Google Photos Storage Full: How To Remove Storage Limit – Setapp

Google Photos Storage: Maximizing Your Cloud Space

In today's mobile world, smartphones are our primary cameras, leading to a surge in digital photos and the inevitable challenge of storage limitations. While upgrading your phone's storage is costly, cloud storage offers a practical solution. Google Photos, once lauded for its unlimited free storage, now presents a more nuanced reality. Let's explore how to optimize your Google Photos storage and get the most out of it.

The Google Photos Storage Limit: Fact vs. Fiction

Launched in 2015, Google Photos initially promised unlimited free storage. However, this was contingent on compressing photos to 16 megapixels and videos to 1080p. While sufficient for many, this resolution is lower than what modern cameras typically capture.

Storing photos and videos in their original quality consumes space within your Google Drive account, shared with Gmail and other files (excluding Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc., and files in the "Shared with me" section). A free Google Drive account starts with 15 GB, expandable through Google One subscriptions (100 GB, 200 GB, or 2 TB).

Getting Started with Google Photos

Creating a Google Photos account is straightforward:

1. Visit photos.google.com
2. Click "Get Google Photos"
3. Select "Create account" ➙ "For myself"
4. Provide necessary information ➙ Next
5. Verify your email address

Tip: Consider a separate Gmail account for Google Photos to manage storage efficiently.

Uploading and Managing Your Photos

Several methods exist for uploading photos:

• Manual Upload: Click "Upload" in Google Photos and select files from your Mac.
• Drag and Drop: Directly drag and drop images into Google Photos.
• Backup and Sync: Install the "Backup and Sync from Google" app for automatic syncing to a designated folder on your Mac.

Checking Your Storage Usage

To monitor your remaining Google Photos storage:

1. Log into Google Photos.
2. Click the Storage icon in the sidebar.
3. Review space usage across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos.

The "Backup and Sync" app displays total usage but lacks a detailed breakdown. CloudMounter provides a centralized view of multiple cloud services, including Google Photos, and allows mounting as a local drive for easy Finder-based storage checks.

Achieving (Near) Unlimited Free Storage

While true unlimited free storage requires compressing photos and videos, several strategies can maximize your 15 GB:

• High Quality vs. Original: Switching to "High quality" (16MP photos, 1080p videos) provides unlimited storage but irreversibly reduces resolution. Ensure you have backups before making this change.

• Duplicate Removal: Tools like Gemini can identify and remove duplicate photos, freeing up significant space.

• Multiple Accounts: Utilize multiple Google Photos accounts, managed efficiently with CloudMounter and a file manager like Forklift for transferring files between accounts.

Conclusion

Managing Google Photos storage involves a balance between convenience, resolution, and cost. By employing strategies like duplicate removal and efficient account management, you can significantly extend your free storage capacity and optimize your cloud photo workflow.

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