How to delete backups made using Clockworkmod?

Question

Splitting this question from the comments to my answer to How to install ClockworkMOD Recovery on Sony Xperia Neo V (MT11a)?

Erik, one last thing. I accidentally made an extra backup which didn't even complete because my SD is full, how do I delete that backup, or any other previously done backup using CWR?

Answer 1

Clockworkmod stores its backups in /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup (replace /sdcard with the path for your external card if you're looking for backups to external memory). With versions prior to 6.0, you can move off (or delete) the entire directory to clear space. The entire backup is self-contained.

If you're using a 6.0 or greater version of Clockworkmod, this is no longer the case. The information about the backup is still in /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup, but the actual data is now stored in /sdcard/clockworkmod/blobs and is deduplicated between backups. The upside is that this should save some space between multiple backups. The downside is you can't just move off or delete a backup directory. With 6.0+, you now have to delete that folder, and then run the "free space" option. Initiating a new backup will automatically free space.

Answer 2

If you are using a version newer than 6.0 I'd recommend you use the delete backup function in CWM.

It's in backup and restore -> delete (and delete from external SD). Doing this will ensure that you don't delete a blob that is being used in another backup, as all backups now share the same blob directory.

After deleting from either place use the function recover free space from that same menú to delete the unused blobs

Answer 3

Clockworkmod stores Nandroid backups in /clockworkmod/backup on the SD card. Each subfolder contains one backup and is named with the date and time you created it. This is the same information that you see in CWM's restore menu. You can remove them from within Android with any file manager or from your PC while you have your phone attached via USB.