Have you ever been frustrated by the “Not enough space” message on Google Drive? Even with 15GB of free storage, Google Drive can fill up quickly due to our growing digital needs. Let’s explore some effective strategies to free up more space without paying!
15GB Data storage
Understanding Your 15GB Quota
When you sign up for a Gmail account, you’re automatically granted a generous 15GB of storage. This space encompasses not only your emails but also files stored on Google Drive and images in Google Photos. While this may seem like a huge amount of storage, it can fill up quickly, especially with large attachments and multiple backups. Let’s explore some ways to optimize your storage space!
Step 1: Change POP settings in your original account
- Sign in to your original Gmail account
- At the top right, click Settings See all settings.
- Select the Forward and POP/IMAP tabs.
- In the “POP Download ” section, select Enable POP for all mail (POP stands for Post Office Protocol)
- Recommendation: Next to “When accessing messages with POP,” select Delete Gmail copy.
- At the bottom, click Save changes.
Step 2: Create a New Gmail Account and Transfer Mail
- Sign in to your new Gmail account (hosting account)
- At the top right, click Settings See all settings.
- Select the Accounts and import or Accounts tab
- In the Check mail from other accounts section, click Add mail account
- In the pop-up window, type your original Gmail. Select Next.
- Select Import email from another account (POP3) and select Next again.
- Enter the password of the original Gmail account.
- If you use a work or school account:
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- In the “POP Server” section, enter “mail.domain.com”.
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- Select Port 110.
- If you use Google MX records with a work or school account:
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- In the “POP Server” section, enter “pop.gmail.com”.
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- Select Port 995
- Check the following 3 boxes:
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- Always use a secure connection (SSL) when retrieving mail
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- Label incoming messages
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- Archive incoming messages (Bypass Inbox)
Here it is: If the system shows the error “Server denied POP3 access “, you need to create a Google app password
- How to create: app password
- Once you’ve created your app password, go back and use your new app password instead of your regular password.
Important Note:
- Google only shows the app password once. Once you create it, you can’t request a review, so be sure to record or store it safely after you create it.
- Google’s help center also mentions that “app passwords are not recommended and are generally not necessary in most cases.” Therefore, after completing the transfer of Gmail messages, you should remove your app password to ensure safety.
Step 3: Automatic Sync
Once you’ve finished linking your new hosting Gmail account to the original account, the syncing process will begin
- Automated Email Transfer:
Emails from the original account will be automatically transferred to the new hosting account. The time it takes to complete this process can range from a few hours to a few days, depending on how many emails you have in the original account.
- Manage Transferred Mail:
After all emails have been transferred to the archive account, your original Gmail account will no longer have messages.
Remove Spam, Promotional Mail
- Delete Unnecessary Emails: Regularly check and delete emails left in the trash
- Use Filters: Set up automatic filters to mark and remove spam and promotional messages, enhancing inbox management (e.g., promotional emails, emails from unknown addresses) to your spam folder or delete them directly.
- Customize Settings: Configure filters to block spam from entering your inbox. If a specific sender is particularly bothersome, block them to stop their emails from appearing.
Optimize how to use Google Drive
- Use Google Drive Sharing: Share files instead of uploading: Use sharing to avoid uploading multiple copies of files.
- Use Large File Filter: Use the search for files by size, file type, creation date to quickly identify unnecessary or space-taking files and delete them.
- Delete File Versions: If you’ve edited a file multiple times, delete old versions that aren’t needed.
- Organize Files: Create folders and organize files in a streamlined way for easier management.
- Compress Large Files: Compress large files to reduce size, saving storage space. Use ZIP or RAR format to compress large files before uploading.
