The Other folder dilemma

[JI TN]

I downloaded a pptx attachment from an email, and yes i could see and read it, but when i connect it to PC, i cant find the file!... May be normal downloads are automatically stored in the Other Folder!...Help, do someone know how to clear the Other folder, without factory reset method!

 

[Sinabu]

As of right now there is no way to clear the "other" folder other than doing a factory reset on the device.

 

[luk3ja]

I think the other file might be the recycle bin or something that they've left in even though we don't have a recycle bin or a button to empty it

 

[MojoHand69]

This is a major issue for WP8 and I know of no way to currently clear the Other Folder w/o a factory reset. My hope is that this is corrected with one of the upcoming updates. Many on this forum have issues with the Other Folder as well.

 

[Abdul Rahman Noor]

I think the other file might be the recycle bin or something that they've left in even though we don't have a recycle bin or a button to empty it

Actually it's bigger than that:
There have been numerous threads on WPcentral as well as other WP forums where everything from memory leaks to "space reserved for apps to use" has been suggested.
As far as I know there hasn't been any official acknowledgement (or denial!) of this problem from Microsoft so I'm pretty sure that's a bug they don't want to announce and get bad press.

I'm hoping Portico (or some other update) fixes this.

Can anyone with Portico confirm if the Other Folders problem is fixed?

 

[fifthGear]

Installation of Portico cleaned out my "Other" section of phone storage (sorry, but it's not a "folder"). When installation of Protico completed, my Other had gone down from nearly 4GB to about 45MB. Since the install Other has been again slowly creeping up in size.

Some have speculated that when Other fills up such that there is next to no free space on the phone, that the OS would garbage collect the unused space. I can attest to the fact that when my Other was up to 4GB I could not install apps. The free space on my phone had dropped to just over 100MB. Occasionally free space would go up by a few MB but the general trend was that free space was slowly dropping. After Protico that appears to be happening again. I have my fingers crossed that when my free space drops sufficiently Portico will clean up Other... but I doubt that Portico includes this particular fix.

 

[bawboh86]

Mine has cleaned up "Other" a few times (Portico update on a White Lumia 920) and hasn't gone over 4GB. It seems that once it hits that number, it cleans up a few MBs. Then again, I've seen some people with several more GBs taken up in that storage space, so I'm not sure.

 

[luk3ja]

Yeah on my HTC 8X the other had gotten to 6.5GB and it kept bugging me and bugging me telling me it had low space left so i kept installing little apps to fill it even more and now today I've looked and its gone down to 4.9GB so it freed up 1.5GB of space by itself. Obviously the other folder issue is a bug but filling it to the brim seems to force it to delete stuff in the other that shouldn't even be there

 

[Bilal_Fakih]

I downloaded a pptx attachment from an email, and yes i could see and read it, but when i connect it to PC, i cant find the file!... May be normal downloads are automatically stored in the Other Folder!...Help, do someone know how to clear the Other folder, without factory reset method!

There is already a thread discussing the issue of "Others" this should be moved.... if you are downloading attachments, the files will go to a temporary file that we cant have control on. "Others" willl keep on growing depening on the usage of your phone. If you have lots of apps and pics and videos and by adding information and ppl to your device, Other will grow. Now in the other thread, i have read that the "auto upload" will eat your others. Turn it off and keep watching your phone and lets see if it works.

 

[luk3ja]

I downloaded a pptx attachment from an email, and yes i could see and read it, but when i connect it to PC, i cant find the file!... May be normal downloads are automatically stored in the Other Folder!...Help, do someone know how to clear the Other folder, without factory reset method!

when you open an attachment you need to open the appbar menu and click save as and save it to your phone or SkyDrive. If you save it to your phone it will be in the documents folder when you connect your phone to your PC