How do I empty a folder without deleting it?

Last reviewed: October 3, 2026 · Markdown version

Go inside the folder first, and select its contents from there. Both of the big Android file apps act on whatever is selected, and selecting the folder itself from the level above is how the folder goes along with everything in it. Once you are inside, the folder is the place you are standing in rather than an item on the list, so it cannot be caught by the selection.

Samsung My Files: there is an "All"

Samsung's guide describes touching and holding "the file(s) or folder(s)" you want, then tapping Delete and Move to Trash. For selecting everything in one go, the same page says that "To move additional files in the same folder, you will need to select All at the top of the screen" (Manage files on your Galaxy phone or tablet, read 3 October 2026). So: open My Files, open the folder, touch and hold any one item, tap All, then Delete — or Move, if you want to keep the contents somewhere else.

Samsung's page also says what a mistake costs. On a phone, deleted items "will stay in the Trash for 30 days before being permanently deleted". On a tablet there is no such net: "Tablets do not have the Trash feature in My Files, so files can't be restored once they are deleted."

Files by Google: one circle at a time

In Files by Google, reach the folder through Storage devices › Internal storage. Google's steps for picking several items are to "Press and hold" one, then "To select more files, at the top of each file you want to move, tap the circle" (Move files to an existing folder in Internal storage, read 3 October 2026). To delete rather than move, its Trash article reads "Select the files you want to move to Trash", tap Trash at the top right, then confirm with Move x files to Trash; Google keeps them there for 30 days, and adds that the feature "is available in Android R and will be rolled out in phases for other Android versions" (Move files to Trash & restore files from Trash, read 3 October 2026).

What we could not find is a select-all. Neither of those two articles, nor Google's page on Delete files using the Browse tab (read 3 October 2026), mentions one; on a folder of a few hundred items, that means a lot of circles. Google's help is silent on a select-all, so we will not describe one from memory.

If you want to keep what is inside

Emptying a folder does not have to mean losing its contents. Choosing Move instead of Delete takes them somewhere else and leaves the original folder empty — Samsung's wording is that Move will "completely remove the file from its current location and move it to a new location" (the My Files guide above). Making a destination first is covered under creating a folder, and the full move steps under moving files.

Folders inside the folder

An "All" selection includes any sub-folders as well, because they are items in the list like any file. Samsung's own phrasing — "file(s) or folder(s)" — treats them the same. If you want the structure kept and only the loose files gone, untick the sub-folders after selecting all, or open each one and empty it the same way.

Why an "empty" folder can still hold something

File apps hide names that begin with a dot. Google's Trash article includes the switch, under Browse: "turn on Show hidden files". Samsung's equivalent is in My Files' settings, "Show hidden system files" (Pictures will not display in the Gallery app, read 3 October 2026). With those off, a folder can look empty and still hold a .nomedia file or an app's hidden data; turn them on before deciding a folder is clear, and think twice before deleting a dot-file you did not create. More on hidden files.