How to Free Up Space on Google Drive & Gmail

Google Drive and Gmail are two of the most widely used digital services by Google. Although they offer a combined storage space of 15GB for free, users often find themselves needing more space, which Google offers for a price. However, there are free ways to manage your digital space, and we’re going to show you how to free up space on Google Drive and Gmail.

Delete Large Files First

The easiest way to free up space on Google Drive and Gmail is to delete the largest files. Here’s how to delete large files on your desktop.

• Deleting Large Files on Google Drive
• Log into your Google Drive account.
• Click on “Storage” in the menu on the left side of the screen.
• If the files are not already listed from largest to smallest, click on “Storage Used” on the right side of the screen.
• Click on the large files that you want to delete to select them, then click on either the trash bin in the top right of your screen or drag the large files to “Trash” on the left side of the screen.
• Click on “Trash” to go to the Trash menu.
• Click on “Empty Trash” in the top-right corner of your screen.
• Click on “Delete Forever” and your files will be gone.

Deleting Large Files on Gmail

You can also delete large files on Gmail using the following steps.

• Log into your Gmail account.
• Type “has:attachment larger:10MB” into the search bar and hit “Search.” This will show you all emails that have attachments larger than 10 MB from largest to smallest.
• Check the boxes to the left of each email that you want to delete, then click the “Trash” icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
• Click on “Trash” on the left side of the screen to go to the Trash menu. If you don’t see “Trash,” click on “More” and “Trash” should be in the expanded menu.
• Once in “Trash,” click on “Empty Trash Now” at the top of the screen.

Empty Your Gmail Spam Folder

Emptying your spam folder can also help you free up space on Gmail. Here’s how to do it on your desktop.

• Log into your Gmail account.
• Click on “Spam” on the left side of the screen. If you don’t see “Spam,” click on “More,” and “Spam” should be in the expanded menu.
• In your spam folder, click “Delete all spam messages now.”

Clean Up Your Google Photos

Google Photos is also included in the 15GB of free storage that Google provides to its users. Since photos and videos can take up more space than text-based files, it’s a good idea to delete old photos and videos to make room. There are plenty of third-party photos fixer apps but unfortunately, there’s no option to arrange your photos and videos from largest to smallest like in Google Drive and Gmail, so you will have to go through and delete items manually. Here’s how to delete photos and videos from Google Photos on your desktop.

• Open and log into Google Photos.
• Scroll your mouse over photos and videos you want to delete and click the gray check mark icon in the top left corner of the photo or video.
• Click on the trash icon in the top right corner of the screen
• Click on “Move to trash.”
• Click on “Trash” on the left side of the screen.
• Click on “Empty trash” near the top-right corner of your screen.
• Click on “Empty trash” again, and you’re set.

Freeing up space on Google Drive and Gmail can be a simple task if you know the right steps to take. Deleting large files on both services, emptying your Gmail spam folder, and cleaning up your Google Photos can make a significant difference in your digital storage space. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can create more room for your new files and avoid the cost of paying for additional storage. Start freeing up space on your Google Drive and Gmail today!