How much free Google Drive storage you get - and tips to free up more storage space
- Google Drive offers 15 gigabytes of storage for free.
- You can free up more Google Drive storage by deleting large files like photos and videos.
- If you need additional storage space, Google One is a paid service that adds storage capacity.
Google Drive is a great tool for cloud storage that allows users to backup files and easily share content and collaborate.
But if you have too many files in your Google Drive, you might run out of storage.
Here's how much free storage you get, tips to clear out storage space, and how to upgrade if you need more.
How much free Google Drive storage is available
Google Drive allows users to store up to 15GB of files for free, which is fairly generous by industry standards. In fact, 15GB will last most people quite a while, especially if you just use Gmail or Google Docs.
Note: As of June 2021, photos, videos, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Boards, and Jamboard files will count towards the 15GB limit; previously, these files were exempt.
However, if you are uploading large numbers of pictures, videos, or other large files, you might need to clear out space or buy more storage.
Tips to save Google Drive storage
- Clean out space. Review files stored on your Google Drive account and remove any that you don't need and can safely delete. To display your Google Drive contents sorted by file size from largest to smallest, go to drive.google.com/#quota.
- Delete photos and videos. Delete unwanted photos from photos.google.com and videos from Google Drive. Videos tend to take up a lot of space and are most likely among the largest consumers of your space quota.
- Get rid of email attachments. If you have a Gmail address, permanently delete emails with large attachments. You may wish to back them up locally to your computer before doing so.
- Clear trash. Wipe your Google Drive trash to permanently delete files you previously removed.
- Check for duplicates. Look for duplicate files in your Google Drive and remove them.
Upgrade to Google One for more storage
Google One is a paid service from Google that, among other features, adds additional storage capacity to your Google Drive account.
It comes in three different tiered options:
- Basic. 100GB of storage space, plus the option to add up to five family members to your plan who can also benefit from the space.
- Standard. 200GB of storage space, plus the benefits of Basic and 3% back in store credit on Google Store purchases.
- Premium. 2TB of storage space, plus the benefits of Basic and 10% back in store credit on Google Store purchases.
Quick tip: Google One can also offer benefits like Google Play credits, special hotel pricing, VPN access, and more. Read our Google One guide to learn more.
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