If you store files in Google Drive, there will likely come a time when you want to delete one of those files. Whether you’re just deleting a few files that you don’t really need anymore, or clearing things out to try and free up some storage space, deleting files will be inevitable.
So if you want to delete files from Google Drive, you’re in the right place, because today, that’s exactly what I’m going to show you how to do.
In this article, I’m specifically going to show you how to delete files from the Google Drive website on a computer, but if you want to delete files from Google Drive using the app on your phone, I have a different article about how to do that here.
Obviously, if you’re deleting files from the same account they will disappear from both the website and the app. But if you want to use your computer to delete the files, this will be the article for you, and if you want to use your phone or tablet to delete the files, you’ll want to read my other article.
Prefer to watch a video about how to delete files from Google Drive? Click here.
How To Remove Files From Google Drive
To delete files from Google Drive on your computer, the first thing you’ll need to do is go to drive.google.com and sign in with your Google account if you’re not already signed in.
Now, you’ll need to find the file you want to delete and single-click on it so that it becomes highlighted (as opposed to double-clicking on it to open it).
Now that the file you want to delete is selected, all you have to do is click on the trash can icon in the top right hand corner…
And that’s all you have to do! Now the file will be moved to the trash folder where it will stay for the next 30 days, and then it will be permanently deleted.
And you’ll see a little message in the bottom left hand corner of the screen letting you know the file has been moved to the trash.
So that’s all you have to do if you’re just deleting a few files that you don’t really want anymore, but it’s worth keeping in mind that while the files are in the trash, they will still count towards your Google Drive storage.
So if you want to permanently delete them right now to instantly free up some storage space, you’ll want to skip down to later on in this article where I show you how to permanently delete the files from the trash.
How To Delete Multiple Files From Google Drive
If you want to delete multiple files at once from Google Drive, the process is really fairly similar. First, you’ll need to find the files you want to delete.
Now, single-click on the first file that you want to delete so that it’s selected (as opposed to double-clicking on the file to open it).
And then, hold down the shift key on your keyboard, and click on the last file you want to delete, and then all the files in between will be selected.
Now that all the files you want to delete have been selected, all you have to do is click the trash can icon in the top right hand corner…
And they’ll all be moved to trash! And that’s all you have to do! Now they will just stay in the trash folder of your Google Drive for the next 30 days, and then they will be permanently deleted.
So, if you just wanted to delete these files because you don’t need them anymore, this is all you have to do. But while the files are in the trash folder for the next 30 days, they will still count towards your Google Drive storage.
So if you want to permanently delete the files right now to free up some space in your Google Drive, you’ll need to follow the next few steps below.
How To Permanently Delete Files From Google Drive
After you’ve moved the files you want to delete into the trash by following the steps above, if you want to permanently delete the files from the trash, the first thing you’ll need to do is click on “Trash” in the menu on the left hand side of the screen.
Now, you’ll see all the files that are currently in your trash. And if you’re happy to permanently delete everything from your trash, you can just click on “Empty trash” near the top right hand corner of the screen…
And then, you’ll see a popup message asking you if you’re sure you want to permanently delete all the files in your trash because you won’t be able to restore them after you’ve done this. But as long as you’re sure, go ahead and click “Delete forever”.
And now, all the files that were in trash will be permanently deleted! And that’s all you have to do!
But, if you’re not comfortable with the idea of permanently deleting everything from your trash, you can actually just delete one or a few of the files from the trash quite easily.
To do that, all you need to do is single-click on the file you want to delete so that it’s selected (or hold shift and select multiple files to delete multiple at once).
And then, click on the trash can icon in the top right hand corner…
And you’ll see a popup message asking you if you want to permanently delete the selected files. It’s worth keeping in mind that after you’ve done this you won’t be able to get the files back. But as long as you’re sure you want to proceed, go ahead and click “Delete forever”.
And now the file(s) you selected will be permanently deleted!
So that’s all there is to it, now you know how to delete files from Google Drive, and how to permanently delete files from the trash in Google Drive.
