Maximizing Storage on Google Photos: A Step-by-Step Guide

Google Photos offers unlimited storage for photos and videos up to 16 megapixels and 1080p resolution, respectively.

To take advantage of this feature, ensure your photos and videos meet these size requirements.

The free storage space provided by Google Photos is a great perk, but it's essential to know how to maximize it.

By understanding the storage limits and using the right tools, you can make the most of your Google Photos account.

You can free up a substantial amount of space in Google Photos by following these tips. This will allow you to back up more photos and videos without having to pay for storage.

One of the most effective ways to free up space is by using the "Free up space" tool in Google Photos. This tool automatically removes any local file that has a safely backed-up copy in the cloud.

To use "Free up space", head to the Library tab in the Google Photos app, tap Utilities at the top, and then tap Free up space. From there, hit Free up… to delete local copies of photos.

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The deletion process can take as little as three seconds or ten minutes, depending on how much is being deleted.

If you back up your device screenshots to Google Photos, it's a good idea to delete these as well. You can easily find all the screenshots you've uploaded to Google Photos by searching for "screenshots."

To review and delete all unwanted screenshots, navigate to Google Photos Settings > Manage storage > Screenshots.

Uploading high-resolution photos can quickly fill up your Google account space.

Resizing photos before uploading is a great way to save space, especially if you're working with DSLR photos. Uploading 30-40MP resolution photos will take up a lot of space in your Google account.

You can reduce the file size of your photos by resizing them to around 20-25MP in Adobe Lightroom. This can save you a substantial amount of space.

Compressing a video before uploading can also reduce its file size. Using a different file format can potentially reduce the file size even further.

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You can quickly free up space in Google Photos by converting all the uploaded pictures from original quality to storage saver. This can be done from Google Photos on the web.

To do this, open the Google Photos website on your computer, click the Settings icon in the top-right corner near your profile photo, and select Storage saver. Then, click the Manage storage option, scroll down to Recover storage, and click Learn more.

Checking the box in the pop-up and confirming your action by clicking Compress existing photos and videos will compress all your existing photos and videos to save space. This will downscale high-resolution pictures to 16MP, resize videos to 1080p if they are of higher resolution, and apply slight compression to all the pictures and videos.

Note that closed captions in videos are lost during this process, and you can export your existing photos and videos from Google Photos in full resolution, so you have a copy before compressing them in your account to save space.

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Converting your photos to storage saver quality is a great way to free up space in Google Photos. This process downscales high-resolution pictures to 16MP and videos to 1080p.

To do this, you'll need to open the Google Photos website on your computer 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.

Note that closed captions in videos are lost during this process, but you're unlikely to notice a loss in quality due to the slight compression applied by Google.

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If you're a Google Pixel smartphone user, you're in luck. You'll be able to continue uploading high-quality photos to your account without it counting toward the cloud storage space.

This exception is a great perk for Pixel phone owners, who will get to enjoy the benefits of uploading high-quality photos without taking up valuable storage space.

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You can upgrade your Google Photos storage plan to free up space and back up more photos and videos. The free storage plan on Google Photos comes with 15 GB of space, but if you need more, you can buy it.

You can choose a different storage plan on your PC, Mac, or mobile device by following these steps: Make sure you're signed in to your Google Account, choose a different storage plan, and you're good to go.

There are also other ways to buy storage, such as through the Google One app or the Google Drive app.

The price for extra storage starts at $1.99 / £1.99 / AU$1.99 per month for 100 GB of space.

Here are the Google Photos storage plans:

You can also free up space in Google Photos by following some simple tips, but if you're unable to do so, you may need to pay for a Google One storage plan.

Google Photos is a fantastic way to store and manage your photos, but it's essential to understand your storage options.

Google Photos offers a range of storage plans to suit different needs.

You can upgrade your Google Photos storage plan in several ways, including upgrading to a paid plan or using the Google One storage upgrade.

To squeeze more into your Google Photos storage, consider compressing your photos using the High-Quality setting, which reduces file size without sacrificing much quality.

If you're looking for a tip to expand your storage space without upgrading your account, try using the Google Photos "Select all" feature to delete duplicate or unwanted photos.

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