.thumbnails

Bottom Line: It is 100% safe to delete the .thumbnails folder on your Android phone to free up space, but the gallery app will eventually regenerate it.

What is the .thumbnails folder?

If you plug your Android phone into a computer or use a file manager app, you might stumble across a folder called DCIM/.thumbnails. Inside, you will find massive files (sometimes called thumbdata) taking up gigabytes of space.

Whenever you open your phone’s Gallery app and scroll through your pictures, the app needs to load tiny preview squares of your photos instantly. Instead of loading the massive 12-megapixel original photos (which would lag your phone), Android generates tiny, low-quality versions and stuffs them all into the .thumbnails folder.

Can you delete it?

✅ Yes, it is perfectly safe to delete.

Deleting the .thumbnails folder or the thumbdata files inside of it does not delete your actual photos. Your precious memories are safe. It only deletes the low-quality previews.

How to delete it

You can delete it using any file manager on your phone:

1. Open the My Files or Files by Google app.
2. Go to Internal Storage -> DCIM.
3. (You may need to tap the three dots in the corner and select “Show hidden files” to see it).
4. Tap and hold the .thumbnails folder.
5. Press Delete.

What happens after you delete it?

You will instantly get a massive chunk of storage space back on your phone.

However, there is a catch. The next time you open your Gallery app and scroll through your pictures, the app will pause, calculate, and slowly generate new thumbnails all over again. Eventually, the folder will grow right back to its original size. Deleting this folder is a great temporary fix if you are out of storage space and urgently need to record a video or download an app, but it is not a permanent solution.