How to Delete Files From Google Drive

Google Drive stores data from all your Google accounts. Hitting the 15GB free storage space limit is easy, especially if you share large files. If you are looking to free up some much-needed space, then deleting files from Google Drive might be the way to go. It definitely beats buying additional storage space.

Here we will look at how to access Google Drive and delete files from the cloud storage service. To recover storage space immediately, you will also learn to remove files from Drive permanently.

How to Delete Files From Google Drive on an iPhone

Files are deleted from Google Drive by moving them to the trash. These files are stored here for 30 days by default before being permanently deleted from the platform. If you want your documents immediately gone for good, you will also have to empty the trash folder. Let’s look at removing files from Google Drive on an iPhone.

1. Open the Google Drive app on your phone.
   
2. Scroll to the file you want to delete and press the three-dot menu next to it.
   
3. Click “Remove” to delete the file.
   
4. If you want to get rid of more than one item, tap and hold the first file and then continue by tapping on the remaining items.
   
5. Press the trash icon at the top of the page and hit “Move to trash.”
   

You will now have removed your unwanted files from Google Drive. To permanently delete them from the platform, you must empty your trash folder. This is how to go about getting that done.

1. Go to Google Drive and click on the three-horizontal line menu in the top left corner.
   
2. Select “Trash” to see all your deleted files.
   
3. Tap on the three-dot menu next to the file and hit “Delete Forever.”
   

If you would like to remove all the files from the trash folder simultaneously:

1. Navigate to the upper right corner in Google Drive and click “Trash.”
   
2. Select the three-dot menu at the top right and tap “Empty Trash.”
   

All your files will now be permanently deleted from Google Drive.

How to Delete Files From Google Drive on Android

To free up Google Drive storage space from your Android smartphone, you can delete files using the outlined method. Remember that you will also have to clear out your trash folder to remove your unwanted content permanently. Documents sent to the trash are stored there for an additional 30 days before being removed from Drive.

1. Launch Google Drive and head to “Files” at the bottom of the screen.
   
2. Select the item you want to delete from the list of files displayed.
   
3. Tap on the three-dot menu next to the document and click “Remove.”
   

Your file has now been sent to the trash folder. You will notice that although the file has been deleted from Drive, no extra storage space has been created. This is because the file still exists in the trash folder. To permanently get rid of it, this is what you should do.

1. Open Google Drive and go to the three-horizontal line menu in the upper left corner.
   
2. Tap “Trash” to see all the files in your trash folder.
   
3. Scroll to the file you would like to remove and click on the three-dot menu next to it.
   
4. Hit “Delete Forever” and confirm your action when prompted to do so.
   

You have now permanently removed the file from Google Drive. If you would like to empty your trash folder completely, the steps below will walk you through how to do that.

1.  Head to the Google Drive app.
   
2. In the upper right corner, click “Trash.”
   
3. Select the three-dot menu at the top right and tap “Take out of trash.”
   

Your Google Drive trash folder is now empty.

How to Delete Files From Google Drive on an iPad

By following the process shown below, you will be able to remove files from Google Drive. Because files sent to the trash are stored there for 30 days, you will also learn how to clear your trash folder.

1. On your phone, launch the Google Drive app.
   
2. Select the three-dot menu next to the file you would like to delete.
   
3. Click “Remove” to get rid of the file.
   
4. To delete more than one item, tap and hold the first file and continue by tapping on the remaining items.
   
5. Press the trash icon at the top of the page and hit “Move to trash.”
   

Your deleted files will now be in the trash folder. To permanently delete them from the platform, you must remove them from the trash folder.

1. In Google Drive, click on the three-dot menu in the top left corner.
   
2. Scroll to “Trash” to see all your deleted files.
   
3. Press the three-dot menu next to the file and hit “Delete Forever.”
   

If you would like to remove all the documents from the trash folder simultaneously:

1. Open Google Drive and navigate to the upper right corner.
   
2. Click on the “Trash” icon.
   
3. In the top right, tap “Empty Trash.”
   

All your content will now be permanently deleted from Google Drive.

How to Delete Files From Google Drive on a Chromebook

Google Chromebook has limited storage space. Therefore, many files are saved directly to cloud services like Google Drive. If you are looking to delete documents from Google Drive, you can access the folder you saved them in on your Chromebook. Check out how to do that here.

1. Log into Chromebook and click on the small white button in the bottom left corner.
   
2. Display your apps by tapping on the upward-pointing arrow.
   
3. Select “Files” and scroll to the file you would like to delete.
   
4. Right-click on it and then hit “Delete” from the dropdown menu provided.
   

Your file will now be permanently removed from your Google Drive folder in Chromebook.

How to Delete Files From Google Drive on a Windows or Mac PC

You could also be saving documents from your computer onto Google Drive. Whether you are using your Windows PC or a Mac device, this is what you should do to delete files from Google Drive.

1. Visit the Google Drive website and log into your account.
   
2. Pick the folder you would like to delete.
   
3. If you are looking to remove more than one folder, press Ctrl + Command as you make your selection.
   
4. Navigate to the trash icon in the top right corner and click on it.
   
5. The files will now be moved to the trash folder.
   

To permanently remove them from the trash section, you can empty the folder.

1. From the Google Drive website, navigate to the three-dot menu.
   
2. Go to “Trash,” then open “Trash my drive.”
   
3. In the upper right corner, click “Empty Trash” to permanently remove everything in the folder.
   

You have now permanently deleted files from Google Drive.

Clear Out Your Google Drive Storage

Doing a little Google Drive housekeeping is a necessary part of staying organized. We often forget to get rid of files that are no longer valuable to us. Keeping all these unwanted documents stored on our cloud service takes up space unnecessarily. These files also create clutter, making it harder to find the documents we are looking for. Deleting files from Google Drive is something you can accomplish quickly no matter what device you are using.

Do you often store documents on Google Drive? What methods do you use to delete them from the platform? Let us know in the comments below.