Alex Ruben
How To Expand Your Google Drive Storage for Free
Ever get that nagging “You’re out of storage” message on Google Drive? Yeah, it’s kind of annoying, especially when you don’t wanna dump all your files. Here’s a not-so-polished trick — you can actually free up space by compressing your photos and videos without losing much quality. Sounds weird? It kind of is, but it works if you follow these steps.
Step 1: Head over to Google Photos
First off, open Google Photos. It’s kinda weird how Google pushes your photos there, but it’s actually the main way they manage photo storage.
1. Use Chrome, or whatever browser, just so everything’s smooth.
2. Visit photos.google.com.
3. Sign in with your Google account — the usual email and password.
Step 2: Find out how much space you’re using
Once logged in, you wanna see what’s eating up your storage. If you can’t find the “Storage” option directly, it’s probably under the gear icon or somewhere in your account settings. But for quick checks, clicking on the menu (bottom-left or top-left depending on updates) should show a “Manage Storage” link.
1. Click that.
2. You’ll see a breakdown of files: photos, videos, docs, etc. Yeah, Google’s kinda smart at showing what’s big and nasty.
Less space? Good sign to do some cleanup or compression.
Step 3: Compress your photos and videos — the sneaky way
This is where it gets interesting. Google has a built-in “Recover Storage” option, but it’s not perfectly obvious.
1. Scroll down in Google Photos or in your account’s “Manage Storage” section, and look for “Recover Storage” or “Free up space”. It’s usually a button or link there.
2. When you find it, click “Learn more”.
3. Accept the terms, because of course, Google wants you to agree to their process.
4. Hit “Compress existing photos and videos”.
5. The magic begins — this process reduces file sizes, especially big videos and high-res photos, without turning everything into pixelated mess. On some setups, it fails the first time, then works after a reboot or re-try — because, why not? Not sure why it works, but sometimes I had to do this twice.
Step 4: Keep an eye on the compression progress
The compression runs in the background. No need to pin your hopes on seeing a progress bar that actually updates — on some days, it just shows a spinning wheel forever. Just leave it be and come back later. It might take a couple of hours if you got a boatload of media.
Step 5: Do the same on your phone
If you’re lazy like most people, there’s no reason to sit at a big desktop. Just open Chrome or another browser on your mobile device. Repeat the above steps — find “Recover Storage” and start compressing. The mobile site’s a bit clunkier, but it’s doable.
Smart tip: Sometimes the mobile app can’t handle the compression, so stick to browsers for the job. It’s a bit of a hassle, but hey, it’s free.
Extra tips & common hiccups
Because Google being Google, sometimes you gotta tweak settings.
- Periodically delete duplicates or old files you no longer need. Your trash folder in Drive and Photos isn’t empty by default — gotta go there and clear it manually.
- Change upload quality in Google Photos settings to “High Quality” (or “Storage Saver”). It turns uploads into smaller, compressed versions automatically.
- Use Google Drive’s “Manage Storage” to find huge files or backups you forgot about and delete them. Are local backups still lingering? Kill ’em.
Why it helps, when it applies, and what to expect
This trick’s good if you notice your storage’s getting full but you haven’t lost tons of files. If your photos and videos are big and high-res, compressing them lowers their size without turning them into pixel soup. It’s kind of a hack — Google doesn’t advertise it clearly, but it’s there.
If you see the “Recover Storage” button and your files are taking up too much space, giving this a shot might buy some time before upgrading or deleting. Expect the process to take a bit depending on your total media volume, often a few hours. Smaller libraries might finish faster. Sometimes, a reboot of your device helps if it stalls.
FAQs
Can I restore compressed photos back to original quality?
Nope, once you compress and hit apply, it’s pretty much final. Google’s not giving you the original quality back — so back up if these are precious.
What if I still run out of space after compression?
Then it’s cleanup time. Delete some old stuff, or shell out for a bigger plan. Google’s storage plans aren’t terrible — you can jump to 200 GB or more easily if needed.
Is the compression reversible?
Absolutely not. Think of it like resizing an image — once you do it, you can’t un-resize it. So, make sure your originals are saved somewhere else if they matter.
Summary
- Head over to Google Photos or Google Drive’s storage menu.
- Look for “Recover Storage” or “Compress Files”.
- Let the process run — might take a while.
- Regular cleanup helps keep space in check.
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. It’s not perfect, but hey, it’s free and kinda effective if you’re tight on space and don’t wanna upgrade right now.