{"id":129490,"date":"2020-05-25T12:07:25","date_gmt":"2020-05-25T12:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=129490"},"modified":"2025-07-01T21:19:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T04:19:22","slug":"google-storage-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/google-storage-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"How to clean up your Google storage"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Google<\/p>\n

Modern life revolves more and more around data and data storage: with rapidly growing files for movies, video games, photos, and all the high-quality digital programs we know, love, and live on, the question becomes: how do we make everything stack together? How can we not send some of it to the trash folder and even worse delete forever when we empty trash! We all have a storage limit on our devices.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re like us,\u00a0Google<\/a>\u00a0provided a solid answer with\u00a0Google Drive<\/a>\u00a0storage, our favorite online storage database. Once you have a Google account, Drive gives you access to all sorts of cool features like Google Docs, Google Sheets, and more. It’s the free space your Google Drive account gives you that we love the most, though, but…<\/p>\n

There is a limit!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Specifically, a\u00a015 Gigabyte limit,<\/strong>\u00a0which can be seen at the bottom left corner of your Google Drive page:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re like us, it seems like only yesterday the bar showed just megabytes taken up. Now it\u2019s 6.9 gigabytes! Where did all of that data come from? Where did all your Google Drive Space go?<\/p>\n

We\u2019re going to answer that crucial question, and help you manage this cloud space easier and free up space you need.<\/p>\n

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How to take care of your Google storage<\/h2>\n

What Makes Up Google\u2019s Storage?<\/h3>\n

First things first; what is Google Drive made of? The simple answer is that it is comprised of just three things:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Google Drive<\/li>\n
  2. Gmail<\/li>\n
  3. Google Photos<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Looking at storage in Google Drive alone, you may have been surprised at the amount of data you use! Alternatively, in Gmail, you may suddenly run up against an unexpected data limit. If that\u2019s the case\u2026<\/p>\n

    First, let us help you get a better visual. Head into My\u00a0Drive and right-click and then click \u201cUPGRADE STORAGE<\/a>\u201d on the data graphic:<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    You\u2019ll be shown a far more useful graph:<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Doesn\u2019t that make more sense?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    There are now two options: manage storage, or upgrade storage. We\u2019ll first focus on how to manage Drive, Gmail, and Photos in the coming section. Then, just in case, we\u2019ll quickly mention the possibility of a storage subscription!<\/p>\n

    If you really want to make your computer run faster, we would recommend MacPaw. Don\u2019t be fooled by the name,\u00a0MacPaw products are available for both Mac and PC.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

    Google Drive<\/h3>\n

    Manually check through Drive to see which things you want to get rid of. If you\u2019re not sure how to start, we have a few suggestions:<\/p>\n

    1.\u00a0By date used<\/strong>: on the main Google Drive page, within any folder, you can arrange files by their \u201cLast modified\u201d date. There\u2019s a general rule that older files are often less important! (On the other hand, if you don\u2019t want to throw away your copy of 2014 tax returns, there are other ways\u2026)<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    2.\u00a0File size<\/strong>: an even better option, located right next to the Last-Modified button! While some files may be more important, you may not want to clear up Google storage kilobytes at a time\u2026 so organize them by size, and see if there\u2019s anything you no longer need!<\/p>\n

    3.\u00a0The Search Bar<\/strong>: if you\u2019re looking for something more specific \u2013 perhaps documents shared with certain people, or keyword specific \u2013 the search bar has some cool stuff!<\/p>\n

    \r\n
    \r\n
    \r\n
    \r\n \"Google\r\n <\/div>\r\n
    \r\n Google Drive<\/span>\r\n Download Google Drive \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
    \r\n <\/path><\/path>7<\/text><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
    \r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
    \r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

    For the full experience, make sure to check out \u201cMore search tools\u201d at the bottom of the drop-down menu:<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Gmail<\/h3>\n

    Gmail has fewer tools to find files for a number of reasons. For example it\u2019s hard to tell what emails will become important later, and they generally are small messages that take up little space.<\/p>\n

    \r\n
    \r\n
    \r\n
    \r\n \"Gmail\"\r\n <\/div>\r\n
    \r\n Gmail<\/span>\r\n Download now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
    \r\n <\/path><\/path>8<\/text><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
    \r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
    \r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

    However, emails pile up\u00a0quickly!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    If you need to keep the storage down, there are functions called\u00a0search operators<\/strong>, which help you look through the Gmail inbox by altering the results of a Gmail search. For an extensive list of search operators, visit\u00a0this page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    However, we recommend this one:<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    In the Gmail search, enter \u201csize:\u201d and then a number. Gmail brings up all messages larger than that number, in bytes! Now, you can search for files of any size, and get rid of the most cumbersome emails.<\/p>\n

    (And if you need an easy conversion calculator, try\u00a0this<\/a>!)<\/p>\n

    Finally, Gmail storage management can be a defensive rather than an offensive act. Proactively create a system to stop your inbox from overflowing with unnecessary mail:<\/p>\n

    1.\u00a0Block spam, and periodically empty the folder completely<\/strong>. While \u201cspam\u201d blocks certain messages from reaching your inbox, they still take up storage space.<\/p>\n

    2. If you think an email will be important in the future,\u00a0mark it as \u201cimportant\u201d or \u201cflagged\u201d<\/strong>. This will ensure you don\u2019t erase it in the future, leaving you free to delete less pressing messages.<\/p>\n

    The key here is to make sure you block unnecessary emails ahead of time. If they pile up into the thousands, it will be time-consuming to go through everything and sort the good from the bad!<\/p>\n

    Google Photos<\/h3>\n

    Ah, finally! Google photos\u2026<\/p>\n

    Frankly, it\u2019s better that you organize photos however you see fit. Pictures are often precious to people: look at each image individually and decide if you should throw it out. A picture of family? Probably keep. An old recipe screenshot? Probably throw away.<\/p>\n

    \r\n
    \r\n
    \r\n
    \r\n \"Google\r\n <\/div>\r\n
    \r\n Google Photos<\/span>\r\n Download Google Photos<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
    \r\n <\/path><\/path>7<\/text><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
    \r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
    \r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

    In the end, the decision\u2019s yours.<\/p>\n

    If your storage reaches the 15-gigabyte limit due to photos and other documents you can\u2019t part with, you may want to upgrade your cloud storage, our final option.<\/p>\n

    Upgrade Storage<\/h3>\n

    While we\u2019re still scraping the underside of Google\u2019s copious 15-gigabyte allowance in the \u201cFree\u201d category, the upgrade to 100 gigs doesn\u2019t cost too much, possibly just $20 a year.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    If that sounds good, there are additional benefits to the subscriptions beyond storage! Get advice from Google professionals, add family members that can share your cloud data, and more!<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Thanks for reading!<\/p>\n

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