Can I clear Google Play Store and Play services storage?

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026 · Markdown version

Yes. Both apps have Clear cache and Clear storage buttons in Settings, like any other app. Clearing the Play Store's cache is the mild one; clearing its storage resets some Play Store settings; clearing Google Play services storage is the step Google tells you to leave until last. Every Google page we read today presents these as repairs for a Play Store that will not open or download, not as a way to recover space, and none of them says how much room either app's data takes up.

Clearing the Play Store app

Google's steps: touch and hold the Google Play Store app, tap App Info, then "Tap Storage & cache Clear Cache" and "Tap Clear storage Delete". Google calls the cache step "the most common solution to issues when you download apps from Google Play Store", and lists the cost of the storage step: it "may delete some settings on the Google Play Store app like parental controls and password protection" and the app "will ask you to reagree to the Terms of Service the next time you open the Google Play Store" (Fix problems with the Google Play Store app, Google Play Help, read 14 October 2026). That list names Play Store settings, not the apps you have installed. If you had parental controls set, switch them back on afterwards.

Google Play services is a different app

The two names are easy to mix up. Google's description: "Google Play services connects apps to other Google services, like Google Sign In and Google Maps. Google Play services isn’t the same as the Google Play Store app and it's included with Android." The same page adds that "You can’t force stop or uninstall Google Play services" (Keep your device & apps working with Google Play services, Google Play Help, read 14 October 2026).

You can clear its data, but Google's warning is stronger here: "It’s not recommended to clear Google Play services unless you’ve tried all other troubleshooting options." What may go, in Google's words, includes "passwords, transit cards, COVID cards, and virtual payment cards saved to Google Pay", and you "may also need to reauthenticate your payment methods on Google Pay and sign back into your Google Account on all devices". If you still go ahead, the route is Settings, Apps, Google Play services (or See all apps first), then "Storage & cache Clear cache" and "Clear storage Clear all data Delete" (the Fix problems with the Google Play Store app page above gives the same steps and warning). Our advice: clear the cache alone first, and only touch Clear storage if Google Pay cards are something you can set up again.

Will it give you space back?

Only for a while. Google's general page on misbehaving apps says you "Temporarily free up space when you clear cached data. This is a short-term solution. Over time, cached data will build up again" (Fix an installed Android app that isn't working, Google Play Help, read 14 October 2026). None of the three Play Help pages cited here gives a size for either app's cache or data, so look at the app's own Storage & cache screen before you tap anything, and judge from your phone rather than from a rule of thumb. The general difference between the two buttons, for any app, is on freeing up space on Android.

When low storage is why the Play Store is stuck

The cause can run the other way round. Google's basic Play troubleshooting says "If your device is low on storage space, it can stop apps from downloading and installing", and that you may be low if "There’s less than 1 GB available on your device" (Fix problems downloading apps with basic troubleshooting steps, Google Play Help, read 14 October 2026). In that case clearing the Play Store treats a symptom. Find what is filling the phone instead: why phone storage fills up, and the Other row if that is the large one.