How to manage Google Drive storage effectively to avoid additional costs?

To manage Google Drive storage effectively and avoid additional costs, focus on regularly monitoring and optimizing your storage usage by:

• Using Google’s Built-in Storage Manager to sort files by size and delete large, unnecessary files.
• Emptying the Trash promptly, since deleted files still consume storage until permanently removed after 30 days.
• Cleaning up old, redundant, or unused files by reviewing file activity and removing outdated content.
• Organizing files into folders and subfolders for easier management and quick identification of what can be deleted or archived.
• Setting sharing permissions carefully to avoid unnecessary copies or duplicated files.
• Reorganizing or deleting unused Shared Drives if applicable.
• Using Google Vault retention policies (for organizations) to automate purging of old data, but with caution to avoid accidental deletion.
• Setting storage limits for users in a Workspace environment to control growth and identify heavy storage users.
• Streaming videos instead of downloading them to save space.
• Regularly checking your storage usage via Google Drive settings to stay informed and proactive.

If storage needs grow beyond optimization, consider upgrading your storage plan as a last resort.