Google Storage Solutions

• Drive Content: Step-by-Step Instructions / Google Help Page

• Find large files: Go to drive.google.com/drive/quota, where your files are listed in order from biggest to smallest. Or, find files of a specific format:
  • Video files
  • Audio recordings
  • Slidedeck Presentations
• Right-click a file that you want to delete and then click Move to Trash.
• Go to your Trash folder, click Empty trash, and confirm you would like to delete the files forever.
  • Caution: After files in the trash are permanently deleted, you can’t recover them.
  • Note: Content in your Trash folder still counts towards your storage quota. You must empty it from your trash to permanently delete the file and reduce the usage
  • If you delete many files at once it can take some time for the space to be freed up. 

• Photos: Step-by-Step Instructions / Google Help Page

• Go to Google Photos storage and browse photos by type (blurry, screenshot, large, etc.) to easily identify unnecessary photos. Select which photos you want to delete, then click Move to trash. 
• Note: Content in your Trash folder still counts towards your storage quota. You must empty it from your trash to permanently delete the file and reduce the usage
  • Go to your Trash folder, click Empty trash, and confirm you would like to delete the files forever.
• You can also reduce the size of your photos and videos by storing them at a slightly reduced quality. To do this, go to the Photos Settings page and select Storage Saver. 

1. Go to drive.google.com
2. Click on the “type” dropdown menu and select “Photos and Videos”
3. Right-click a file that you want to delete and then click Move to Trash.
4. Go to your Trash folder 
5. Select “Empty Trash” to permanently delete the files

• Mail: Step-by-Step Instructions / Google Help Page

• Review your Gmail and delete unnecessary emails. After deleting, make sure to empty your trash folder since it still counts towards your storage until they are permanently deleted. 

For videos and audio files, you can use Panopto.

Labels in Gmail are similar to folders but with more flexibility because you can apply multiple labels to a single email.

Steps to Create a Label:

1. Open Gmail: Go to Gmail and log in.
2. Access Labels:
   • On the left sidebar, scroll down and click on "More" if needed.
   • Click on "Create new label."
3. Name Your Label:
   • A popup will appear asking for a label name. Enter the desired name.
   • If you want to nest this label under another, check the box and choose the parent label.
   • Click “Create.”
4. Apply Labels to Emails:
   • Open an email or select multiple emails.
   • Click the "Label" icon at the top and choose the label you want to apply.

Using Labels Effectively:

• You can search your emails by labels.
• Emails can have multiple labels, making it easier to categorize them.

Filters help automatically organize incoming emails based on specific criteria.

Steps to Create a Filter:

1. Open Gmail: Log into Gmail.
2. Create a Filter:
• Click on the gear icon in the top right and select “See all settings.”
• Go to the “Filters and Blocked Addresses” tab.
• Click “Create a new filter.”
3. Set Up Filter Criteria:
• A window will pop up where you can enter criteria like the sender's email address, subject, or keywords.
• After entering your criteria, click “Create filter.”
4. Choose an Action:
• You’ll see options to choose what happens to emails matching your filter criteria. You can:
• Skip the inbox (Archive it)
• Mark as read
• Star it
• Apply a label (select the label or create a new one)
• Forward it to another email
• Delete it
• Choose the actions you want and click “Create filter.”

Tips for Using Filters:

• Combine filters with labels to auto-organize emails.
• Use filters to prioritize important emails or clean up promotional emails.

Google Drive allows you to store files in a cloud-based system, which you can organize with folders.

Steps to Create a Folder:

1. Open Google Drive: Go to Google Drive and log in.
2. Create a Folder:
• Click the “+ New” button on the left sidebar.
• Select “Folder.”
• Enter the folder name and click “Create.”
3. Move Files into Folders:
• Drag and drop files into the folder, or right-click on a file, select “Move to,” and choose the folder.

Color Coding Folders:

• Right-click on a folder.
• Select "Change color."
• Choose a color to help visually distinguish your folders.

Tips for Organizing Drive:

• Use descriptive folder names.
• Nest folders within folders for a hierarchical structure.
• Regularly declutter by deleting or archiving old files.