450MB for its own use (it stores things when it's running, the way Windows temporarily stores things on the hard drive), so once you reach that limit, it won't let you download anything.

 

[Myz808]

Re: Interal Storage "Missing" about 4GB ...

Hi!

I'm having a similar problem, from what i understand. System Data is occupying 5G out of 8G that the internal storage has in total. I noticed this issue since the first day i've had the phone.

I also tried a factory reset and as soon as i got back to the home screen i checked and the number was exactly the same as before. I've read that more people have found that a reset doesn't solve the problem.

I'm pretty new to smartphone technology, but from what i understand around the forums this is a pretty common problem.

I assume that it couldn't be intended to make a phone which doesn't have enough space to function with its own OS while it prohibits its users from using any sd external storage... So i guess that this is some kind of bug, even though no one has called it such as far as I've seen.

I'm hoping that google will address this issue in some update.