When Google decided to stop giving unlimited storage space for Google Photos, many users got really short on free storage space in Google Drive. And, many of them deleted a lot of files to make space for new photos, videos, or other files one usually backs up in Google Drive. However, some of them run into an issue while doing so. It seems that Google Drive storage is not updating after deleting files for some users. It stays unchanged even after the removal of large files. If you are among the affected users, check the steps we listed below.
Table of contents:
How do I refresh Google Drive storage?
1. Check the Trash Bin
The first thing you should do is check the Trash Bin in the Drive and especially Google Photos. Every file you delete from the associated services that take the Drive storage space keeps them for some time (usually 30 days) before they are deleted for good.
So, make sure to navigate to Trash Bin in both Google Drive and Google Photos and empty it. Here’s what you need to do:
- Open Google Drive on your Android. It might be easier to do it on Google Drive for PC since you can easily select a vast number of files.
- Tap on the hamburger menu and select Trash.
- Select all files and tap on the 3-dot menu.
- From the menu, select Delete Forever.
- Confirm and then open the Google Photos app.
- Tap on the Library icon at the bottom and then open Trash.
- Tap on the 3-dot menu and select Empty Trash.
2. Check Archived photos in Google Photos
Besides the Trash Bin, you also should check the Archive in Google Photos. If you don’t want to delete certain photos but don’t want them in the Photos Timeline, you can always archive them. Now, this means that these photos or videos will still take up Google Drive storage space.
So, make sure to navigate to Google Photos > Library > Archive and delete all archived photos and videos you don’t need to make some storage space.
3. Try with the Google Drive web-based client
Finally, you can try using Google Drive on the web to get proper storage readings. Even though you made some storage space, sometimes Google Drive storage is not updating so give this step a try. In addition, we suggest being patient as there might be some server-side bug that shows wrong readings after you make some room for new files.
You can access Google Drive web-based clients on your phone, as well. Just make sure to check the Desktop Site box in the browser options. If there are still files that you deleted, delete them again and check the storage space, again.
If the issue persists, report the problem to Google Support. Thank you for reading and feel free to share your thoughts or suggest alternative solutions in the comments section below.
