You get the banner: 'Your storage is full', or 'You're out of storage'. You go into Drive, delete a few big folders, come back, and the bar hasn't moved. Or Gmail stops bringing in new mail even though you just cleared out hundreds of messages.
The quick answer: deleting is rarely the same as freeing space. In most cases the files went to a Trash folder that still counts, the big items are somewhere you didn't look, or Google's storage counter simply hasn't caught up yet. Google says each Google Account includes up to 15 GB of storage, shared across Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos, so a full Gmail can be caused by your photos and a full Drive by your email. Newer accounts start smaller: Google says new accounts get 5 GB, with the option to unlock another 10 GB by verifying a valid phone number.
It is worth fixing quickly, because the effects are not limited to Drive. Google's storage help lists what stops once your account reaches its limit:
- Gmail: you can't send or receive emails, and messages sent to you go back to the sender. People emailing you get a bounce, not a delay.
- Drive: you can't upload new files or images.
- Photos: you can't back up any photos and videos.
- Docs, Sheets and similar apps: you can't create new files, and until you reduce your storage usage, nobody can edit or copy your affected files.
- Long term: if you're over your quota for 2 years or longer, your content may be deleted. Google says it will contact you at least 3 months before content is eligible for deletion.
Cause 1: The files are in Trash, and Trash still counts
This is the most common one. Google's help is direct about it: until you permanently clear items in your Trash and Spam folders, they count against your storage limit. Each app has its own Trash, so emptying one does nothing for the others.
Left alone, they do clear themselves eventually. Google says Drive files moved to the Trash are deleted forever after 30 days, deleted Gmail messages stay in Trash for 30 days, and Google Photos keeps deleted photos and videos in its trash for 30 days. If you are full today, though, you don't want to wait a month. Empty all of them now, after checking nothing in there needs keeping:
- Drive: go to drive.google.com, click 'Trash' on the left, then 'Empty trash' at the top right and confirm.
- Gmail: open the 'Trash' folder and click 'Empty Trash now' in the notice at the top. Then open 'Spam' and delete everything there too, because Google counts Spam as well.
- Photos: go to photos.google.com, click the 'Trash' icon, then the 'Empty trash' icon at the top and 'Empty Trash'.
- Remember this is permanent. Google says photos and videos that were permanently deleted can't be restored, and the same goes for emptied Drive and Gmail Trash.
Cause 2: The space hasn't updated yet
If you have emptied every Trash and the number still looks wrong, it may simply be lagging. Google's help says that after you delete multiple files at once, it normally takes up to 48 to 72 hours for its systems to accurately update the storage figure.
So after a big cleanup, give it a couple of days before deleting more in a panic. Google suggests that if your account is still full after 30 minutes, you move on to its advanced cleanup steps, which are the causes below. If Gmail is still refusing mail after you are clearly under the limit, Google's troubleshooting suggests signing out of your Google Account and back in, then sending yourself a test email.
Cause 3: Old email attachments are taking the space
Many people clear out Drive and forget that Gmail shares the same 15 GB. Google counts every Gmail message and attachment, and years of PDFs, photos and video clips add up. Deleting a few hundred small newsletters frees almost nothing; deleting twenty emails with large attachments can free gigabytes.
Google suggests searching Gmail for the big ones. Type any of these into the Gmail search bar:
- has:attachment larger:10M finds emails with attachments over 10 MB.
- filename:.pdf larger:5M finds PDFs over 5 MB.
- older_than:2y has:attachment finds attachments more than two years old.
- Tick the box next to each message you want gone and click the Delete icon at the top. Then empty Gmail's Trash, or the space won't come back.
Cause 4: Google Photos is using more than you think
Photos and videos backed up in original quality count toward your storage. Google says photos and videos backed up in High quality or Express quality before June 1, 2021 do not count, so deleting those old ones frees nothing. That catches people out: they delete a big album from years ago, and the bar doesn't move because those files were never counted.
Recent videos are usually the real weight. Use the Google One storage manager below and pick Photos to see your largest items, and remember to empty the Photos trash afterwards.
Cause 5: Files you own but can't see
Google says only the files you own count toward your Google storage. That cuts both ways. Files other people shared with you, under 'Shared with me', count against their storage, not yours, so deleting them from your view does nothing for your space. But files you own still count against you wherever they sit, including inside someone else's shared folder.
If someone deletes a folder that held files you created, those files become unorganized: Google says they are not deleted but move to My Drive, and they can be hard to find. To list them, type is:unorganized owner:me into the Drive search bar. Other places space hides:
- Your biggest Drive files: in Drive's left-hand menu, click 'Storage'. Google lists your files from largest to smallest.
- Duplicates: switch to list layout and sort by 'Name', then look for files ending in '(1)' or starting with 'Copy of'.
- Copies of shared files: if you used 'Make a copy' on something shared with you, the copy is yours and counts.
- Device backups, including Android and WhatsApp backups: check the 'Backups' section of your Google One storage page.
- Hidden app data: in Google Drive settings, click 'Manage apps' to see apps that store data in your Drive.
The fastest fix: Google One's storage manager
Instead of hunting through three apps, Google One has a storage manager that shows large and deletable items across Gmail, Drive and Photos in one place. On a computer:
- Go to Google One (one.google.com) and click 'Storage'.
- Under 'Get your space back', click 'Free up account storage'.
- Under 'Clean up suggested items' or 'Clean up by service', click a category or service to review.
- Select the files to delete, then click 'Delete' at the top right. For Photos the button is 'Move to trash'.
- Read the consent wording, tick the box, and click 'Permanently delete'.
- On Android, you can reach the same tool by tapping 'Manage storage' in Drive, Photos or Gmail.
Prevent it next time
Once you are back under the limit, a few habits keep you there. Empty Trash after any big cleanup instead of waiting 30 days. Run the has:attachment larger:10M search every few months. Check the 'Storage' list in Drive for anything huge you no longer need. And keep an eye on what your phone is backing up, since backups and original-quality videos grow quietly.
If you need more space than 15 GB, Google sells extra storage through Google One. Google says new storage can take up to 24 hours to become available after you buy a plan.
If the big files are things you sent to people
If most of that space is large files you uploaded just to send to someone, OneSol Send shares files up to 5 GB by link for 3 days, then they're deleted, so nothing sits in your Drive.