Google Drive Full But No Files? Here’s the Fix

Quick Tips

• Hidden files may have data on the drive that you can not see, which may be a primary reason for the problem.
• The Trash also stores deleted data; if it is not empty, you may have a full Drive without knowing.

Basic Fixes:

• Check available storage in the Google account: Google Drive storage is part of your overall Google account storage, so you need to check which Google product is taking up the storage. Read our detailed post to learn what counts in Google Drive storage.
• Check storage taken by Google Drive files: Some files may still be available on Google Drive. To check all the available files, open your drive quota using a browser on your phone or web. Tap on the Storage used option to change the sort order from large to small. If some huge files are still visible, delete them.

Fix 1: Delete Orphan Files

Sometimes, when you delete a folder from Google Drive, its files aren’t deleted. Such files are known as orphan files. They aren’t visible directly in Drive. You can view them following the steps below:

Step 1: Open your drive on a browser.

Step 2: In the search bar, type the path below and hit Enter.

is:unorganized owner:me

Step 3: Delete files that show up.

Tip: You can delete the files on the web by dragging them to the Trash folder.

Fix 2: Remove Hidden App Data

If you use Google Drive to back up data from third-party apps, such data will also take up storage. To view such hidden data, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open your drive from a browser.

Step 2: Click on the Settings icon at the top > select Settings.

Step 3: Click on Manage Apps from the left side. Scroll down to see the data taken up by apps. Click on Options next to the app and select Delete hidden app data if you no longer require the data.

Fix 3: Empty Google Drive Trash

When you delete files from Google Drive, they are not deleted permanently. They are taken to the Trash or Bin folder, where they stay until you empty your trash bin manually. So, if Google Drive is showing full, you must empty the bin to clear the storage.

Step 1: Open the Google Drive website.

Step 2: Click Trash on the left pane > Empty Trash on the right.

On an Android or iOS device, you may follow the steps below:

Step 1: Open the Drive app.

Step 2: Tap the three-bar icon at the top and select Trash.

Step 3: Select all the files. Hit the three-dot icon at the top and select Delete forever or Empty trash. Restart your phone.

Fix 4: Use the Google Drive Clean up Space Feature

Google has a clean-up service, Google One. You may use the service’s options to remove pilled-up content. Follow the steps below.

Step 1: Navigate to Google One.

Step 2: Click Storage in the left corner > click on Free up account Storage on the right.

Step 3: Select from the Clean up suggested items or the Clean up by service menu. Then, follow the suggestions to complete the process.

Fix 5: Delete Old and Unnecessary Backups

Your old backups may occupy space and will not show up with all the other data you have on the drive. To delete them, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Launch Google Drive.

Step 2: Click Storage in the left panel > click Backups at the top-right corner.

Step 3: You may now delete any available backups.