Can thumbnails be managed?

[CyberBarrett]

I have Galaxy S7 and my thumbnail fie is 32GB which is causing huge problems. I have tried multiple methods but am unable to free up much needed space because the thumbnail file is always regenerated. Can thumbnail files be limited or otherwise managed?

 

[VidJunky]

I'm assuming they are .png files. I don't think all photo display apps generate these. Are you using something other than the stock gallery or Google Photos to view your images? If you've downloaded a third party app to display photos that may be your issue. You could also try limiting the number of photos you have on your device by backing them up to a cloud service. Then your device wouldn't need to keep so many thumbnails ready for instant viewing.

 

[Rukbat]

If you use Android Sync to get your pictures off the phone, you need a thumbnail left on the phone or when you open Gallery, all you'll see is black space. Normally you're seeing the thumbnail. If you want the picture itself on the phone you download it. But a 32GB thumbnail file says that you have a lot of pictures, and they probably wouldn't all fit on the phone.

 

[VidJunky]

If you use Android Sync to get your pictures off the phone, you need a thumbnail left on the phone or when you open Gallery, all you'll see is black space. Normally you're seeing the thumbnail. If you want the picture itself on the phone you download it. But a 32GB thumbnail file says that you have a lot of pictures, and they probably wouldn't all fit on the phone.

I'm not sure if a gallery app could draw from Google Photos but I guess that depends on the phone and gallery app. I've seen some questions asking "where are all my photos" regarding gallery apps which makes me feel like they only draw from the device, in which case they may create .png files to make displaying thumbs faster. Using Google Photos and minimizing the number of photos on your device I feel is still strong advice if space for you is at a premium.