Google Drive storage is part of your overall Google account storage. So you need to check if there are other products Google taking up the storage. 

You can check the available storage at https://one.google.com/storage at first.

Method 1 – Empty Google Drive Trash

The deleted Google Drive files go to a Trash folder, which is similar to Recycle Bin. Thus, they’re not really erased and still use storage space. 

Enter your Google Drive and click on “Trash” to clean the files.

Method 2 – Clear Google Drive connected App data

Applications connected to Google Drive also take up its storage space. 

At the top right of your Google Drive page, click the Settings -> Manage Apps in the Settings window.

Remove Google Drive connected apps by clicking the Options button and selecting Disconnect from Drive. 

Method 3 – Check Google Photos Storage

Log in to Google Photos and click the Main menu button at the top left.

Select Settings from the menu to open the options.

Choose “High Quality” for unlimited free storage.

Method 4 – Check Gmail Storage

Enter your Gmail account, and delete outdated emails.

Emails in the trash should also be deleted. Click More > Trash on the left of your Gmail page.

Method 5 – Remove large files to another drive

A lot of users use more than one cloud storage for free storage. Transfer some of your files to another storage by downloading from Google Drive and uploading them to another storage. Then delete them in your Google Drive.

We are always concerned about filling the space available in cloud storage services as they usually provide limited storage capacity. We try to manage the space as often as we can. But what if I get a random notification that Google Drive is full? You should be wondering why Google Drive storage full but empty. Let's find the answer and how to fix it in this post.

The full notification in Google Drive was ok if it was already full. While some users receive the notification when Google Drive is empty, the Google Drive space does not update even after others have deleted data. So what happened? What is hidden invisible data to you?

Let's check out the different ways to fix Google Drive storage full but no files in its error.

8 ways to fix Google drive storage full issue

1. Check the storage available in your GOOGLE account

Google Drive storage is part of the total Google Account storage. So you need to check which Google product is taking up storage space. You can check the available storage at https://one.google.com/storage.

If Google Drive offers less storage space than others, you need to free up space with the other two. For Gmail, you can delete attachments. In the case of Google Images, you can convert the images to high quality. Then, Google drive storage full error will get sort out.

2. Check the storage taken by GOOGLE DRIVE files

Some files may still be available on Google Drive. To check all available files, open https://drive.google.com/drive/quota using a browser on your phone or the web. Click on the storage option used to change the sort order from large to small. If some huge files are still visible, delete them.

You should also check files at https://drive.google.com/drive/computers. Here you will find files backed up from your computer. Delete it if there is no need. However, note that if you continue to sync with the computer, it will be removed from your computer as well.

3. Delete orphan files

Sometimes, when a folder is deleted from Google Drive, the files inside it are not deleted. These files are known as orphan files. It cannot be seen directly in Drive. You can see it by searching for the keyword "unorganized owner: me". If files appear, delete them if they are not needed or move them to a folder to make them visible.

4. Remove hidden application data

If you use Google Drive to backup data from third-party apps, that data will also consume storage. To view this hidden data, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open drive.google.com from the browser.

Step 2: Click on the Settings icon at the top and select Settings from it.

Step 3: In the pop-up window that opens, click on Manage Applications from the left side. Scroll down, and you will see the data captured by the applications. Click "Options" next to the application and select "Delete hidden application data" if you no longer need the data.

5. Empty trash bin

When files are deleted from Google Drive, they are not permanently deleted. They are moved to the Trash or Recycle Bin folder where they remain until manually empty the Recycle Bin. So, if Google Drive appears completely, you need to empty the box to clear the volume.

Empty the Google Drive Trash on the web

• Open the Google Drive site.
• Click the Bin option from the left sidebar.
• Click the "Bin" drop-down menu at the top and select "Empty Container."
• Refresh the page and check available storage.

Empty Google Drive Trash on Android

• Open the Drive app.
• Click the three-bar icon at the top and select Trash.
• Then, select all the files. Tap the three-dot icon at the top and select Delete forever.
• Restart your phone.

Empty Google Drive Trash on iOS

• On iOS, tap the three bars icon at the top in the Drive app and choose Bin.
• Then, tap the three-dot icon at the top and choose an empty container.
• Restart your phone.

6. Sign out

If, after emptying the trash still if you see Google Drive storage full issue, then you need to logout and login again to your account.

7. Clear the cache on Android

If you are checking storage available from an Android phone, clear the Drive app cache. Clearing your cache will not delete files because they are different from clearing data.

To clear the Google Drive cache:

• Open Settings on your phone and go to installed apps, notifications, or apps.
• Search for Google Drive under all applications.
• Click Storage inside Google Drive.
• Finally, click Clear Cache. Restart your phone.

8. Check out another device

A great way to make sure Google updates your storage is to check another device. If you delete files from the phone, check the web and vice versa.

Conclusion:

The key to success is having patience. If you delete a large number of files from Google Drive, you must wait at least 24 hours after trying the above steps before panicking. We hope that the updated volume is reflected later, and Google Drive Storage Full but No Files in It Issue will get resolve.