How to clear RAM on Android: 3 Ways explained!

RAM, or Random Access Memory, is the part of your smartphone that stores all the information about ongoing tasks and apps. When you experience a lag in your Android phone or notice apps abruptly crashing, it becomes necessary to clear RAM.

While most Android phones are optimized enough to clear RAM on their own when necessary, you can also clear RAM on Android manually. Here’s a complete guide on how to clear RAM on Android smartphones. 

Note: Some steps may differ depending on the UI of your device. 

3 Ways to clear RAM on Android 

You can clear RAM on your Android phone using three different methods – via app switcher, from the built-in app manager, or by using a third-party application. Below, we have discussed all three methods to free up RAM on your Android phone. 

Method 1: Close unwanted apps from Android App Switcher 

While this may seem like the most basic way to clear RAM on an Android phone, it is the most effective method.  

1. Go to the home screen of your Android phone. 
2. Swipe up and hold from the bottom of the screen to access the recently opened apps. 
3. Now, swipe up on apps to close them one by one.
   
   
4. Alternatively, depending on your Android skin, you can tap the Clear All option to clear all apps at once and free up RAM. 
   

Clearing all the background apps will bring down RAM usage, and you will be able to enjoy a lag-free experience. 

Method 2: Clear RAM using a built-in app manager 

Most Android phones come with a built-in app manager that will help you see the apps that are hogging the memory on your smartphone.  

If your Android smartphone does not have a specific app to clear RAM, you can try the steps below to identify the apps that are acquiring a chunk of RAM on your phone. Make sure that your smartphone is running Android 10 or above for these steps to work. 

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Locate and tap the About Phone section. 
3. Scroll down to spot the build number and tap it 6-7 times until you see the popup reading “You are now a developer!”
   
   
   • This will turn on Developer Mode on your Android phone. 
   • If you are already in Developer Mode, you’ll see “No need, you are already a developer.”
4. Now, tap ← at the top left to return to the previous page.
5. Go to System. You’ll find it above About Phone.
6. Tap Developer options → Go to Memory.
   
   
7. Select Memory used by apps. 
   You can see the RAM usage of your phone.  
8. Tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner. Select Sort by max use to see the apps that are using the most RAM.
   
   
9. On the top, you will find Android OS, Google, and Google Play Services. Avoid those and select any third-party app that you deem not worthy of the RAM.
10. Now, tap the three-dot menu on the top right corner → Select Force stop to free up RAM. 
    • Repeat the process for other third-party apps you wish to clear.
      
      

Ensure that you do not force-stop a system app or kill a process that’s necessary for the operating system.

We would advise against force-stopping any app if you are not sure about it. 

Method 3: Use third-party app to clear RAM

Now, there are many third-party apps available that can help you free up RAM on Android, and this is, in fact, one of the easiest ways to clear RAM on an Android smartphone.  

We recommend using Greenify to clean up RAM periodically. It is one of the lightweight RAM cleaner apps on Android that you can use.  

As alternatives, you can also try your hands on Cleaner and RAM Memory Monitor. 

3 Tips to minimize RAM usage on Android smartphones 

Now that you know how to clear RAM on Android using three different methods, you can free up RAM manually whenever you experience performance issues.

However, there are some handy tips that you can apply in your day-to-day workings to minimize RAM usage on Android. I have explained them below.

1. Disable animations and transitions

One way to ensure you don’t have to clear RAM on your Android smartphone frequently is to disable animations and transitions.

While animations and app transitions are visually appealing, they might also negatively impact RAM consumption. Here’s how you can reduce animations on your Android phone: 

1. Open the Settings app → Select Accessibility. 
2. Go to Color and motion.
3. Toggle on Remove animations. 
   
   

2. Minimise apps running in background 

If you have plenty of apps running in the background, it could result in high RAM usage.

Some Android smartphones are bundled with unnecessary apps or bloatware that can hog the RAM. If your smartphone has such apps, we recommend you disable them or uninstall them. 

Another way to see which apps are running in the background and consuming your precious RAM on your Android phone is via developer options. 

1. Open the Settings app on your phone → Go to System. 
2. Tap Developer Options.
   If you haven’t enabled Developer Mode already, follow steps 2-5 mentioned in Method 2.
3. Search and enter Running Services.
   
   
4. Spot and select any unusual app or bloatware → Choose Stop to disallow the app from running in the background. 
   
   

3. Uninstall rarely-used apps 

Another quite easy way to avoid having to free up RAM on your Android phone periodically is to uninstall rarely used apps.  

1. Launch Files by Google app. 
2. Tap Clean at the bottom left → Choose storage at the top of the screen. 
3. Now, select Apps → Choose Unused apps. 
   This will show apps that you have not used for a long time. 
4. To uninstall these apps, select the three-dot menu next to each app → Tap Uninstall.
   
   

I’d recommend doing this only if you no longer need the apps in question.

Video: How to clear RAM on your Android phone

Boost performance by clearing RAM on Android 

If you want to experience uninterrupted and lag-free performance from your Android phone, it is essential to clear its RAM. Android OS has achieved optimization to the extent that you will not need to clear RAM manually, but if the need arises, there are easy-to-approach methods to accomplish the task. 

Did you find this guide helpful? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.