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Google Drive stores data from all your Google accounts. Reaching the 15GB free storage space limit is easy, especially if you share large files. If you’re looking to free up much-needed space, deleting files from Google Drive might be the way to go. It’s definitely better than buying extra storage space.
Here we will see how to access Google Drive and delete files from the cloud storage service. To recover storage space immediately, you’ll also learn how to permanently delete files from Drive.
How to delete files from Google Drive on an iPhone
Files are deleted from Google Drive by moving them to the trash. These files are stored here for 30 days by default before being permanently removed from the platform. If you want your documents to disappear immediately and forever, you will also need to empty the Trash folder. Let’s see how to delete files from Google Drive on an iPhone.
- Open the Google Drive app on your phone.
- Scroll to the file you want to delete and press the three dot menu next to it.
- Click “Delete” to delete the file.
- If you want to get rid of more than one item, long-press the first file and then continue tapping the remaining items.
- Tap the trash icon at the top of the page and tap “Move to Trash.”
You will now have deleted your unwanted files from Google Drive. To permanently remove them from the platform, you must empty your trash folder. This is how to achieve it.
- Go to Google Drive and click on the three horizontal lines menu in the top left corner.
- Select “Trash” to see all your deleted files.
- Tap the three-dot menu next to the file and press “Delete forever.”
If you want to delete all files from the trash simultaneously:
- Navigate to the top right corner of Google Drive and click “Trash.”
- Select the three dot menu at the top right and tap “Empty Trash.”
All your files will now be permanently deleted from Google Drive.
How to delete files from Google Drive on Android
To free up Google Drive storage space from your Android smartphone, you can delete files using the described method. Remember that you will also need to empty your Trash folder to permanently delete unwanted content. Documents sent to the Trash are stored there for an additional 30 days before being deleted from Drive.
- Launch Google Drive and go to “Files” at the bottom of the screen.
- Select the item you want to delete from the list of files displayed.
- Tap the three-dot menu next to the document and click “Delete.”
Your file has now been sent to the trash folder. You’ll notice that although the file was deleted from Drive, no additional storage space was created. This is because the file still exists in the trash folder. To get rid of it permanently, here’s what you need to do.
- Open Google Drive and go to the three horizontal lines menu in the upper left corner.
- Tap “Trash” to view all the files in your Trash folder.
- Scroll to the file you want to delete and click the three-dot menu next to it.
- Press “Delete forever” and confirm your action when prompted.
You have now permanently deleted the file from Google Drive. If you want to empty your Trash folder completely, the steps below will tell you how to do it.
- Head to the Google Drive app.
- In the upper right corner, click “Trash.”
- Select the three dot menu at the top right and tap “Remove from Trash.”
Your Google Drive trash folder is now empty.
How to delete files from Google Drive on an iPad
By following the process below, you will be able to delete files from Google Drive. Because files sent to the trash are stored there for 30 days, you will also learn how to delete the trash folder.
- On your phone, launch the Google Drive app.
- Select the three dot menu next to the file you want to delete.
- Click “Delete” to get rid of the file.
- To delete more than one item, tap and hold the first file and continue tapping the remaining items.
- Tap the trash icon at the top of the page and tap “Move to Trash.”
Your deleted files will now be in the trash folder. To permanently remove them from the platform, you must delete them from the trash folder.
- In Google Drive, click the three-dot menu in the top left corner.
- Scroll to “Trash” to see all your deleted files.
- Press the three dot menu next to the file and press “Delete forever.”
If you want to delete all documents from the trash simultaneously:
- Open Google Drive and navigate to the top right corner.
- Click the “Trash” icon.
- At the top right, tap “Empty Trash.”
All your content will now be permanently deleted from Google Drive.
How to delete files from Google Drive on a Chromebook
Google Chromebook has limited storage space. Therefore, many files are saved directly to cloud services such as Google Drive. If you want to delete documents from Google Drive, you can access the folder where you saved them on your Chromebook. See how to do it here.
- Sign in to your Chromebook and click the small white button in the bottom left corner.
- Show your apps by tapping the up arrow.
- Select “Files” and navigate to the file you want to delete.
- Right-click on it and then press “Delete” from the drop-down menu provided.
Your file will now be permanently deleted from your Google Drive folder on Chromebook.
How to Delete Files from Google Drive on Windows or Mac PC
You could also save documents from your computer to Google Drive. Whether you’re using your Windows PC or a Mac device, here’s what you need to do to delete files from Google Drive.
- Visit the Google Drive website and log in to your account.
- Choose the folder you want to delete.
- If you want to delete more than one folder, press Ctrl + Command while making your selection.
- Navigate to the trash icon in the top right corner and click on it.
- The files will now be moved to the trash folder.
To permanently remove them from the trash section, you can empty the folder.
- From the Google Drive website, navigate to the three dot menu.
- Go to “Trash” and then open “My Drive Trash.”
- In the upper right corner, click “Empty Trash” to permanently delete everything in the folder.
You have now permanently deleted files from Google Drive.
Clean up your Google Drive storage
Doing a little Google Drive cleaning is a necessary part of staying organized. We often forget to get rid of files that are no longer valuable to us. Keeping all these unwanted documents stored in our cloud service takes up space unnecessarily. These files also create clutter, making it difficult to find the documents we are looking for. Deleting files from Google Drive is something you can accomplish quickly no matter what device you are using.
Do you usually store documents in Google Drive? What methods do you use to remove them from the platform? Let us know in the comments below.
