Running out of storage in Google Photos can be frustrating — especially when backup stops working, and you can’t upload new photos or videos. Since Google Photos shares storage with Gmail and Google Drive, it fills up faster than many users expect.

The good news? You can quickly free up space by removing unnecessary files, compressing uploads, managing large videos, and cleaning up storage across your Google account.

In this detailed guide, you’ll learn:

• How Google Photos storage works

• How to use the “Free up space” feature

• How to delete large photos and videos

• How to empty trash properly

• How to compress photos to save storage

• How to clean up Gmail and Drive

• How to prevent storage from filling again

Let’s start.

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How Google Photos Storage Works

Google Photos uses the same storage as:

• Google Drive

• Gmail

All three services share one storage limit in your Google account.

Storage is consumed by:

• Photos

• Videos

• Emails (including attachments)

• Files in Google Drive

• Items in Trash

If storage becomes full:

• Photo backup stops

• Gmail cannot send or receive emails

• Drive stops syncing

So cleaning storage is important.

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Method 1: Use “Free Up Space” in Google Photos (Mobile)

This is the easiest and fastest method.

This option removes photos from your device that are already safely backed up to Google Photos.

On Android or iPhone:

1. Open Google Photos

2. Tap your profile picture (top right)

3. Tap Free up space

4. Confirm deletion

Google will remove local copies from your phone while keeping them safely stored in the cloud.

This can free several gigabytes instantly.

Important:
This only removes photos from your phone, not from GoogleCloud Storagee.

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Method 2: Delete Large Photos and Videos from Google Photos

Videos usually take up the most space.

Step 1: Open Google Photos

Go to:
photos.google.com (on computer)
Or open the app on mobile.

Step 2: Go to Storage Management

1. Tap profile picture

2. Tap Manage storage

You’ll see categories like:

• Large photos & videos

• Blurry photos

• Screenshots

• Other apps

Step 3: Delete Unnecessary Files

Select unwanted items and tap Delete.

This frees cloud storage.

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Important: Empty the Trash

Deleting photos is not enough.

When you delete something, it moves to Trash and still uses storage for 30–60 days.

To permanently delete:

1. Go to Trash

2. Tap Empty Trash

3. Confirm

Now storage is actually freed.

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Method 3: Convert Photos to Storage Saver Quality

If you uploaded photos in Original Quality, they consume more space.

You can compress them.

On Desktop:

1. Go to photos.google.com

2. Click Settings (gear icon)

3. Select Storage Saver

4. Choose the option to recover storage

Google will compress existing photos and reduce their size.

This can free a large amount of space.

Note:
Compression slightly reduces quality but is usually not noticeable.

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Method 4: Delete Screenshots and Unnecessary Images

Screenshots often take up space unnecessarily.

Steps:

1. Go to Manage storage

2. Open the screenshots section

3. Select unwanted images

4. Delete

You can also delete:

• Blurry photos

• Duplicate images

• Social media downloads

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Method 5: Clean Up Gmail Storage

Since Gmail shares storage, large email attachments consume space.

Steps:

1. Open Gmail

2. Search:
   has: attachment larger:10MB

3. Delete unnecessary emails

4. Empty Gmail Trash

This frees shared storage.

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Method 6: Clean Up Google Drive

Google Drive files also consume storage.

Steps:

1. Open drive.google.com

2. Click Storage (left panel)

3. Sort by file size

4. Delete large unwanted files

5. Empty Trash

No,w space is freed across your account.

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Method 7: Delete Backed-Up Videos

Videos takup e much more space than photos.

Check:

• WhatsApp videos

• Screen recordings

• Downloaded movies

Deleting large videos can instantly free several gigabytes.

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How to Check Your Storage Usage

To see what’s using your space:

1. Open Google Photos

2. Tap profile picture

3. Tap Manage storage

Or visit:

one.google.com/storage

You’ll see a breakdown of:

• Photos

• Gmail

• Drive

This helps identify the problem.

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How to Prevent Storage from Filling Again

Here are smart tips:

• Use Storage Saver instead of Original Quality

• Delete blurry photos regularly

• Remove duplicate images

• Don’t back up unnecessary folders

• Clean Trash frequently

• Disable video backup if not needed

On Android, you can control which folders are backed up:

Photos → Settings → Backup → Back up device folders

Turn off unnecessary folders like:

• Memes

• WhatsApp forward images

• Downloads

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How to Stop Backing Up Large Videos

If you record many large videos:

1. Open Photos

2. Go to Settings

3. Adjust backup preferences

You can also manually delete large videos after uploading elsewhere.

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Should You Upgrade Storage Instead?

If you don’t want to delete anything, you can upgrade your storage plan through Google One.

Benefits include:

• More cloud storage

• Family sharing

• Extra support

But freeing space manually saves money.

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Common Problems and Fixes

Storage Still Full After Deleting

Fix:

• Empty Trash in Photos

• Empty Trash in Drive

• Empty Trash in Gmail

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Backup Not Working

Fix:

• Check available storage

• Free space

• Restart app

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Deleted Photos Still Showing

Fix:

• Clear app cache

• Sync account

• Wait a few minutes

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Is Deleting Photos Safe?

If photos are backed up, deleting them from your device is safe.

However:

Deleting from the Google Photos cloud removes them everywhere.

So double-check before deleting important memories.

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Quick Summary

To free up space in Google Photos:

1. Use Free up space (removes phone copies)

2. Delete large photos and videos

3. Empty Trash

4. Convert to Storage Saver

5. Clean Gmail attachments

6. Clean Google Drive files

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Final Thoughts

Freeing up space in Google Photos doesn’t have to be complicated. With just a few simple steps — deleting large videos, emptying Trash, compressing photos, and cleaning Gmail/Drive — you can quickly recover storage and resume backup.

If your storage keeps filling up, make it a habit to review your files monthly.

Your photos are precious — manage them smartly, and your Google storage will stay under control.