Manage your storage

If your photos and videos won't back up, you may be out of storage. To make more space, you can clean up your storage or buy more.

Important:

If you're inactive in Google Photos for 2 years or more, your content may be deleted. Learn about the Google Photos inactivity policy.
If you’re over your storage limit for 2 years or more, your content may be deleted. Learn more about how your Google storage works.
All photos and videos backed up in Storage saver (previously named High quality) or Express quality before June 1, 2021 don't count towards your Google Account storage.
Photos and videos backed up in Original quality regardless of date continue to count toward your Google Account storage.

Check your storage

Open the storage management tool.
At the top, you’ll find an estimate of how long it will take to fill your storage.

Tips:

If you haven’t consistently backed up content recently, you’re almost out of storage, or your account is provided through work, school, or another group, an estimate may not be available.
If you have a supervised or K-12 school-provided account, the storage management tool isn’t available.

Clean up storage

Open the storage management tool.
Under "Review and delete," select any category.
Select the items you want to delete.
Select Move to trash .

Tip: Some photos save space when deleted. If you delete a photo that saves storage space in your Google Account, you may get an estimate of the recovered storage.

Learn what doesn’t count toward your storage

Some items don’t count toward your Google Account storage. For example, if you delete these items, your available storage won’t change:

Photos and videos uploaded in certain backup qualities via some Pixel devices. Learn about Google Photos backup on your Pixel.
Photos and videos backed up on Express quality or High quality, now called Storage saver, before June 1, 2021. Learn more about your backup options.
Photos and videos you saved from partner sharing, as long as your partner continues to share them with you.

Buy more storage

On your computer, open photos.google.com.
Sign in to your Google Account.
At the top, select Settings .
Under your backup quality options, select Buy storage.
Select a storage plan.
Add or select your payment method.
Select Subscribe.

Tip: This option only appears if you're running out of storage and you have photos in Original quality.

Fix issues with storage payments

Storage space doesn’t increase after upgrade

It may take up to 24 hours for your new storage to become available after you purchase a new storage plan.

If your storage is still incorrect after 24 hours, sign into your Google Account to check if your payment went through.

If your payment went through, it’s been 24 hours since you upgraded, and your storage is still incorrect, try these troubleshooting steps.

If a charge is applied to your payment card, but you don’t find a payment reflected on your Google Account, check if you’re signed into multiple Google Accounts. If so, Google One may be purchased on a different account. You can cancel the purchase on that account and repurchase Google One on the desired account. Learn how to cancel purchases on Google One.

Declined, failed, or incomplete transaction

If you have problems with payment for Google products or you get an error message, learn how to fix payment issues.

Can't buy storage for this account

If you already bought a subscription for another Google Account, or on another device, you might need to change it before you buy new subscription on your device.

If you have another account with an existing Google One subscription, you can cancel it. After your subscription period ends, you can buy storage for another Google Account on your device.
If you use your device with a family member that already has Google One, you can use Google One family sharing.

Related resources

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