Gmail's free version is pretty generous, unlike other services like iCloud. You get 15 GB of storage in Gmail and Google Drive, which is further than enough for most people. However, many people have been using Gmail for over a decade now, and 15GB can no longer fit such long-term data. Once you hit the 15 GB limit, you will not be suitable to add any further files to Google Drive and finally, you will not be capable to take emails in your Gmail inbox. For those who don't want to pay Google for more space, here are some ways to free up space quickly.
1.) Delete large emails in Gmail
The easiest way to free up space in Gmail is to delete large files. Cloud storage services make it incredibly easy to upload and partake files, so multiple people and businesses transfer large attachments. After a while, you'll wonder where the 15GB went, and why you're tempted to buy more.
For those in that situation, the quickest way to free up space is to target and delete large attachments. The size parameter allows you to delete files of a certain size.
For example, if you type " size:5m " in Gmail's search bar, Gmail will show you all emails that are 5MB or larger. Also, you can access" size 1m" to determine emails larger than 1 MB or" size 20m" to find emails larger than 20 MB. The number before the "m" represents megabytes, so change the number if necessary and search.
2.) Delete old emails in Gmail Like old junk in your closet
Your Gmail inbox might hold treasures that Indiana Jones might unearth. But I don't think all 15-year-old emails are important, so if you want to free up some space, you might want to delete some old emails.
Type"older_than5y" in Gmail's search bar to view emails that took additional more than five years ago. If you change the number in front of the "y", it will show the search results for emails from that number of years ago. Again, you can go through your emails and choose the ones you do not want, and cancel them.
If you have very few emails to delete, you can also create a new Gmail account and forward your old emails there.
3.) Get rid of Gmail clutter in no time
There are types of emails that you read once and never read again. These include newsletters, password change emails, sign-in alerts, bank transaction alerts, and more. Deleting them can free up a lot of space in Gmail.
You can smoothly find emails by entering the sender's email address in the search bar at the top. For example, if you're getting a lot of sign-in alerts from "noreply@google.com," type that address into the search bar and delete all that email.
You can also search by specific sender name. Scan by bank name or newsletter name to find and delete unwanted emails. Of course, you may also have tons of emails in your Gmail spam and trash folders. In such a case, you can immediately free up space by deleting the email.
4.) Free up space in google drive
The quickest way to free up space on Google Drive is to log in on your laptop or desktop. You'll see the largest files in your Google Drive at the top when you open this page. Select it and delete it.
If you want to free up space quickly, you can also click the Trash folder on the left panel and delete all files from it. You can also check your Shared Items folder in Google Drive and delete any large files or folders you don't need. Most people don't need to worry about these files as they take up space only on the owner's drive.
5.) Free space in Google Photos
You can also free up more space in Google Drive by deleting unwanted photos in Google Photos. There is also a detailed guide article on how to manage the capacity of Google Photos.
6.) Last Resort to free up space
If none of that works, you can also create a new Gmail account and have your files stored there. Alternatively, check out our guide to finding free and cheap cloud storage services. If you can't free up enough space right away, you might consider moving your files to a cheaper USB or portable drive so you don't have to pay for cloud services.
That said, Google's paid plans are a great value, and Google Drive is easy to use across various platforms. The convenience of being able to easily access your files from anywhere is worth the money for most people.
Google Drive isn't the cheapest, though, so other services offer even better deals, like OneDrive's 1TB of storage and Microsoft 365 with full Office for $7 a month.
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