Google Storage Full? How to Free Up Space in Gmail, Drive and Photos

What happens when your Google storage is full

• You can't upload new files to Drive or back up new photos.
• Gmail sending and receiving can be affected.
• You can still sign in.

Why is my Google storage full?

Usually it's one of these, roughly in this order:

• Google Photos backup.
• Old email attachments.
• WhatsApp backup on Android.
• Android device backups from phones you no longer use.
• Trash and Spam that haven't been emptied.

Step 1: See what's using your space

Open one.google.com/storage/management on your phone or computer, or go to the Google One app and tap Storage.

Step 2: Clear Gmail fast with search operators

Gmail's search box can find space-hogging emails in seconds. Type any of these into the search bar, select all results and delete.

Step 3: Clear Google Drive

• On a computer, go to drive.google.com/drive/quota.
• Delete old videos, duplicate zips and installers you no longer need.
• Check Backups (in the Drive app menu, or under Storage in Drive on the web).
• Empty the Drive trash.

Step 4: Shrink Google Photos without losing your pictures

• Delete large videos first.
• Switch backup to Storage saver.
• Compress what's already backed up.
• Empty the Photos bin.

Step 5: Trim your WhatsApp backup

Open WhatsApp, go to Settings, Chats, Chat backup. Turn off Include videos if it's on.

Still not enough? Should you pay for Google One?

If you've cleaned up and still need more than 15 GB, a Google One plan is the simple fix.

Beware of "storage full" scam messages

Fraudsters send emails and SMS saying "Your cloud storage is full, your photos will be deleted today" with a link to pay.