Google Photos is an easy way to store and manage your previous photos. The beauty of Google Photos is that you can configure the photos to upload automatically to Photos from your Android device. You can store photos up to 15GB capacity across your Google account. The total disk space of your Google Photos account will accumulate as you continue to upload photos and videos. In this article, we will examine how you can free up storage space on Google Photos.
Conversion of Photos to Storage Saver Quality
Your storage quota on Google Photos is impacted by the original-quality uploads of your photos. To efficiently free up storage space on Google Photos, you can convert these pictures from original quality to storage saver within Google Photos on the web.
The first step is to open the Google Photos website on your computer. You should then select the Settings icon located in the top-right-hand corner near your profile photo. You should select Storage Saver and click on the Manage Storage option. Finally, you should scroll down to Recover storage option and check the box in the pop-up. You should confirm the action by selecting Compress existing photos and videos.
The high-resolution images are scaled down to 16MP, and videos are resized to 1080p if their original resolution exceeds that in storage saver quality. Google also applies minor compression to both pictures and videos, aiming to conserve space without significantly affecting quality. It’s worth noting that closed captions in videos are lost during this conversion.
All media files uploaded in storage saver quality contribute to your Google account’s storage usage, except for pictures and videos uploaded before June 1, 2021. To preserve a full-resolution copy of your existing photos and videos before compressing them for space-saving, you can export them from Google Photos.
Disable Photo Backup for WhatsApp & Instagram
Google Photos offers automatic backup for photos and videos from various folders, including WhatsApp and Instagram, on your device. While this feature can be convenient, it also consumes storage space.
If you find yourself inundated with unnecessary media on WhatsApp or prefer not to have your Instagram content backed up to Google Photos, consider disabling backup for these specific folders. This action will aid in more efficient management of your Google Photos storage.
On Android, navigate to the Google Photos app, tap your profile photo at the top-right corner, and select Photos settings. From there, go to Backup > Back up device folders, and disable the folders for which you want to prevent media backup.
Regrettably, this option is not available on iPhones due to system limitations. As a workaround, open WhatsApp and turn off automatic media downloads to prevent images and media files shared on the platform from syncing with Google Photos.
Deleting Unsupported Videos: Free up storage space on Google Photos
Google Photos facilitates the backup of an extensive range of photo and video formats, encompassing RAW files from specific Canon, Sony, and Nikon cameras, as well as MKV videos and others.
Nevertheless, if you upload videos from various sources, there’s a chance that some of the backed-up media files may not be compatible with the platform. These unsupported files, however, still occupy space in Google Photos, making it advisable to delete them. Eliminating unsupported videos is an effective method to tidy up your Google Photos library and create additional storage space at no cost.
To locate and delete unsupported videos in Google Photos, you should navigate to Google Photos website on your computer. The next step is to select the Settings icon located at the top right corner near your profile photo. On the Settings page, you will view an Unsupported Videos section. Google Photos will provide a list of all incompatible videos. You should select all the files and delete them as per your requirements. The final step is to empty the trash to permanently delete all these files.
Removing Junk Screenshots
If you’ve been backing up your device screenshots to Google Photos, it’s advisable to clean up this collection. Chances are, over time, you’ve amassed numerous unnecessary screenshots that have lost their relevance.
To streamline this process, locate all your uploaded screenshots on Google Photos by conducting a search for “screenshots.” Subsequently, delete any screenshots that are no longer pertinent. Alternatively, you can access Google Photos Settings > Manage storage > Screenshots to review and remove any unwanted screenshots.
Emptying Trash to free up storage space on Google Photos
When you delete a photo or video from Google Photos, it goes to the trash (referred to as the bin in some regions) and remains there for up to 60 days. The trash has a capacity of up to 1.5GB for deleted media during this period.
To promptly recover space in Google Photos, it’s crucial to empty the trash, freeing up a substantial amount of storage. This action is especially significant after deleting unnecessary screenshots, photos, and videos from your Google Photos library.
Resizing Photos Before Uploading
When backing up photos captured with a DSLR to Google Photos, it’s advisable to resize them before uploading. Uploading high-resolution photos, such as those with 30-40MP, can unnecessarily consume significant space in your Google account without providing commensurate benefits.
By resizing these photos to a more practical resolution, say around 20-25MP, you not only considerably reduce their file size but also optimize them for cloud backup. Utilizing tools like Adobe Lightroom allows for bulk resizing, offering an efficient way to save substantial storage space based on your specific needs.
Similarly, when dealing with videos, consider compressing them or utilizing alternative file formats to reduce their size before uploading to Google Photos. This approach can further contribute to efficient storage management.
Google Drive and Gmail File Deletion
Every file or document you store on Google Drive contributes to your overall Google account storage quota. If you’re aiming to maximize space in Google Photos, consider eliminating unnecessary and redundant files from your Google Drive.
Efficient space management can also involve transferring files from your primary Google Drive account to a secondary one without the need for re-uploading. This approach helps save space in the process.
Similarly, Gmail usage impacts your Google account storage. Deleting old emails containing large attachments is a practical method to create additional space in your account. However, before implementing strategies to free up space in your Gmail account, ensure you download your Gmail account data for safekeeping.
Usage of MultCloud
You can also make use of third-party tools like MultCloud, which automatically stores content from your Google Photos account. The app will connect to your Google Photos account and sync all media files to your MultCloud account. However, you should opt for a paid package. As part of the Christmas deal, MultCloud is now available at a massive discount of 70% for unlimited lifetime cloud data traffic. You just need to pay once to use the app for lifetime.
Conclusion
By implementing the provided tips, you can liberate a significant amount of space in Google Photos. This not only enables you to back up more photos and videos but also avoids the need to incur storage costs. However, if these steps do not suffice in freeing up adequate space in Google Photos, you may need to consider opting for a Google One storage plan.
