Every Google account gets 15 GB of free storage, shared across Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos. When it fills up, email can bounce and backups stop. The good news is that most accounts have plenty to clear out, and Google’s storage manager points you to it.
Quick Answer
Open your Google storage page (one.google.com/storage) to see what uses space, then use Clean up space to review large files, trash, spam and big attachments. Delete what you do not need and empty the trash.
How to Manage and Free Up Google Storage
- Open the Google One storage page in a browser, or the Google One app, to see how much each service uses.
- Click Clean up space. It groups deleted items, large files, spam and big email attachments for review.
- In Gmail, search has:attachment larger:10M to find large messages. Delete them, then empty Trash and Spam.
- In Google Drive, open Storage to sort files by size, and remove large files or old backups. Empty the Drive trash.
- In Google Photos, delete unwanted videos and screenshots. Switching backup quality to Storage saver reduces the space new photos use.
- Check the page again. Freed space can take a little while to show up.
Where Your Storage Goes
| Service | Quick way to free space |
|---|---|
| Gmail | has:attachment larger:10M, then empty Trash and Spam |
| Google Drive | Storage view sorted by size; empty trash |
| Google Photos | Delete videos; use Storage saver for new uploads |
| Device backups | Remove backups of phones you no longer use |
| Shared files | Files others own do not count against you |
Careful with Photos: read how to delete from Google Photos but keep photos on your phone.
Related: How to Delete Photos from Google Drive on Your Phone.
Troubleshooting
- If space does not go down, check that you emptied the trash in each service. Deleted items keep counting until the trash is emptied or 30 days pass.
- If you are over quota, Gmail may stop sending and receiving and new photos stop backing up. Google also says content can be deleted if you stay over the limit for two years.
- Inactive personal accounts may be deleted after two years without use, so sign in now and then to accounts you want to keep.
- More detailed guides: how to empty Google Drive, how to empty Google trash and how to compress Google Photos.
Related: Cancel Google Workspace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Google Docs, Sheets and Slides count?
Files created after June 1, 2021 count toward your storage. Older native files may not.
Can I get more space for free?
Deleting and emptying the trash is the free route. More space requires a paid Google One plan.
Does shared storage with family count?
With a family plan, members share one pool but each person’s files stay private.
Can I download everything before deleting?
Yes. Use Google Takeout to export your data first.
Summary
- Check usage on the storage page.
- Use Clean up space.
- Remove large Gmail attachments.
- Sort Drive by size and empty trash.
- Shrink or remove Photos and old backups.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.