Is your smartphone's storage full because of Google Photos and looking for a way to free up memory safely and for free? For years, Google Photos users have enjoyed unlimited storage, but currently, free space is limited and official options involve paid subscriptions. In this article, we explain. The most effective and comprehensive methods to free up memory in Google Photos and your phone without losing your memories.Discover little-known tricks, expert tips, and a review of all the features that will help you make the most of your storage, both in Google Photos and other services associated with your Google account.
Why is Google Photos filling up your storage? Understanding the problem
Google Photos, along with Google Drive and Gmail, share a single storage quota. This means that, in addition to photos and videos, documents and emails can also fill up your available space. When you reach the limit, you will not only have problems backing up photos or videos, but even receiving emails in Gmail.It's essential to learn how to manage this space efficiently to avoid setbacks and continue taking advantage of Google's free services.
The main problem is that Google Photos uploads by default a copy of all your photos and videos in the chosen quality. This can quickly fill up the free 15GB that Google offers. The apparent solution that Google offers is to expand your space by paying for Google One, but there are other free methods and advanced tricks that we will show you to Free up space on WhatsApp and other services and keep your information safe.
Essential Method: Free up memory in Google Photos from your mobile
One of the most effective and fastest tricks is to use the built-in function "Free up space on this device" from the Google Photos app. By doing so, you delete photos and videos that have already been backed up to the cloud from your phone, freeing up physical storage on your smartphone. Please note that this process does not delete the files from Google Photos, it only removes them from your phone's internal memory..
- Open the Google Photos app on your Android or iPhone.
- Tap your profile photo in the top right corner.
- Select option "Free up space on this device". It will show you the GB/MB you can free up.
- Confirm the action and wait a few minutes until the process completes.
Advantages of this method:
- Your backed up photos and videos will still be accessible from Google Photos (in the cloud).
- You can continue to access them from any device where you sign in with your Google account.
Be careful: You won't be able to delete just a specific portion; the process deletes all backed-up files on the device. If you have files you DON'T want to delete from your phone, check before accepting the process.
Manage copy quality: Compress photos and videos to save space
By default, Google Photos allows you to select the backup quality between Original quality (without compression) and storage savings (formerly "high quality"). The actual difference is minimal for most users, but the space saving is significant.
- Go to the Google Photos settings (app or website).
- Access the section Backups and look for the section Backup quality.
- Change to storage savings.
- You can convert your old files from the web, in the storage section, by selecting Convert photos and videos to storage-saving quality.
What happens when using this feature?
- New photos and videos will be compressed automatically., taking up less space without losing any visual quality.
- Your old copies will be adapted to the new quality, freeing up additional space after the compression process.
- The process may take several hours depending on the number of files stored.
Additional benefits: You can upload thousands of photos and videos while maintaining more than enough quality for personal use, social media, or standard printing.
Use Google Photos Storage Manager to clean up space intelligently
Google Photos integrates a very useful management tool to analyze and automatically delete unnecessary files which often take up a lot of space and provide little value. These elements include:
- Blurry or out of focus photos.
- Unnecessary screenshots.
- Large videos.
- Scanned documents, receipts, etc.
- Open Google Photos from the web or app.
- Go to settings and look for the section "Manage storage" o Storage Manager.
- Select the suggested categories and decide which files you want to permanently delete to save space.
Important: Deleted photos first go to the trash, where they remain for up to 60 days, in case you need to recover them later.
Manage Drive and Gmail storage: More space for Google Photos
The space in your Google account is divided between Google Photos, Gmail, and Google Drive. Therefore, Freeing up space in Drive and Gmail allows you to gain more available space for your photos and videos.It is a very effective and often forgotten strategy.
Guidelines to free up space in Gmail:
- Use the search filters «larger:10M» o «larger:20M» to find emails with larger attachments.
- Review old emails, newsletters, and promotions you no longer need and delete them.
- Remember to empty the trash to free up space permanently.
Guidelines for freeing up space on Google Drive:
- Delete documents, videos, and large files you no longer need.
- Download and save important files locally, or move them to another cloud service if you still need them.
- Remove duplicates and check your shared files folder (many take up space and you never open them again).
Migrate large videos to other services such as YouTube or alternative storage platforms
Did you know Videos take up much more space than photosIf you have recordings saved in Google Photos but don't want to lose them, there are options like upload personal videos to your private YouTube channel.
- Download videos from Google Photos.
- Log in to your YouTube account and set your videos to "private" so only you have access.
- Delete original videos from Google Photos to free up space.
Transfer photos and documents to other cloud storage platforms for free
Another practical and free solution is transfer your photos, videos, and documents to other cloud storage platformsThis way, you can download files from Google Photos and upload them to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or even take advantage of free storage on alternative services like Telegram.
Steps to transfer files from Google Photos to Google Drive or Dropbox:
- Select the photos and videos you want to transfer to Google Photos.
- Download them to your computer or mobile device.
- Access your other cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) and upload the downloaded files to a specific folder.
- Confirm that everything has been uploaded correctly and, if you have a backup, delete the files in Google Photos.
For Telegram, simply send photos and videos to yourself in "Saved Messages." The app has no storage limits and works on any device.
Advantages of transferring files:
- You optimize the available space in Google Photos without deleting anything really important.
- You can take advantage of free quotas from other messaging services or apps as additional storage.
- You organize your digital assets across multiple platforms, facilitating security and access from anywhere.
Turn on smart backup and sync to avoid losing files
It is vital Keep Google Photos backup and sync active at all times, to ensure all your content is secure before deleting anything from your device. This way, any changes you make will only apply to files that have already been backed up, and you'll never accidentally lose an important photo.
- From your Google Photos settings, go to “Backup & sync.”
- Make sure the switch is on.
- You can choose whether to also include videos and select specific folders.
Recover accidentally deleted photos: How to restore from the Google Photos trash
If you accidentally delete photos or videos, Google Photos keeps them in the trash for up to 60 days. To restore them:
- Open the Google Photos app or website.
- Enter the folder Trash from the side or bottom menu.
- Select the photos and videos you want to recover.
- Press on Restore. The files will return to the main gallery.
Important tips:
- If more than 60 days have passed, the files are permanently deleted.
- On devices with older versions of Android, the retention period may vary.
- To avoid permanent losses, check your trash periodically.
Keep your space optimized: Essential tips and habits
- Use the Google Photos free-up space feature periodically, especially after major events or trips.
- Compress old files whenever you can.
- Make sure your essential photos and videos are safe in your backup before deleting anything locally..
- Clean up your blurry photos, memes, useless screenshots, and scanned documents monthly. to prevent them from taking up unnecessary space.
- Remember that you can combine several techniques to maximize the available space without losing memories..
By implementing these methods and tips, you'll be able to enjoy much more space on your phone and in Google Photos, without sacrificing your memories or being forced to pay for premium plans.
