Google Drive Shared Folder Space – What do we know about it?

by

We have often spoken about the storage space Google Drive provides you with and multiple ways you can choose to clear it out. Well, the biggest question arises about the Google Drive shared folder space and does it count in the overall storage you are provided with. Not everyone has an answer to this and we too had no clue about it.

So, we did our research and checked the shared folders. In fact, you can even try posting it on the community forum and there are multiple experts who have the answer.

So, we collected all the info we could on this and created this guide to help you out as well. Furthermore, if your storage is full, you can try out different methods to free some space.

Let us now get on with all we know about the Google Drive shared folder space.

Read Google Drive Error Accessing Folder Contents

Google Drive Shared Folder Space- What do we know about it?

A lot of users have had this particular question in mind whether or not the Shared With Me folder on Google Drive takes up the space just like other folders. Well, the answer is a simple NO.

Google Drive storage space does not add or take into account the Share With Me section. All your storage space collectively constitutes the My Drive section only. Everything you upload on your Drive, Docs, Email, Photos, and other sections adds up to the total space.

However, when you are adding up any number of files in the Shared with Me folders, those files will be a part of your storage space.

The same goes for all users who have been experiencing the Google Drive Shared with me take-up space error. If you have added some of the files in these folders, then such an error or issue might come up with you.

Read How to Clear Cache in Google Drive

How to Clear Google Drive Storage Space?

Now, since we know what does take up the storage space on your Google Drive, let us learn more about you can clear it. You only get 15GB of free space overall that can easily get exhausted considering all your emails and images are synced directly to it.

Instead of spending money every month in buying extra space, it is better to clean up your Google Drive.

Here are a few methods or steps you can follow to do so.

1. Clear Trash on Google Drive

Even after you have removed or deleted multiple files from Google Drive, it does not mean it has been deleted permanently. For this, you need to clear out the trash as well.

According to the new policy, the trash files and folders will get deleted automatically after 30 days. However, for instant free storage space, you can do it by yourself.

Here is how you can do it.

  • Open the Google Drive official page on your browser.
  • Now, tap on Bin to open the section.
Google Drive Shared Folder Space
  • Click on Empty Bin on the right.
  • Select Delete Forever.
do files shared with me take up space on google drive

Once you click on it, all the files and folders in the trash or bin will be deleted permanently and you will no longer have access to it.

Check out, Best Google Drive Alternatives

2. Delete and Unsubscribe to Promotional Emails

Another way you can try to free some storage space is majorly possible if you spend some time deleting the promotional emails.

Or you can try to unsubscribe to emails that are of no use to you and thus stop them from accumulating in your inbox. This process is surely time taking but worth it. There are thousands of emails that you can get rid of and free some space.

Furthermore, once you have deleted the emails, it is better to clear up the trash as well. Here is how you can do it.

  • Open your Gmail account and log in.
  • Now, on the left menu options click on More.
google drive shared drive
  • Scroll down and then tap on Trash.
  • Select all the files here and Empty Trash.

This will ultimately clear the trash from your email as well. You can keep repeating the process by getting rid of all the emails and then clearing the trash. We were able to free up around 1 GB of space in a short time which is a pretty good start.

Read How to Upload Audio Files to Google Drive

3. Change Backup and Sync Settings

We do have another effective method that you can try in order to reduce the load on your storage space. We will be talking about the steps you can follow on an iPhone in order to save space.

  • Open Google Photos.
  • Click on the Profile icon on the top-right corner.
  • Now, tap on Turn on Backup.
  • Choose the options Storage Saver and click on Confirm.

This will ensure that you can store more images and videos with a reduced quality.

Related Google Drive articles:

Conclusion

Here we are with everything we need to know about the Google Drive shared folder space issue. In conclusion, the fact of the matter is that the shared folders on your Drive do not take up the total space. Hence, there is nothing to worry about of that particular section of your cloud platform.

Other than this, as your last resort, you can create another account or buy a package that will add up more storage on your cloud platform. Furthermore, if you are still facing any issues with Google Drive, you can let us know in the comment section below or check out multiple similar guides related to this.