If you think that once you have deleted your files from Google Drive, it gets deleted completely, then you are wrong. After you delete files on Google Drive, it gets stored for 30 days in the trash. So if you ever feel a need to recover a file, then you have the option. But what if you wish to get rid of files immediately? So the question is, How to empty trash in Google Drive?
In this article, I will be answering this question only. Earlier, Google used to keep your deleted files saved in the trash folder of Google Drive. And until and unless you delete them manually, the files used to be saved there. But Google has changed its policies.
So if you don’t want to delete your trash right away, then let Google do the job. But if you wish to empty trash in Google Drive, below are the steps that you have to follow:
Why Empty Trash in Google Drive?
There are several reasons why a user wants to empty trash Google Drive. And among all the reasons, here are some of the common ones:
- Your Google Drive storage space is running out, and you need some space to keep your new files.
- You have way too many junk files in the Trash folder, and you wish to clean it.
- Google Drive trash has many useless attachment files that you don’t use or need anymore.
- You want to delete some files immediately without keeping any backup or way to restore them.
Read: How To Create A Google Drive Account For A Group- Using Google Workspace
Google Drive Trash- A Brief Info
Before I go ahead and talk about how to empty trash in Google Drive, let me mention some information about it.
The trash folder is definitely a convenient feature. As it allows you to restore your files back if you have deleted something mistakenly. Since Google waits for 30 days before permanently deleting files. So you have your chance to recover your files.
However, there are certain limitations and that you should know about:
- All or Nothing Restore: Google Drive doesn’t offer you an option to view or find the files which are restored from the trash. As the restored files are not marked or flagged for you to identify it.
- Sharing settings cannot be restored: The sharing settings cannot be restored in Auto mode. Instead, you have to do it manually, which can be complicated.
- Only 30 Days Data Protection: Files in the Google Drive trash folder stay for 30 days only. As a result, the files are only recoverable within 30 days. After that, the files will get deleted permanently, and there is no way to recover it.
- Require Admin Assistance: If you wish to restore a file from the Google Drive trash, you will need Google Admin assistance to get your files back.
Read: How to Upload iMovie to Google Drive
How to Move Files to Google Drive Trash?
If you have synced Google Drive with your devices, then often, lots of duplicated files get backed up to the drive. And these files only eat up your Google Drive storage.
Hence, it is important that you delete these files from Google Drive and trash them. So you can have space for newer files.
And below are the steps that you have to follow to move your files from Google Drive to trash:
Laptop/Desktop
- At first, open Google Drive from your computer or web browser and sign in to your account.
- Now, look and select the file or files that you wish to delete. You can use the CTRL key to select multiple files.
- Then right-click on the file and select Remove to delete the file from Google Drive.
Android
- At first, launch the Google Drive app from your Android phone and select the file’s icon at the bottom.
- Then long press on a file to select it. Also, you can select multiple files at the same time.
- Finally, click on the trash can icon at the top to move the file to your trash folder.
iPhone/iPad
- First of all, launch the Google Drive app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Then tap on the file’s icon at the bottom.
- Now select the items that you wish to delete.
- Next, click on the three horizontal dots at the top and tap on remove.
Read: Google Drive Vs iCloud
How to empty trash in Google Drive?
Once you are done moving your files to Google Drive, it’s time to delete the files permanently from Google Drive.
The files are usually kept in the trash for 30 days, and then it gets permanently deleted automatically. But if you are running out of space, then you can delete the files immediately.
For this, you will need to follow these steps:
Desktop/Laptop
- Go to Google Drive using your web browser.
- Now on the sidebar, click on the Trash icon.
- Over here, you will find all the files you have deleted.
- Now you can delete individual files by right-clicking on it and select Delete forever.
- Or you can click on the Empty Trash button from the top right corner and then select Delete forever to empty trash Google Drive.
Android
- Go to the Google Drive app from your Android phone.
- Then tap on the three dots icon from the top left corner and go to trash.
- Now select all the files one by one.
- Once selected, click on the three dots icon and select Delete forever and then confirm your action, and you are all done.
iPhone/iPad
- Go to the Trash folder using the Google Drive app.
- Then tap on the three horizontal dots next to the item you want to remove
- Finally, select Delete Forever on the screen and confirm your action.
Read: How to reduce file size in Google drive
Google Drive Empty Trash Not Working – What should I do?
Sometimes while trying to empty trash Google Drive, we may encounter some errors. While this error is pretty rare, but if you encounter it, you can simply check out the steps below.
Clear Browser Cache
The issue usually appears because of browser cache, so by deleting them, you will be able to get rid of the error. To clear browser cache, you can follow these below steps:
- Launch Google Chrome.
- Then click on the three dots icon from the top right corner and select settings.
- Now, look for the Privacy and security menu, and under it, select clear browsing data.
- Finally, select the time range using the drop-down menu and click on clear data.’
However, depending on the browser you are using, these steps may differ. So if you are using any other steps and not sure how to clear browser cache, you better perform a Google search.
Delete a few files at a time
If you are trying to delete all the files at once in Google Drive, then maybe it is causing the error. In this case, you can select some files at once, then right-click on them and delete the files.
Even, you can also select files individually and delete them one by one. But yes, it is a time-consuming job if you have too many files to delete.
Access it on a mobile device
If you are facing an issue on your computer, then you can use the mobile app to delete your files. However, the only drawback of the Google Drive mobile app is that there is no empty trash button.
So you will need to select all the files one by one and then delete them. However, you can always use your mobile browser to go to drive.google.com, and from there, you can empty trash in Google Drive.
Turn off all extensions
Maybe it’s your installed browser extensions that are causing issues with the empty trash Google drive feature. So you can try turning off all the extensions and check if you are still getting the same Google Drive cannot empty trash error. For this, you have to follow these steps:
- At first, from your computer launch Google Chrome.
- Then click on the three dots icon.
- Next, go to More Tools and select Extensions. Also, you can copy and paste this URL in your browser chrome://extensions/.
- Finally, disable all the extensions one by one and then check if you are still getting the same error.
You may like the following articles:
- How to Remove Access to Google Drive
- Google Drive Vs Google Docs
- How to see folder size in Google Drive
- Upload Video from Google Drive to YouTube
- How to backup Quickbooks to Google Drive
Final Words:
So that was all about how to empty trash in Google Drive. Now go ahead and try the steps by yourself and see if they are working for you. Also, if there is any question you would like to ask, do feel free to drop a comment below, and I will help you out. I hope it fixes the below issues:
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Hello, my name is Shirley. I’m a Google Drive expert and have been working with the platform since it launched. I’ve written extensively about Google Drive tips and tricks, and have created numerous tutorials on how to get the most out of the platform. I also enjoy creating tutorials to help people learn how to use Drive like pros. Read more