Thread by @WIRED

When you sign up for a Google account, you get 15 GB of free storage, split across three main products—Gmail, Google Drive, & Google Photos, but once you run out of space, you’ll have to pay to play.

Here’s how to avoid the upcharge for more storage: wired.trib.al/cMPUwA6 1/

If you've had your Gmail account for years, emails tend to add up. Clear out older emails by typing in "older_than:1y" into the search box at the top of Gmail to look for messages older than a year. You can change the number of years, or switch to months if you want. 2/

Once your selected emails appear, click the selection box above the list on the left to select all of them, then click the Select all conversations that match this search option. Simply click the Delete button to erase. 3/

Emails with large attachments can also take up a lot of storage space. To delete them, type "has:attachment larger:10m" in the search bar to find emails with attachments bigger than 10 megabytes. Click the box in the top left to select all and hit delete. 4/

Now let's move to Google Drive. From the main Google Drive interface on the web, click the Storage link on the left to see all the files on your account, with the largest at the top. 5/

To delete a file, just select it and click the Remove button in the top right corner (the trash can) to send it to the Trash folder. It will stay there for 30 days before getting removed permanently, but you can click Trash on the left to erase immediately. 6/

For Google Photos it’s important to note that most of the key tools that make it so proactive aren't on the web, instead you have to head to the app. 7/

Head to Google Photos mobile app, tap Library and Utilities, and it will give you suggestions for clearing out pictures that are blurred or low quality—you can still review before they're wiped. 8/

It's worth mentioning that should you exceed your storage limit of 15 GB, your files won't suddenly disappear—you just won't be able to add new ones. Head to the article for more storage saving tips: wired.trib.al/cMPUwA6 9/

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