If your mobile phone is always on the verge of crashing with the message “storage almost full”, Google Photos It's probably already one of your go-to appsIt's convenient, fast, lets you free up phone space, and keeps your memories accessible from any device without any hassle. The problem arises when you start getting notifications that you're running out of cloud storage and the app politely prompts you to purchase a plan.
The reality is that, unless you're a content creator or generate absurd amounts of photos and videos, It's not always necessary to pay for more gigabytesWith good organization, some little-known tricks, and by making the most of the app's own options, it's possible to manage thousands of images in Google Photos without spending a penny and keeping your archive more organized than ever.
How Google Photos storage works (and why it fills up so fast)
Google Photos is part of the Google ecosystem and It shares its space with other services like Gmail and Google DriveEach new account comes with 15 GB of free storage that is shared: large emails, attachments, documents in Drive, and of course, your photos and videos.
For years, the great advantage of Google Photos was the Free unlimited storage with "high quality" compressionMany people uploaded everything they had: important photos, memes, screenshots, blurry bursts… until Google changed the rules of the game and everything started counting within those 15 GB.
The result is that, If you take a lot of photos, record high-resolution video, or save absolutely everythingThat space runs out faster than you'd expect. When it reaches its limit, the backup stops and you lose automatic protection for your new memories.
At that point, Google proposes its official option: Google One, with paid plans They start at 100 GB and go up to 200 GB, 2 TB or more. They include interesting extras (family sharing, advanced editing features, etc.), but for most users, removing the card isn't essential.
With smart strategies, regular cleaning, and some creative solutions, You can delay the time to pay for years. without sacrificing having your photos well organized and accessible.
The star trick: using additional accounts to get more free space
One of the most effective “hacks”, and completely within Google's rules, is Create additional Google accounts and use them as extra deposits. of photos and videos. Each new account adds another 15 GB free.
The trick is as follows: You create one or more secondary accountsYou configure Google Photos to upload part of your gallery and then You share their library with your main account using the “Share with collaborator” option (the shared Google Photos library).
This way, the images are accessible from your main account as if they were part of your own gallery, but the space they occupy corresponds to the secondary accountYou can repeat the process with multiple accounts as needed for more storage capacity.
The key to preventing chaos is maintaining a certain order: decide what type of content goes to each account (For example, old trips in one, large videos in another, personal projects in another...). Then, from your main account, you simply browse through the shared libraries.
This strategy isn't as convenient as having everything in a single account, but It allows you to get gigabytes and gigabytes without payingFor most advanced users who take a lot of photos, it's a fantastic solution if combined with good organization.
Use the "Manage storage" tool to clean up effortlessly
Before getting into complicated setups with extra accounts, it's worth making the most of what Google Photos already offers. One option that many people don't even use is... the “Manage storage” section, accessible from the app settings.
This tool analyzes your library and shows you, in a very visual way, What is taking up the most space?: huge videos, blurry photos, screenshots, almost identical images, scanned documents, etc.
From there you can delete everything you don't need in bulk without reviewing each photo individually. Cleaning becomes quick and quite safeBecause Google often suggests obvious junk: blurry photos, clear duplicates, or worthless screenshots.
Regularly checking this section (every month or every two months) can free up several gigabytes. especially if you've been uploading unfiltered content for yearsIt's the first step to putting your account on a diet and delaying the moment you have to pay for more space.
Combining this cleaning with a quick manual review of the last few months allows you to keep only what really interests you. getting rid of memes, forwards, and photos you'll never look at again.
Change the backup quality to save space
Another key setting that many people don't check since they first set up the app is backup qualityGoogle offers several options: upload photos and videos in original quality or compress them using the storage-saving option.
With power saving mode, Photos are reduced (for example, to about 16 MP) and videos to lower resolutions.However, the loss of quality is minimal for normal use: viewing them on a mobile phone, sharing them on social networks, displaying them on a TV, etc.
If you don't print large or need a professional file, This setting allows you to save many more photos within the same 15 GBThe change is made from Settings > Backup and sync > Backup quality.
Be aware that when you change phones, the system sometimes reverts to the highest quality option by default. It's a good idea to check this setting every time you get a new phone. or reinstall the app to prevent your uploads from suddenly taking up twice the space.
If you already have thousands of photos uploaded in original quality and you're running out of space, you might consider convert part of your old library to compressed formatpreserving in original only the truly important photos or those you really need to keep in the highest quality.
Reorganize the gallery to avoid duplicates and junk.
Having storage space is great, but if your files are a mess, it doesn't matter how many gigabytes you have. Google Photos has very powerful organizational features, which also indirectly help save storage because they make it easier to detect superfluous content.
One of them is the ability to group similar or almost identical photosThis is great if you shoot in burst mode. The app shows you a series of very similar images so you can choose the best one and delete the rest. If you get into the habit of doing this frequently, you avoid accumulating dozens of variations of the same scene.
It is also recommended to create themed albums (travel, events, projects, family, etc.)As you sort through your photos, it becomes easier to spot duplicates, uninteresting shots, or images that no longer make sense to keep. When everything is in the same chronological stream, that clutter is less noticeable.
Google Photos' smart search lets you filter by people, places, dates, or objects. This makes regular cleaning much easier.You can search, for example, for "screenshot", "WhatsApp", a specific city or even your pet to review specific photo groups and delete what's unnecessary.
Out of habit, many people never check their files. Dedicate a few minutes each week or each month Deleting irrelevant information makes a huge difference in the medium term: less chaos and more available space.
Which photos and videos to delete to free up gigabytes quickly
If you urgently need space, the most effective thing to do is to go for the largest files. The videos are largely to blame storage consumption is much higher than photos.
Start by checking long videos that you no longer need: multi-minute clips of concerts recorded from afar, entire events you'll never see again, test videos, etc. A single 4K video can take up more space than hundreds of photos.
Another category that should be monitored are photos and videos that are automatically stored from apps like WhatsApp, Telegram or social networksLinking those folders to your backup can fill your Google Photos with memes, animated stickers, forwarded jokes, and visual clutter.
If you frequently receive a lot of this type of content, the wisest course of action is Do not enable backup of messaging foldersAnd, when you receive something you do want to save, you can manually upload it to Google Photos from your phone's Share menu.
Finally, it's worth cleaning up screenshots, blurry photos, and tests you did to send something specificThese are files that often slip in unnoticed and end up adding up to a significant amount of megabytes over time.
Download photos to a hard drive and combine them with the cloud.
A strategy commonly used by users who take a lot of photos is Keep only a "core" of important images in Google Photos and archive the rest on an external hard drive or other type of local storage.
The premise is simple: every so often, downloads to your computer You can put the oldest photos (for example, from more than three or four years ago) on an external hard drive and take them out of Google Photos, keeping only the recent or truly essential ones online.
This combination has two advantages: on the one hand, You save space in the cloud without sacrificing your memoriesOn the other hand, you have a physical copy that protects you in case of loss of access to the Google account, problems with the password or any incident of that type.
Whatever solution is chosen, it is always advisable to have at least two copies of your important photosOne backup online (Google Photos, another cloud service) and one offline (hard drive, NAS, etc.). If one of those backups is stored outside the home, even better in case of theft or household accidents.
For many people, an ideal scheme is: Google Photos as an organizational and daily reference tool and an external hard drive as the definitive long-term archive where everything goes, unfiltered.
Cloud alternatives to relieve Google Photos without paying more
If you still run out of space or prefer to diversify, you have several additional platforms that allow you to Use other services instead of uploading everything to Google Photos.
One of the best known is Amazon PhotosIf you already pay for Amazon Prime, you have unlimited storage for full-resolution photos (videos are separate and have a much lower limit). It might be a good idea to upload your photo collection there and reserve Google Photos as a visual index and for your main videos.
You can also resort to Microsoft OneDrive, which offers 5 GB of free storage expandable with invitations or paid plans, already DropboxThe basic version starts with 2 GB, but this can be expanded with referrals. These platforms allow automate backups from your mobile device and then periodically download to your computer, combining everything with Google Photos if you want to centralize the viewing.
Another popular service is MEGA, which initially offers about 20 GB free.It can be used to back up old photos or as a second copy in the cloud. However, it's wise to be wary of apps or services that promise "unlimited" storage in a less-than-transparent way, especially if they require you to log in with your Google account.
For advanced users with some technical experience, there is the option to assemble a home server or NAS with solutions like Immich or similarThese tools allow you to have your own private "Google Photos", with automatic upload from your mobile device, organization by albums, and remote access via VPN, without depending on monthly fees from third parties.
The extreme case: Old Pixel with unlimited backups and advanced sync
Some very intensive users have gone even further, taking advantage of a historic Google promotion: The first-generation Google Pixel included unlimited free copies in original quality. in Google Photos. That is, any photo or video uploaded from that device did not count towards the quota.
Anyone who owns one of these mobile phones (they can still be found second-hand) can set up a kind of "bridge": configure that Pixel as a machine dedicated to uploading all content (coming from other mobile phones, cameras or the computer) and leave it permanently connected only for this task.
The idea is to use tools like Syncthing or Resilio Sync This allows photos taken with other Android phones, an iPhone, a Mac, or a PC to be automatically copied to a folder on the Pixel. From there, Google Photos performs unlimited backups.
This assembly requires work: Configure your sync apps properly, adjust permissions, and avoid copying temporary or junk files.and take care of the hardware so it doesn't overheat or put too much strain on the internal memory. Some users even employ powerful chargers, high-quality cables, and homemade ventilation systems to keep the Pixel cool while uploading content.
In addition, tasks such as Use the Automate app on Android to have it open Google Photos at a specific time each day and run the "Free up space" function.removing backed-up photos from the device and keeping internal storage free.
This is an extreme approach, designed for those who generate hundreds of gigabytes a year and want to get the most out of that old promotion. For the average user, simply applying the tips in this article is enough; there's no need to set up a home lab.
Backups from iPhone, Android, computer and home servers
One of the biggest challenges for those who want to centralize everything in Google Photos is unify photos from multiple devicesAndroid phones, iPhones, cameras, computers, etc.
On Android it's very simple: Install Google Photos, activate backup, and you're all set. (On some Xiaomi phones, photos are saved automatically.If you want an extra layer of control, you can use Syncthing-Fork (available in the F-Droid store) to sync specific folders between mobiles, computers, and, if you wish, an old Pixel configured as a "bridge" to the cloud.
On a computer (Windows, macOS or Linux), the usual thing is Periodically copy photos from your camera or local drive to a folder that Google Photos will upload.or use synchronization tools like Syncthing or Resilio Sync to keep that folder updated with your mobile or a home server.
On iPhone, the simplest option for most is copy the photos manually to the computer (or upload them first to a service like iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox, or Amazon Photos, or Convert HEIC photo format to JPG) and, from there, move them to the folder assigned by Google Photos. It's an extra step, but it avoids complex configurations and reduces wear and tear on devices acting as a bridge.
For those who do want to automate as much as possible, they can combine: automatic backup apps on iOS (such as Immich, Dropbox, OneDrive)A server or NAS where everything is stored, and a tool like Syncthing to forward those photos to an Android device that has Google Photos by copying them to the cloud.
In advanced configurations, they are even used Personal VPNs like Tailscale to access the home server from outside the home, or Linux scripts that every few minutes copy new photos to a synchronization folder and renew file names to avoid conflicts.
Controlling mobile storage: freeing up original files after copying
It's not just about saving money on Google Photos; it's also important keep the phone's storage clearIf the photos are already safe in the cloud, you can delete the original from the device without fear.
The Google Photos app itself includes the option "Free up space"This feature deletes all photos and videos from your phone that are already backed up. It's a simple way to recover hundreds or thousands of megabytes of data on your device without any manual intervention.
On Android, if you combine this function with syncing tools like Syncthing in "send and receive" mode, you can achieve the following: The photos are copied to another device or server, uploaded to Google Photos, and, once safe, automatically deleted from your phone.always keeping it light.
On iPhone, the process is a bit more tedious if you don't directly use Google Photos backup. You can, for example, Select full months within Google Photos and use the "Delete original from device" option., or use the "Free up space" function after temporarily activating the backup with WiFi disconnected, so that it doesn't upload anything new but it does let you clean up.
Although it's something routine, Do this cleaning every few weeks Avoid the typical drama of "you can't take photos because the storage is full" right in the middle of a trip or an important event.
Adding to this the automatic cleaning tools of Google Photos, the occasional review of your archive, and, if needed, support for additional accounts and other free cloud services, It is perfectly feasible to handle thousands and thousands of photos without paying for extra storageKeeping your memories organized, accessible and safe, while your mobile and wallet breathe much easier.
