In June 2021, Google ended its policy of offering unlimited free storage for “High Quality” photos. Today, every photo and video you back up to Google Photos counts against your shared 15GB Google Account storage limit (which is also shared with Gmail and Google Drive). Because modern smartphones shoot massive 4K videos and high-resolution images, hitting that 15GB ceiling happens faster than most people expect.
When your storage is full, you cannot back up new photos, and you will even stop receiving emails in Gmail. While you can always pay Google a monthly fee for a Google One subscription to get more space, you should first use the built-in Storage Manager to clean up your account.
How to Access the Google Photos Storage Manager
The Storage Manager is a highly effective tool that automatically identifies large files, blurry photos, and unnecessary screenshots, making it incredibly easy to delete gigabytes of junk in just a few minutes.
- Open the Google Photos app on your iPhone or Android device.
- Tap your Profile Picture in the top right corner of the screen.
- A menu will appear showing a progress bar of your current account storage. Tap on Account storage (or “Free up space”).
- You are now in the Storage Manager. At the top, Google will estimate exactly how many months or years of storage you have left based on your current backup habits.
Using the Review and Delete Categories
Scroll down to the “Review and delete” section. Here, Google’s AI has already categorized the media taking up the most space. You should go through these categories one by one.
1. Large Photos and Videos
This is where you will reclaim the most space. Tap on Large photos and videos. The app will display all your media sorted strictly by file size, with the largest items at the top. You will likely find long, forgotten videos of concerts or old school projects. Select the items you no longer need and tap the trash can icon. Deleting just three or four 4K videos can instantly free up several gigabytes of space.
2. Blurry Photos
Google’s AI is remarkably good at identifying out-of-focus shots. Tap this category to see all the photos where someone blinked, the camera shook, or the lighting failed. Since you are unlikely to ever print or share these photos, you can confidently select all of them and delete them in one go.
3. Screenshots
Most of us take screenshots of recipes, funny memes, or receipts intending to keep them for a few days, only to have them sit in our cloud storage for years. Tap the Screenshots category, review them quickly, and delete anything that is no longer relevant.
Empty the Trash to Actually Reclaim Space
This is the most critical and often overlooked step. When you delete items from Google Photos, they are not immediately removed from your Google Account. Instead, they are moved to the Trash bin, where they continue to take up your storage quota for 60 days before being permanently deleted.
To free up the space immediately:
- Go back to the main Library tab at the bottom right of the Google Photos app.
- Tap on Trash at the top of the screen.
- Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner.
- Select Empty trash and confirm your choice.
Conclusion
Before you commit to a recurring monthly subscription for more cloud storage, spend 15 minutes navigating the Google Photos Storage Manager. By regularly purging large videos and unnecessary screenshots, you can comfortably live within Google’s free 15GB limit for years.