How to clear Google Photos storage: follow this step-by-step guide

Many smartphone users often face the problem of insufficient storage. High quality photos and videos take up ample space on our phones and emphasize the need for good storage management. In fact, a large number of users often turn to Google Photos to seamlessly organize their media files.

However, there is a persistent problem of running out of storage, mainly due to Google providing limited free space to 15 GB. But don’t be afraid! You still have the option to clear your storage at any time through the Google Photos app, especially when you notice you’re getting low on storage.

Let’s take a look at a step-by-step guide on how to clear storage on the Google Photos app and desktop.

How to clear space on Google Photos app: Android

Step 1: Open the Google Photos app.

Step 2: Sign in to your Google Account.

Step 3: Click on your profile picture or initial at the top.

Step 4: Find and click “Photo Settings”, then “Backup” and finally “Manage Storage”.

Step 5: Select a category under the “Review and delete” option.

Step 6: Click Selection and choose the items you want to delete.

Step 7: Once done, click on the “Move to Trash” or “Delete” option.

How to clear space on Google Photos app: Desktop

Step 1: Open the Storage Management tool on your desktop.

Step 2: Locate the “Review and delete” option and click on any category.

Step 3: Click on any specific category you want to review and clear.

Step 4: Once you’ve made your selection, look for the “Move to Trash” or “Delete” option.

In addition to freeing up space, you can optimize your storage by making specific adjustments to your settings, which may contribute to freeing up valuable storage space.

1. Consider converting your uploaded image via the web to storage saver quality. It downscales high-resolution photos to 16MP and upscales videos to 1080p, with minimal quality loss due to the subtle compression applied by Google. This simple adjustment can quickly free up valuable space without compromising your visual content.
2. 2. You can also choose to disable automatic backup for folders like WhatsApp and Instagram on your device. This way, you can control which content is backed up, helping you manage your storage more efficiently.
3. Although Google Photos can back up a variety of photo and video formats, including RAW files and MKV videos from specific cameras, not all formats may be supported. If you upload videos from different sources, some media files may not be compatible with Google Photos. To free up space, it is recommended to delete all unsupported files that may still be taking up storage in your Google Photos account.