How to Find Large Files in Google Drive (4 Methods)

The fastest way to find large files in Google Drive is scanning your entire Drive at once with a tool like Overdrive—it shows all files sorted by size in about two minutes. Alternatively, use Google's built-in Storage Manager at drive.google.com/settings/storage, or check one.google.com/storage for a breakdown by service (Drive, Gmail, Photos). Google Drive's search doesn't support "larger than" filters, so these tools are your best options.

Large files are usually the fastest path to freeing storage. Deleting one 500 MB video reclaims more space than deleting 500 tiny documents. This guide shows you how to find your largest files and decide what to do with them.

Method 1: Scan Your Entire Drive (Fastest)

The quickest way to find large files is scanning everything at once.

Overdrive scans your entire Google Drive in about two minutes and shows all files sorted by size—plus duplicates, old files, and hidden storage consumers. You get a complete picture rather than checking multiple tools separately. The scan is free.

This catches things Google's built-in tools miss: files across all folders, duplicates that are wasting space alongside large files, and storage patterns you wouldn't spot manually.

Method 2: Storage Manager

Google's built-in Storage Manager shows your largest files.

Step-by-Step

Go to drive.google.com/settings/storage
You'll see a list of your largest files
Files are sorted by size (largest first)
Click any file to see details or open it
Select files and click the trash icon to delete

What You'll See

The Storage Manager shows:

File name and type
File size
Location (folder path)
Last modified date

You can scroll through the list to see progressively smaller files.

Limitations

Only shows files in Google Drive (not Gmail or Photos)
Doesn't show files in Shared Drives
Limited filtering options
Can't search within results

Method 3: Google One Storage View

For a complete picture of what's using your Google storage.

Step-by-Step

Go to one.google.com/storage
See total storage used and breakdown by service
Click on a service (Drive, Gmail, or Photos) to manage it
For Drive, you'll be taken to the Storage Manager
For Gmail, you'll see options to delete large attachments
For Photos, you'll go to quota management

Why This Matters

Your 15 GB is shared across Drive, Gmail, and Photos. You might think Drive is the problem when actually:

Gmail attachments are using 8 GB
Google Photos has 5 GB of videos
Drive files are only 2 GB

Start here to identify which service needs attention.

Method 4: List View Sorting

For finding large files within a specific folder.

Step-by-Step

Navigate to the folder you want to check
Click the view toggle (top right) to switch to List view
Click the "Storage used" column header to sort by size
Largest files appear at the top (or bottom—click again to reverse)

Best For

Checking specific project folders
Finding large files within organized folder structures
Comparing file sizes within a category

Limitations

Only works folder by folder
Doesn't aggregate across your entire Drive
Google Docs/Sheets/Slides may not show accurate sizes in list view

What to Do With Large Files

Finding large files is step one. Step two is deciding what to do with them.

Decision Framework

File Type	Keep If...	Delete If...
Videos	You'll watch again, can't find elsewhere	Watched once, available on streaming/YouTube
Photos (original)	Important memories, professional work	Duplicates, blurry, screenshots
Downloads	Still needed for reference	One-time use, can re-download
Backups	Only current backup you have	Old backups, duplicates of local files
Project files	Active project, no local copy	Project finished, have local backup
Audio	Your own recordings, important	Downloaded music (re-downloadable)

Options Beyond Deletion

You don't have to delete everything. Consider:

1. Download then delete

Download important large files to local storage
Delete from Drive to free cloud space
Keep local backup on external drive

2. Compress files

ZIP large folders before archiving
Compress videos to smaller formats
Use Google Photos "Storage saver" quality

3. Move to alternative storage

Move old files to cheaper cloud storage
Use external hard drives for archives
Keep Drive for active files only

4. Share ownership

If a large file should belong to someone else, transfer ownership
Their storage will be used instead of yours

Large Files by Type

Different file types have different considerations.

Videos

Videos are usually the largest files in any Drive. A single 4K video can be several gigabytes.

Finding videos:

In Storage Manager, videos typically appear at the top
They're marked with video icons
Common formats: .mp4, .mov, .avi, .mkv

What to do:

Delete videos you've watched and won't rewatch
Download irreplaceable videos to local storage before deleting
Consider if the video exists elsewhere (YouTube, streaming service)
Compress videos if you need to keep them in Drive

Photos (Original Quality)

High-resolution photos, especially RAW files from cameras, consume significant storage.

Finding photos:

Check Google Photos storage at photos.google.com/quotamanagement
Look for .raw, .cr2, .nef, .dng files
Large .jpg and .png files (10+ MB each)

What to do:

Convert to "Storage saver" quality (compressed, still good quality)
Delete duplicates, screenshots, blurry photos
Keep RAW files locally, upload compressed versions

Zip/Archive Files

Compressed archives often sit forgotten after their contents were extracted.

What to do:

If you extracted the contents, delete the archive
If you haven't extracted, check what's inside before deleting
Old backup archives are often safe to remove

Audio Files

Music libraries and podcast downloads add up.

What to do:

Downloaded music is usually re-downloadable—consider deleting
Your own recordings may be irreplaceable—keep or backup locally
Old podcast episodes can likely be deleted

PDF Documents

PDFs are usually small, but scanned documents with images can be large.

What to do:

Large PDFs are often old and rarely accessed
Consider if you can re-download or re-scan if needed
Compress PDFs using online tools if keeping

Application Data

Some apps store large files in Drive—backups, exports, cache files.

Finding hidden app data:

Go to Drive Settings → Manage apps
Check storage used by each connected app
Delete data from apps you no longer use

For more on this, see Hidden App Data Is Eating Your Google Drive Storage.

Gmail Attachments

Large Gmail attachments count against your storage quota. The Storage Manager focuses on Drive, but Gmail often holds significant storage.

Finding Large Attachments

In Gmail, search:

has:attachment larger:10MB

This shows emails with attachments over 10 MB.

For more aggressive cleanup:

has:attachment larger:5MB older_than:1y

This finds attachments over 5 MB that are more than a year old.

Deleting Email to Free Space

When you delete an email, its attachments are also deleted, freeing storage. Remember to empty Gmail's Trash afterward—deleted emails still count until permanently removed.

Google Photos Storage

Photos and videos in Google Photos count against your quota since June 2021.

Managing Photo Storage

Go to photos.google.com/quotamanagement
Review "Large photos and videos"
Review "Blurry photos" and "Screenshots"
Delete what you don't need
Consider "Recover storage" to compress existing photos

Storage Saver Quality

If you switch to "Storage saver" quality for uploads, photos are compressed (but still good quality for most uses). You can also compress existing original-quality photos to reclaim space.

Periodic Storage Audits

For ongoing storage management, check in periodically.

Quarterly Review

Every few months:

Check one.google.com/storage for total usage
Review Storage Manager for new large files
Search Gmail for large attachments
Clean up what you don't need

Building this habit prevents storage from creeping up on you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I search for files larger than a certain size?

Google Drive's search bar doesn't support size filters like Gmail does. You can search larger:10MB in Gmail, but not in Drive. Use the Storage Manager instead—it's designed for exactly this purpose.

Do Google Docs/Sheets/Slides show accurate sizes?

In list view, Google Workspace files may show small or inconsistent sizes. The actual storage they consume (for files created/edited after June 2021) isn't always reflected in the displayed size. Use Storage Manager for accurate storage impact.

Why do some large files not appear in Storage Manager?

Storage Manager only shows files you own. Files shared with you (but owned by others) don't appear because they don't count against your storage. Shared Drive files also don't appear in your personal Storage Manager.

Can I find large files in Shared Drives?

Storage Manager doesn't include Shared Drives. To find large files in a Shared Drive:

Open the Shared Drive
Switch to List view
Sort by "Storage used"
This only works within one Shared Drive at a time

How much space will I actually free by deleting a file?

The full file size—eventually. After deletion, files go to Trash and still count for up to 30 days. Empty your Trash to immediately reclaim the space.

What's the largest file I can store in Google Drive?

Individual files can be up to 5 TB (if you have enough storage quota). Most file types have a 5 TB limit, though some have lower limits (e.g., Google Docs converted from other formats have limits on source file size).

Keep Reading

The Ultimate Google Drive Storage Cleanup Guide — Complete storage cleanup process
How to Find and Delete Duplicate Files in Google Drive — Duplicates waste as much space as large files
Why Is My Google Drive Full But Empty? — When large files aren't the problem