The Ultimate Google Drive Storage Cleanup Guide (2026)

To clean up Google Drive storage, start with Google's Storage Manager at drive.google.com/settings/storage—it shows your largest files and makes deletion easy. Then empty your Trash (trashed files still count against your quota), delete large Gmail attachments, and remove duplicate files. Most users can free up 40-60% of their used storage in under an hour using these methods.

Your 15GB of free Google storage fills up faster than you'd expect. It's shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos, and years of accumulated files, email attachments, and forgotten backups add up quickly. This guide walks you through the complete cleanup process—from quick wins that free gigabytes in minutes to deep cleaning that reclaims everything you're wasting.

What's Actually Using Your Google Storage

Before cleaning, understand what counts against your quota. Google's 15GB (or whatever plan you have) is shared across three services:

Google Drive

Everything in "My Drive" counts:

Documents, spreadsheets, presentations you create
Files you upload (PDFs, images, videos, etc.)
Files in folders others shared with you that you've added to your Drive
Backups from apps (WhatsApp, phone backups, etc.)
Hidden app data from third-party services

What doesn't count: Files in "Shared with me" that you haven't added to your Drive. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides created before June 1, 2021 also don't count (legacy exemption), but anything created after that date does count.

Gmail

Every email with attachments counts:

Attachments on received emails
Attachments on sent emails (this surprises many people)
Emails in Trash and Spam (until permanently deleted)
Large email threads with multiple attachments

A single email with a 25MB attachment uses 25MB of your storage forever—unless you delete it.

Google Photos

Photos and videos stored in "Original quality" count fully against your quota. Photos stored in "Storage saver" quality (previously called "High quality") also count, but use less space per photo.

Note: The free unlimited "High quality" storage ended in June 2021. Everything uploaded after that date counts against your quota, regardless of quality setting.

Check Your Current Storage Usage

Before cleaning, see where your storage is going.

Method 1: Storage Breakdown Page

Go to one.google.com/storage

This shows:

Total storage used vs. available
Breakdown by service (Drive, Gmail, Photos)
Links to manage storage for each service

Method 2: Drive Storage Manager

Go to drive.google.com/settings/storage

This shows:

Large files you can review and delete
Files in Trash (taking up space until emptied)
Suggested items to clean up

Method 3: Gmail Storage Check

In Gmail, search: larger:10MB

This shows all emails with attachments larger than 10MB—often the fastest Gmail cleanup.

Quick Wins: Free Up Space in 10 Minutes

Start with actions that have the biggest impact for the least effort.

1. Empty Your Trash (30 Seconds)

Files in Trash still count against your quota. They're automatically deleted after 30 days—but why wait? Empty it now.

In Google Drive:

Click "Trash" in the left sidebar
Click "Empty trash" at the top right
Confirm deletion

In Gmail:

Click "Trash" (you may need to click "More" to see it)
Click "Empty Trash now" at the top
Confirm

In Google Photos:

Click "Trash" in the left sidebar
Click "Empty trash"
Confirm

This alone often frees several gigabytes.

2. Delete Large Files (5 Minutes)

Use Storage Manager to find and delete your largest files:

Go to drive.google.com/settings/storage
Files are sorted by size—largest first
Review each file: Do you need it? Is there a copy elsewhere?
Select files to delete, click the trash icon
Empty Trash to actually free the space

Target files over 100MB first. A few large videos or backups can consume gigabytes.

3. Delete Large Email Attachments (5 Minutes)

In Gmail, search: has:attachment larger:10MB

Review the results. Old emails with large attachments are usually safe to delete:

Received files you've since downloaded elsewhere
Sent files you have copies of locally
Old project files from years ago
Duplicate files you emailed to yourself

Delete the emails to remove the attachments from your storage.

Deep Cleaning: Drive Files

After quick wins, systematically clean your Drive.

Find and Delete Duplicate Files

Duplicates waste storage and create confusion. They accumulate from:

Downloading the same file multiple times
Copying files between folders
Syncing issues with desktop apps
Keeping "backup" copies manually

How to find duplicates manually:

Sort by name—duplicates often have "(1)" or "Copy of" in the name:

In Google Drive, click "Name" column header to sort alphabetically
Look for files with similar names in sequence
Compare file sizes and dates to identify duplicates
Keep the newest or most complete version, delete others

Search for common duplicate patterns:

"Copy of"

name contains "(1)"

These searches surface files that were explicitly copied.

For large Drives with thousands of files, manual duplicate finding doesn't scale. Overdrive scans your entire Drive and groups identical files automatically—finding duplicates you'd never catch manually, including files with different names but identical content. The scan is free and takes about two minutes.

Clean Up Old and Unused Files

Files you haven't opened in years are candidates for deletion.

Find old files by date:

In Google Drive, you can filter by modification date:

Click the search filters icon in the search bar
Under "Date modified," select a timeframe (e.g., "Before" and set a date 2+ years ago)
Review the results

Questions to ask for old files:

Would I notice if this disappeared?
Could I find this elsewhere if I needed it?
Is this still relevant to anything I'm doing?
Did this project/task/job end years ago?

If the answers are "no," "yes," "no," and "yes"—delete it.

Remove Empty and Untitled Files

Empty documents waste space and clutter your Drive.

Find untitled documents:

name:Untitled

This finds "Untitled document," "Untitled spreadsheet," etc.—files created and abandoned. Most can be deleted without consequence.

Find empty files:

Files with 0 bytes are empty:

Go to Storage Manager (drive.google.com/settings/storage)
Sort through files and look for very small file sizes
Open to verify they're empty or useless
Delete

For help organizing these files, see How to Find and Delete Empty Folders in Google Drive.

Review App Data and Backups

Third-party apps store data in your Drive, often without you realizing it.

Find hidden app data:

Go to drive.google.com/settings
Look for "Manage apps" in the settings
Review which apps are using storage (shown next to each app)
For apps you no longer use, click "Options" and "Delete hidden app data"

Common storage hogs:

WhatsApp backups (can be multiple gigabytes)
Phone backup apps
Third-party sync services
Old apps you no longer use

We cover this in detail in Hidden App Data Is Eating Your Google Drive Storage.

Handle Files You Want to Keep But Not Store

Some files are worth keeping but don't need to live in Google Drive:

Option 1: Download and delete

Download the file to your computer or external drive
Delete from Google Drive
Keep the local copy for archives

Option 2: Move to another cloud service If you have storage on Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud, or elsewhere, move files there to balance usage.

Option 3: Compress files ZIP or compress large folders before uploading. This works well for archives you rarely access.

Deep Cleaning: Gmail

Gmail attachments are silent storage killers. Every photo, PDF, or document attached to an email counts against your quota—forever, unless you delete the email.

Find Emails With Large Attachments

Use Gmail search operators to find storage-heavy emails:

Search	Finds
`has:attachment larger:10MB`	Emails with attachments over 10MB
`has:attachment larger:5MB`	Emails with attachments over 5MB
`has:attachment larger:25MB`	Maximum-size attachments (Gmail's limit)
`older_than:2y has:attachment`	Old emails with attachments
`from:me has:attachment larger:5MB`	Large attachments you sent

Delete Strategically

Before mass-deleting, consider:

Safe to delete:

Attachments you've downloaded elsewhere
Files from completed projects years ago
Duplicate files emailed multiple times
Marketing emails with large images/PDFs
Order confirmations with PDF attachments (after you've saved any important receipts)

Review before deleting:

Contracts and legal documents (archive locally first if needed)
Tax documents (keep required years—typically 7 years for tax-related items)
Important correspondence (may have sentimental/legal value)

Empty Spam Folder

Spam emails with attachments count against your quota until deleted.

Click "Spam" in Gmail sidebar (may be under "More")
Click "Delete all spam messages now"

Gmail auto-deletes spam after 30 days, but emptying it immediately frees that space now.

Remove Promotional Emails in Bulk

Marketing emails with images and attachments accumulate quickly.

Search: category:promotions older_than:1y

These are promotional emails over a year old—usually safe to delete in bulk:

Click the checkbox to select all visible
Click "Select all conversations that match this search" (link that appears)
Delete

This can remove thousands of emails instantly.

Deep Cleaning: Google Photos

If you use Google Photos, it might be your biggest storage consumer.

Check Photos Storage Usage

Go to one.google.com/storage and look at the Photos breakdown. If it's significant, focus here.

Delete Obvious Waste

Screenshots and screen recordings: These pile up quickly and rarely have lasting value. In Google Photos on mobile, tap Search > Screenshots to find and bulk delete.

Duplicate photos: Google Photos has a review utility:

Go to photos.google.com/quotamanagement
Review "Large photos and videos," "Blurry photos," and "Screenshots"
Delete what you don't need

Blurry and low-quality photos: Google Photos identifies these automatically in the quota management tool. Review and delete.

Compress Existing Photos

If you uploaded photos in "Original quality," you can convert them to "Storage saver" quality to reduce space:

Go to photos.google.com/quotamanagement
Look for "Recover storage" option
This converts existing original-quality photos to storage-saver quality

This can significantly reduce photos storage with minimal visible quality loss for most photos.

Export Before Deleting

If you're deleting photos to free space but want to keep them:

Use Google Takeout to export photos
Download to your computer or external drive
Then delete from Google Photos

What's Still Taking Up Space? Troubleshooting

Sometimes you've cleaned everything obvious but storage is still full.

The "Full But Empty" Problem

If your Drive seems empty but storage is full, several hidden culprits might be responsible:

Trash not emptied: Files in Trash count until permanently deleted
Gmail attachments: Not visible in Drive but count against quota
Google Photos: Especially if you have years of photos
Hidden app data: Third-party apps storing data invisibly
Orphaned files: Files from deleted Shared Drives or removed sharing

For a complete troubleshooting guide, see Why Is My Google Drive Full But Empty? (Solved).

Hidden App Data

Apps connected to your Google account can store data in Drive. This data doesn't appear in your normal file list.

How to find it:

Go to drive.google.com
Click the gear icon > Settings
Click "Manage apps" in the left sidebar
Review connected apps and their storage usage (shown next to each)
Delete data from apps you no longer use

Common hidden storage hogs:

WhatsApp (chat backups, can be 5GB+)
Phone backup services
Game save data
Productivity app backups

For detailed instructions, see Hidden App Data Is Eating Your Google Drive Storage.

The Complete Storage Cleanup Checklist

Use this checklist for a thorough cleanup.

Quick Wins (10 minutes)

Empty Google Drive Trash
Empty Gmail Trash
Empty Gmail Spam
Empty Google Photos Trash
Delete top 10 largest files in Storage Manager

Drive Deep Clean (30 minutes)

Find and delete duplicate files (search "Copy of" and similar)
Search and delete "Untitled" documents
Review files not opened in 2+ years
Check hidden app data in Drive settings
Delete old backups you don't need

Gmail Deep Clean (20 minutes)

Delete emails with attachments over 10MB (has:attachment larger:10MB)
Delete old promotional emails (category:promotions older_than:1y)
Delete sent emails with large attachments you have copies of
Search older_than:3y has:attachment and review

Google Photos Clean (15 minutes)

Delete screenshots
Remove duplicate and blurry photos via quota management
Consider converting to Storage saver quality
Export and delete photos you want to archive elsewhere

Final Verification

Check storage at one.google.com/storage
Verify Trash is empty in all services
Note storage recovered for future reference

Preventing Future Storage Problems

After cleaning, keep your Drive clean.

Set Up Regular Maintenance

Add calendar reminders:

Monthly: Empty Trash across all services, delete large new files you don't need
Quarterly: Full cleanup using this checklist
Annually: Deep review of old files and major organization

Change Your Habits

Small changes prevent accumulation:

Don't email files to yourself: Use Drive sharing or links instead
Clean as you go: Delete files when projects end
Use Storage saver for photos: Good enough quality for most purposes, smaller size
Download and delete: For files you need to keep but not access often

Consider Upgrading

If you consistently need more than 15GB, Google One plans are relatively affordable:

Plan	Storage	Monthly Cost (US)
Free	15 GB	$0
Basic	100 GB	$1.99
Standard	200 GB	$2.99
Premium	2 TB	$9.99

Before paying, always clean first—you might not need to upgrade.

Connecting Storage to Security and Organization

Storage cleanup overlaps with broader Drive management.

Storage and Security

While cleaning storage, you'll often find security issues:

Old files shared with people who don't need access anymore
"Anyone with link" files you forgot about
Sensitive files that should be restricted

Address these as you find them. For a complete security audit, see The Complete Google Drive Security Audit Checklist.

Storage and Organization

Disorganized Drives have more storage waste:

Duplicates exist because you couldn't find the original
Old files persist because you don't know what's safe to delete
Clutter accumulates because there's no system

Organizing your Drive prevents future storage problems. See How to Finally Organize Your Google Drive for a complete system.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take for deleted files to free up space?

Immediately—if you permanently delete them. Files moved to Trash don't free space until you empty Trash (or wait 30 days for auto-deletion). After emptying Trash, storage updates within a few minutes, though occasionally it can take up to 24 hours to fully reflect.

Do Google Docs count against my storage?

Yes, since June 2021. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides created after June 1, 2021 count against your storage quota. Files created before that date are exempt (grandfathered in), but any edits to old files don't change their exempt status.

What happens if I exceed my storage limit?

You can't upload new files to Drive, send or receive emails with attachments (emails without attachments still work), or back up new photos. Existing files remain accessible—you can view, download, and delete them. You need to free space or upgrade to resume normal use.

Does sharing a file with someone use their storage too?

No. When you share a file, it only uses your storage (as the owner). The person you share with doesn't have their storage affected unless they make a copy of the file to their own Drive.

Can I see exactly what's using my storage?

Go to one.google.com/storage for a breakdown by service (Drive, Gmail, Photos). For detailed file-by-file analysis in Drive, use drive.google.com/settings/storage. For the most comprehensive view including duplicates and hidden data, try a free Overdrive scan.

Is it safe to delete old emails?

Generally yes, but review before bulk deleting. Consider keeping: emails with legal significance (contracts, important correspondence), tax documents for required retention periods (typically 7 years), and anything with sentimental value. When in doubt, download/archive before deleting.

Keep Reading

The Complete Google Drive Security Audit Checklist — Security issues often surface during cleanup
How to Finally Organize Your Google Drive — Organization prevents future storage problems