5 Ways to Increase Google Storage for Free Without Upgrading

Increasing Google storage for free is a game-changer for anyone who's running low on space. Did you know that Google offers 15 GB of free storage to every user? This is a great starting point, but sometimes it's just not enough.

To start, let's look at the basics. If you have a Google account, you likely have a Google Drive account as well. Google Drive allows you to store files and documents in the cloud, but it also counts towards your overall storage limit.

One way to free up space is by deleting unused files and documents from Google Drive. This is a simple yet effective way to increase your available storage.

Discover more: Google Account Storage Full

You can free up a substantial amount of space in Google Photos by converting your original quality photos and videos to storage saver quality, which compresses images down to 16MP and videos to 1080p.

To convert your photos and videos, go to the Google Photos website and click the Settings icon in the top-right corner near your profile photo, then select Storage saver and click the Manage storage option.

A fresh viewpoint: Google Photos Convert Original to Storage Saver

All media files you upload in storage saver quality will count against your Google account's storage quota, but you can export your existing photos and videos from Google Photos in full resolution before compressing them.

You can also free up space in Google Photos by deleting junk and other unnecessary files from Google Drive, as any file or document that you back up to Google Drive also counts against your Google account storage quota.

To delete files from Google Drive, open the Google Drive Storage page and sort Google Drive files by size to quickly see which files are using the most storage.

You can also transfer files from your primary Google Drive account to a secondary account without re-uploading them and save space in the process.

To free up space in Gmail, use the Gmail search operator "has:attachment" to view all emails that have attachments, then delete old emails with large attachments to free up space in your Google account.

You can also use the Gmail search operator "has:attachment larger:10M" to view all emails that have attachments 10MB in size and larger, then delete those emails to free up space.

Broaden your view: Google Storage Quota

By deleting unnecessary files and compressing your photos and videos, you can free up space in Google Photos and Google Drive, giving you more free space in your Google account.

Here are some steps to help you free up space in Google Drive:

By following these steps, you can free up space in Google Drive and get more free space in your Google account.

Here's a summary of the steps to free up space in Google Drive:

Using Google services efficiently is key to maximizing your storage space. You might be surprised at how quickly the 15GB of shared space fills up, especially if you have a large Gmail inbox.

To optimize your storage, consider the fact that the 15GB is shared among Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. This means all your emails and files are competing for space.

By being mindful of this, you can take steps to free up space and get extra storage for free.

On a similar theme: Google Photos Storage Space

You can get extra storage in Google Drive for free by using multiple accounts. The initial 15GB of storage is shared among Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos, so it can run out quickly.

Registering multiple Google accounts can increase your Google Drive space for free. This is because each account comes with its own 15GB of storage.

A professional cloud service like CBackup can help you combine multiple Google Drive accounts into one, giving you a huge backup space above 15 GB. The more free Google Drive accounts you have, the bigger backup space you will get.

To use CBackup, you need to download the software, create a new account, and sign in to the desktop app. Then, you can follow the on-screen guide to allow CBackup to access your Google cloud storage files.

By combining multiple Google Drive accounts, you can get unlimited Google Drive storage for free as long as you add enough Google Drive accounts or other clouds. This means you won't need to buy more Gmail storage at any cost.

For another approach, see: Google Online Storage Backup

If you're an educational institution, you're in luck because Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals offers a generous amount of storage space.

You can access this feature if you're a K-12 organization anywhere in the world, a higher education facility around the world, or a homeschool co-op in the United States.

However, education-related organizations like school fraternities, sports teams, and churches don't qualify.

If you're a homeschool co-op in the US, you'll need to read about and apply for a different type of account.

Education Fundamentals comes with a whopping 100 TB of pooled storage, which is a total shared amount that everyone with an account can use.

Individual accounts can have limits attached to them by the administrator, but the organization as a whole gets this massive amount of storage.

To access Education Fundamentals, you'll need to make a one-time payment, and then it's free for life after that.

Here's a breakdown of the types of educational institutions that qualify for Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals:

To manage your files and free up space in your Google Drive, start by auditing your files with Filerev. This tool helps you identify old, duplicated, unnecessary, or hidden files that are taking up space. You can also use Filerev to compress images in Google Photos.

Identify hidden files and data that are taking up your storage space, and remove them. You can also clear saved app data from Android apps that utilize Google Drive to store data. In Gmail, remove emails with unnecessarily large attachments, spam emails, and newsletters to free up space.

Here are some steps to follow to manage your files:

Google One is a subscription service that simplifies your cloud storage needs. Everyone who creates a Google account receives 15GB of storage free of charge.

You can add an extra 2GB of storage to your account if you complete Google's recommended security steps, bringing your total allocation of free cloud storage to 17GB. This extra storage can be a lifesaver if you're running low on space.

Recommended read: What Is Azure Storage Account

Your Google One storage allocation includes three Google services: Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. These services are shared across your account, so you don't need to worry about managing separate storage limits for each one.

To give you an idea of how much storage you're using, let's take a look at the breakdown:

As I learned from my own experience, it's not uncommon for your storage to fill up over time. If you're running low on space, Google will send you a warning email advising you to either purchase more storage or delete files to free up space.

Converting your photos to storage saver quality is a great way to free up space in Google Photos. This can be done from the Google Photos website on your computer.

To convert your photos, open the Google Photos website and click the Settings icon in the top-right corner near your profile photo. Make sure Storage saver is selected and click the Manage storage option.

Scroll down to Recover storage and click Learn more. Check the box in the pop-up and confirm your action by clicking Compress existing photos and videos.

In storage saver quality, high-resolution pictures are downscaled to 16MP, and videos are resized to 1080p if they are of higher resolution.

Storing documents in Google's own file formats like Docs, Sheets, and Slides is a great way to free up space in your Google Drive account.

Google gives free unlimited storage for these formats, making it a no-brainer to switch to them if you want to increase your Google Drive space for free.

You can upload files in their original format without having to convert them, which is a convenient feature of Google Drive.

But by using Google's own file formats, you can take advantage of the free unlimited storage and keep your files organized and easily accessible.

This is a simple yet effective way to manage your files and free up space in your Google Drive account.

Discover more: How to Upload File to Google Cloud Storage Using Reactjs

You can increase your Google Drive storage for free by waiting for opportunities. Google has been known to give away free storage space on big occasions, such as in 2016 when they offered 2GB of additional space to users who improved the security of their Google accounts.

Google occasionally runs promotions that can give you more free storage.