Why does my Files app keep crashing?

Last reviewed: September 24, 2026 · Markdown version

Neither Samsung nor Google publishes a crash guide specific to its file manager, so the honest answer is their general app troubleshooting, applied in an order that protects your files. Start by working out which "Files" app you actually have, because the two big ones come from different companies and are fixed from different stores.

Which Files app is it?

On a Galaxy phone it is probably My Files, Samsung's own app — "It's usually in the Samsung folder" (Manage files on your Galaxy phone or tablet, read 24 September 2026, US edition). Google's equivalent is Files by Google, which "works on Android version 8.0 and up" (How to use Files by Google, read 24 September 2026). The difference matters twice: Samsung's steps point you at the Galaxy Store as well as the Play Store for updates, and My Files comes preinstalled, which limits the last-resort steps below.

We looked for a vendor page on this exact problem and found none. The topic list of Google's Files by Google Help covers cleaning, moving, Safe folder and SD cards; its only troubleshooting article is "Troubleshoot: SD card undetected issue" (Files by Google Help, read 24 September 2026). Samsung's crash page is written for "any apps", not My Files in particular.

The fixes, least drastic first

Restart the phone. Google's page asks you to do this after every step: "After each step, restart your phone to see if it fixed the issue." (Fix an installed Android app that isn't working, read 24 September 2026).
Update the app and the phone. Samsung says to "check for an update to the app using the Play Store or Galaxy Store", and adds a step many people skip: "Many apps rely on the Google Play system software to operate", found under About phone › Software information › Google Play system update (App is crashing or not working on Samsung phone or tablet, read 24 September 2026, US edition).
Check its permissions. A file manager with no storage access has nothing to show. Samsung notes that "Permissions are automatically removed if an app hasn't been used."
Force stop, then clear the cache. Google lists force stop first, then cache and data, and is frank that cache clearing is "a short-term solution. Over time, cached data will build up again."
Check free space. Neither crash page names low storage as a cause. Google's storage help does connect the two loosely, saying you can clear space to make room or "help your phone run better" (Free up storage on your Android device, read 24 September 2026). A file manager spends its life reading the storage, so on a nearly full phone this is worth ruling out — that is our reasoning, not a vendor statement.
Safe mode. Samsung's test for a third-party culprit: "Using Safe mode disables all downloaded apps and loads only the original software that came with your phone or tablet". If the crash stops there, "the problem is caused by a downloaded app".

Before you tap Clear data

Both vendors describe clearing data bluntly. Samsung: "Deleting your app's data will erase any data stored by the app and may log you out of the app." Google, on its storage page: "Clear storage: Permanently deletes all app data." Neither says whether a file manager's app data includes anything you would miss — its own trash, favourites, or a Safe folder. Our advice is to open the app's trash and restore anything you want before clearing data, because we cannot point you to a page that promises it survives. The photos and downloads the app shows you are a different matter; how uninstalling or clearing a viewer leaves them in place is covered on our page about removing My Files.

Reinstalling has limits

For Files by Google, uninstalling and reinstalling is the step after clearing data, with Google's warning that "Any data saved in this app will be erased." My Files is harder to remove: Samsung's crash page says "Some preinstalled apps cannot be uninstalled" and offers "Uninstall updates" instead, which rolls the app back rather than removing it.

When to stop troubleshooting

Google's rule is a sensible place to end: "If you have trouble with one app but can use other apps without a problem, contact the app developer". For My Files that is Samsung; for Files by Google, it is Google. In the meantime, a crashing file manager does not lock your files away. On a Galaxy phone you can install Files by Google as a second way in; its storage permission "Allows Files by Google to access your device’s storage so the app can manage files" (Manage permissions, read 24 September 2026).