Before you start
- Your Google Account sign-in
- A computer browser makes the cleanup easier
Method 1 See what’s using your storage
-
Step 1: Open the storage manager
Go to one.google.com/storage/management and sign in. You’ll see how much Gmail, Drive and Photos each use.
-
Step 2: Review the suggestions
Google lists items you can clear, such as Deleted emails, Emails with large attachments, Large files and Blurry photos. Open each one, select what you don’t need and delete it.
Method 2 Clean up Google Drive
-
Step 1: Sort files by size
In Google Drive on a computer, click Storage in the left menu. Files are listed from largest to smallest.
-
Step 2: Delete or move large files
Remove files you no longer need, or download them to your computer or an external drive first.
-
Step 3: Check shared files you own
Files you own count against your storage even if they’re in someone else’s shared folder. Files others own and share with you don’t.
-
Step 4: Empty the bin
Click Bin (or Trash) and choose Empty bin. Files there count against your storage until they’re deleted after 30 days.
Method 3 Clean up Gmail
-
Step 1: Find big emails
In Gmail’s search box, type has:attachment larger:10M and press Enter. Change the number to find smaller or larger emails.
-
Step 2: Find old emails
Search older_than:2y or category:promotions to find old newsletters and promotions to delete.
-
Step 3: Delete and empty the bin
Select the emails, delete them, then open Bin and click Empty Bin now. Also empty Spam.
Method 4 Clean up Google Photos
-
Step 1: Review large items
In the Google Photos app, tap your profile picture > Photos settings > Backup > Manage storage to see large videos, screenshots and blurry photos.
-
Step 2: Delete what you don’t need
Select items and delete them. Download any videos you want to keep before deleting them from Photos.
-
Step 3: Change backup quality
In backup settings, choose Storage saver instead of Original quality to use less space for future backups. You can also compress existing photos from Manage storage, but it can’t be undone.
-
Step 4: Empty the bin
Open Collections > Bin (or Library > Bin) and tap Empty bin.
Troubleshooting
I deleted files but storage hasn’t changed
Empty the bin in Drive, Gmail and Photos. The storage figure can take up to 24 hours to update.
Drive shows space used but I can’t find the files
Check Storage in Drive for large files and hidden app data (Settings > Manage apps), and remember Gmail and Photos share the same quota.
Frequently asked questions
Do Google Docs, Sheets and Slides count toward storage?
Yes. Files you create in Docs, Sheets, Slides and other Google apps count toward your storage.
Does deleting from my phone delete from Google Photos?
If backup is on, deleting in the Google Photos app removes the photo from your phone and your account. Use Free up space in Photos to remove only the phone copies of photos already backed up.
Summary
Start at one.google.com/storage/management, then delete large files in Drive’s Storage view, big emails with has:attachment larger:10M, and large videos in Photos. Always empty the bin in each app; until you do, deleted files still use your space.
