Confused and worried about storage

[Pastorhss]

I have a 64GB SD card installed on my GS7 edge. Everything goes to the card, including any apps that can be stored there. My SD Card shows 6.22/59.45 GB Used (10%). The Phone storage shows 17.33/23.30 GB Used (74%). I use ES File Explorer.

1 - Should I understand that 8.70 GB of the phone storage goes to System issues, etc.?
2 - I have no idea what the 17.33 GB is being used by. ES File Explorer scans the phone storage and it doesn't add up to much. I opened the phone storage on my PC, right clicked/Properties of every folder on the Phone side. The total size of files doesn't add up to 300MB!!!

Am I missing something??? Are there any suggestions? Please help!

Thanks.

 

[SpookDroid]

Have you checked your phone's own Storage report? That should tell you a more detailed view of what's using your internal memory.

Also, remember that apps that can be moved to SD card aren't really there 100%. App's main files must always reside in internal memory. ALWAYS. No way around it (unless you root and either hack or apply adoptable storage, but that's another story). Now, from apps that can be 'moved' to SD cards, it's up to each dev to determine what portion of the app can be moved, if any. Some allow extra downloads to be moved, some only media files, some only game saves and app-created files (like pictures or music), etc. Also, when you update an app, most of the time it is moved back to internal memory for that (since installation can only happen in internal memory by design), so apps you might have moved to SD card maybe aren't there anymore.

On a PC, you don't have access to everything in your phone. System files are hidden (unless you root).

 

[osubass1]

2 - I have no idea what the 17.33 GB is being used by. ES File Explorer scans the phone storage and it doesn't add up to much. I opened the phone storage on my PC, right clicked/Properties of every folder on the Phone side. The total size of files doesn't add up to 300MB!!!

Am I missing something??? Are there any suggestions? Please help!

Thanks.

the primary thing you're missing is, it doesn't work that way. you can't highlight everything and check the properties to see how much space it's taking up and expect it to account for all of the space used. data isn't stored in nice, neat rows and columns. it's written to the first empty block. some blocks may be 100% filled, while others may only get partially filled. even though they are only partially full, they will report to the OS as full.

 

[Kelly Kearns]

Also moving apps to the SD card is a good way to experience some major lags.

 

[Pastorhss]

Have you checked your phone's own Storage report? That should tell you a more detailed view of what's using your internal memory.

Also, remember that apps that can be moved to SD card aren't really there 100%. App's main files must always reside in internal memory. ALWAYS. No way around it (unless you root and either hack or apply adoptable storage, but that's another story). Now, from apps that can be 'moved' to SD cards, it's up to each dev to determine what portion of the app can be moved, if any. Some allow extra downloads to be moved, some only media files, some only game saves and app-created files (like pictures or music), etc. Also, when you update an app, most of the time it is moved back to internal memory for that (since installation can only happen in internal memory by design), so apps you might have moved to SD card maybe aren't there anymore.

On a PC, you don't have access to everything in your phone. System files are hidden (unless you root).

the primary thing you're missing is, it doesn't work that way. you can't highlight everything and check the properties to see how much space it's taking up and expect it to account for all of the space used. data isn't stored in nice, neat rows and columns. it's written to the first empty block. some blocks may be 100% filled, while others may only get partially filled. even though they are only partially full, they will report to the OS as full.

Also moving apps to the SD card is a good way to experience some major lags.

Thanks to all of you. You certainly opened my eyes as to how this works. In as far as my OP, I feel foolish. I totally forgot the phone's storage report. When I went there, a detailed report was available. The main block of used space is Apps. (13.53GB) Some of them I had moved to SD Card and are back, as implied above. So, once again I'll move some and will take this opportunity to uninstall others that I don't use.

I'll get back with results. Once again, Thanks and Blessings.

 

[Kelly Kearns]

Also just seeing issues with SD cards around here for years.. I would only use the card for media.

I've broken my need for an SD Card with my Note 5. I may put a small one in my Note 7 but it will only contain back up pictures, copies of wallpapers and ring tones and pictures that don't matter of they are lost.

 

[PJesse]

If you are really worried about internal space, do what I did and adopt the SD card. But fair warning, it's not for the faint of heart of a tech novice.

 

[Kelly Kearns]

But.. Samsung doesn't officially support adoptable storage so that is also possibly asking for trouble.

There is a lot to think about using adoptable storage even after it is set up and working well.

 

[Pastorhss]

Thanks to all of you. Using the phone's storage report and Applications in Settings, I confirmed what was said by spookdroid. Apps that I had moved to SD card were back in internal, probably because they've been updated. So I moved them again, also deleted some apps that I really don't ever use. Then there are others I wish I could delete, but the option is not available. Leaving just the apps that I really use, I was able to get the Phone Storage used % went down from 74% to about 65% of of total used (not including System Memory. So, of the total of 32GB - 8.68 System Memory - 7.57 available, I've used slightly over 50%. I guess that's not bad??? Anyone confused? Sorry.