Running low on Google Drive storage? Here is how to find and clear out files you no longer need, plus where to keep personal versus department content so your team can always find it.
Instructions
Find what is using your space
The Storage page in Google Drive lists your files largest first and lets you filter by file type, date modified and source. See Checking Your Google Drive Storage Usage for how to open it and use the filters.
Delete what you no longer need
WARNING: Review the contents carefully before you empty your Trash. Once the Trash is emptied, files cannot be recovered. If you are unsure, hold off until you have confirmed everything can be safely removed.
- On the Storage page, hover over a file and click its check box. You can select several at once.
- Click the Trash icon at the top.
- In the left sidebar, click Trash.
- In the banner at the top, click Empty trash, then Delete forever. Files left in the Trash are removed automatically after 30 days.
Deleted files keep counting against your quota until the Trash is emptied, so this last step is the one that actually frees space.
To find files you have not touched in a while, set the Modified filter to Last year or a custom date range.
Move department content to a shared drive
Files that belong to your department rather than to you personally are better kept in a department shared drive, where the whole team can find them and they do not disappear when someone leaves. For help deciding what goes where, see What should I store where?
Moving a file to a shared drive frees that space in your own quota, because the shared drive takes ownership of the file. The content still occupies University of Maine System (UMS) storage, though, and each department shared drive has its own limit. Move what genuinely belongs to the department rather than using a shared drive as overflow.
INFO: Department shared drives are created and managed by faculty and staff. If you are a student and your coursework needs a shared home, contact the department your program is in.
When a department shared drive already exists
- In the left sidebar, click Shared drives.
- Use the search box at the top to look for your department name, for example "English Department – Student Reports".
- Open the three-dot More actions menu to the right of the total members column and click View/Manage members. Confirm you have the role of Contributor or higher so you can add files. If the drive lists only one Manager, let the department head know that two are recommended.
- Click My Drive in the left sidebar, hover over the file you want to move, open the three-dot More actions menu and choose Move to.
- Select Shared drives, pick your department drive, then click Move.
When a department shared drive does not exist
- In the left sidebar, click Shared drives.
- Click + New shared drive at the top.
- Enter a clear name following the pattern Department Name – Purpose, for example "English Department – Student Reports", then click Create.
- With the new drive open, click the drop-down arrow next to its name and choose Manage members.
- In the Add people and groups field, enter two or more department members' email addresses, set each person's role to Manager, then click Send. Having at least two Managers means the drive is never left without an owner.
WARNING: Moving a whole folder into a shared drive only works if you are an Editor or owner of the folder and a Manager of the destination shared drive. Even then, individual items may not move if they are owned by someone outside UMS, are an unsupported file type or have other permission issues. Drive leaves a shortcut in the shared drive for anything it cannot move, and permissions inherited from the previous parent folder are not carried over.
Additional resources
Environment
- Google Workspace (UMS)
- Google Drive