How to Use Google One to Manage Your Storage

Google gives every account 15GB of free storage shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. Here's how to check what's using it and get more space if needed.

In this guide (4 steps):

1.Check how much storage you are using
2.Free up space in Gmail
3.Free up space in Google Photos
4.Upgrade to Google One if you need more space

Check how much storage you are using

~34s

Go to one.google.com on any browser or open the Google One app on your phone. The main screen shows a colored bar indicating how much of your 15GB is used and which service is using the most. Click or tap "Storage" for a breakdown: Gmail, Drive, and Photos each show their usage separately. This helps you identify where most of your storage is going.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: You can also see your storage status at the bottom of your Gmail inbox on a computer — look for the small text that says "X GB of 15 GB used" near the bottom of the page.

Free up space in Gmail

~32s

Email attachments — especially photos and videos that people have emailed you over the years — are often the biggest storage users. In Gmail, search for large emails with: size:10MB (finds emails over 10MB). Read the email list and delete ones you no longer need, especially those with large attachments. After deleting, empty the Trash folder: in Gmail, click "More" in the left sidebar → "Trash" → "Empty Trash now." Trash counts against your storage until emptied.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Also check your Spam folder — spam emails count against storage. In Gmail, click "Spam" → "Delete all spam messages now."

Free up space in Google Photos

~25s

If you back up photos in "Original quality" they count against your 15GB. Consider switching to "Storage saver" (previously called "High quality") which slightly compresses photos but rarely looks different on a phone screen. In Google Photos: tap your profile picture → "Photos settings" → "Backup" → "Upload size" → switch to "Storage saver." To free existing space, Google Photos can compress already-backed-up originals: at one.google.com → "Free up account storage" → follow prompts.

Upgrade to Google One if you need more space

~30s

If freeing up space doesn't solve the problem, Google One storage plans are reasonably priced: 100GB for $2.99/month, 200GB for $2.99/month, or 2TB for $9.99/month. Go to one.google.com → "Get storage" → choose a plan. You can cancel anytime. The upgraded storage works immediately across Gmail, Drive, and Photos. One Google One subscription can also be shared with up to 5 family members.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: 100GB is enough storage for most people for many years of emails and photos. The $2.99/month plan is the most common starting point.

You Did It!

You've completed: How to Use Google One to Manage Your Storage

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Google gives every Google account 15 gigabytes (GB) of free cloud storage. This storage is shared between three Google services: Gmail (emails and attachments), Google Drive (documents, files, and presentations), and Google Photos (if you back up photos in "Original quality").

When that 15GB fills up, you will stop receiving new emails, Google Photos will stop backing up, and you won't be able to save new files to Google Drive. This is a common frustration — especially for people who have used Gmail for many years and accumulated thousands of emails with large attachments.

Google One is the service that manages this storage and lets you purchase more if needed. Plans start at $2.99/month for 100GB, which is enough for most people for years. This guide shows you how to see what is using your storage and how to free up space without paying.

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