Clean Up Your Google Drive: Declutter Personal Files & Organize Department Content

This article shows how to free up space in Google Drive by removing old files and explains where to store personal vs. department-shared content so everyone can find it easily.

Instructions

Open the Storage page

1. Open Google Drive

2. Find “Storage” in the left sidebar — it’s the cloud icon below Trash.

3. Click “Storage.” A new page appears with a storage gauge at the top (e.g. “10GB of 20GB used”) and a list of files sorted by size.

4. Above the file list, you’ll see three drop-down buttons:

   • Type

     1. Choose from Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Forms, Photos & images, PDFs, Videos, Sites, Audio, Drawings, or Archives (zip).

     2. Click Type.

   • Modified

     1. Pick a quick range (Today, Last 7 days, Last 30 days, This year, Last year) or select Custom date range → set After and/or Before dates with the calendar.

   • Source

     1. Click Source.

     2. Filter by Gmail  (attachments) or Meet (recordings).

To change ascending/descending order, click the arrow icon next to Storage used on the right.

Delete Unnecessary Files

1. On the Storage page, hover over a file and click its check box (or select multiple).

2. Click the 🗑️ Trash icon at the top.

3. Empty Trash to permanently reclaim space:

   • In the left sidebar, click Trash (trash-can icon).

   • In the grey banner, click Empty trash, then Delete forever (or wait 30 days for automatic removal).

Find and Handle Old Items

1. Use the Modified filter to set Last year (2024) or a Custom date range (e.g. before Jan 1, 2023).

2. Review results:

   • Keep but Archive: move to an Archive folder in a Shared Drive.

   • Delete: select and trash.

Organize Department Content in Shared Drives

• When a Department Shared Drive Does Not Exist

  1. Open Shared drives

     • In the left sidebar, click Shared drives.

  2. Create a new drive

     1. Click + New shared drive at the top.

     2. Enter a clear name following this pattern:
        Department Name – Purpose
        (e.g. English Department – Student Reports)

     3. Click Create.

  3. Add at least two managers

     1. With the new drive open, click the ▼ arrow next to its name and choose Manage members.

     2. In the “Add people and groups” field, enter two or more department members’ email addresses.

     3. For each person, select Manager from the role dropdown, then click Send.

• When a Department Shared Drive Does Exist

  1. Open Shared drives

     • In the left sidebar, click Shared drives.

  2. Search for your department drive

     • Use the search box at the top to look for your department name (for example, “English Department – Student Reports”).

  3. Verify Shared Drive Role

     • Click the ⋮ three dots to the right of the total members column, then click View/Manage members

     • Confirm you have the role of Contributor or higher to add files to the Shared Drive.

     • (Tip: If the Shared Drive only list one (1) Manager, please inform the department head that it is recommended to have two (2) mangers in the Shared Drive.)

  4. Move files into the Shared Drive

     • Click My Drive in the left sidebar.

     • Hover over the individual file you want to move. Click the three-dot More actions menu and choose Move to.

     • In the dialog, select Shared drives, pick your department drive, then click Move.