How to Empty the Hidden Trash on WhatsApp to Free Up Dozens of Gigabytes

WhatsApp is one of the most used messaging apps in the world. However, storing messages, images, and videos can quickly consume valuable space on your device. One of its lesser-known features is the hidden trash, where deleted files are temporarily stored. Emptying this trash is essential to free up space and optimize the performance of your device.

WhatsApp's trash isn't directly visible in the app interface. When a file is deleted, it's moved to a temporary section, and not permanently removed . This feature is useful for accidentally recovering content, but it can end up taking up significant amounts of space. To get rid of this clutter, you need to access certain settings.

To get started, you need to open WhatsApp and go to the " Settings " tab. From there, select the "Storage and data" option to view your space usage. This section provides a detailed overview of how much space is being used by each chat and media.

Next, you need to select " Manage space ". On this screen, you can see the chats that are taking up the most space and then decide whether to delete unnecessary files. To empty the trash, you need to go back to the main WhatsApp screen and then access the group or individual chat from which you want to delete files. Once there, you can tap on the name of the chat at the top to access the chat information.

Here you can see the " Media " option that shows all the shared files. Selecting " Delete " will remove the files that are no longer needed. This process should be repeated for each chat where you want to free up space.

Additionally, you may want to consider backing up your important conversations and files regularly. Using cloud services like Google Drive or iCloud can ensure that your essential files are preserved while freeing up data that is no longer needed.

It is important to note that the process of emptying the trash is not immediately obvious to all users and it may take some time to get used to the WhatsApp interface. However, following these steps can significantly free up space on your device. Recent WhatsApp updates have also improved space management, making it easier to monitor and delete large files.

With the increasing amount of data exchanged every day, it is advisable to do this operation from time to time, to avoid filling up the smartphone memory. But also to reflect on how many useless videos and photos crowd our lives.