Did you know well over 1.5 billion people around the world use Gmail? Having a Gmail account not only gives you access to email management but Google’s ecosystem of apps too. This includes YouTube and Google Drive.
Yes, you get free access to a limited amount of Google Drive storage as soon as you sign up for a Gmail account. However, constant use might lead to a jumbled mess of files and folders. You might even have a Google Drive duplicate folder causing trouble.
It’s time to look for those duplicates and delete them. This should be a priority and not an afterthought. Discover why you should look for those duplicates with our list below.
Saves Space
One of the biggest reasons to remove duplicates is to save space. For free users, you get an initial 15 GB of storage. If you upgrade to any of the Google One plans, you can get 100 GB or more.
15 GB of space might seem like a lot but that fills up quickly. Consider how many photos and videos a person takes each day. If you use your Gmail and Google Drive for work, you need to also consider all the PDF files, attachments, and messages.
Finding and removing a duplicate folder will help you save valuable space. You can use that space to store additional files, photos, and videos.
What happens when you run out of space? Google won’t remove your files and you can still access them even if they exceed the storage limit. You won’t receive emails and you can’t upload new files to Google Drive, however.
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You Pay For Storage Space
Another reason to clear your Google Drive folder of any duplicates is the fact you might be using an upgraded account. If this is the case, you should maximize the space you pay for. Don’t allow duplicate folders to consume the service you spend money on.
How much do people spend on Google Drive? The initial 15 GB is free and comes as part of the Gmail service. Extra storage is part of the Google One plan.
You can spend $1.99 per month for 100 GB. It’ll cost $2.99 a month for 200 GB. There are also plans for 1 TB and more storage space.
If you use the free 15 GB and suddenly hit your storage limit, don’t immediately pay for more. Let Google Drive remove duplicates first. After a thorough cleanup, you might free up enough space to prevent you from spending more.
Eliminates Potential Viruses
A Google Drive duplicate folder could also come from harmful viruses. Viruses and other forms of malware spread by replicating and infecting multiple folders. If you see a bunch of unfamiliar duplicate folders, you might have a virus infection.
How do you tell virus duplicates from folders you accidentally uploaded twice? Most virus files and folders appear as hidden files. They’ll also appear as .exe files even when they appear as folders.
Don’t open these folders and don’t try to access the files. Running and transferring these duplicates could trigger them to keep spreading. You’ll need some special tools to hunt them all down and eliminate them before they cause further trouble.
If you don’t remove these duplicates from Google Drive, you risk infecting every phone or PC you use. Every time you log in to Google Drive, you risk spreading those duplicates to the local device.
Makes It Easier to Find Important Files
Ever had to look for one specific photo amid a sea of files? If you have duplicates filling up your Google Drive, you’ll have to sort through the same folders over and over again. This wastes time and it can get stressful to hunt down one file or folder.
Removing duplicates makes it a lot easier and quicker to find specific files and folders.
Once you eliminate all the duplicates, you need to sort the stuff you have left. You can use tools that automatically sort files for you. You can also do it manually.
You need to edit the meta tags for each file and folder. You can use hashtags to sort them together. For example, you can name a folder “Mary and Ken Wedding 2021” and then alter the meta description for all the photos in it to fit that category.
Reduce Slowdown
Ever tried to access a Google Drive folder filled to the brim with files? The more duplicates there are, the slower it’ll take your device to read them. Even a fast device, like an iPhone 13 or gaming laptop, will struggle to read thousands of folders at once.
Is one of your Google Drive folders causing a slowdown even when there aren’t a lot of files inside it? Enable the option to see hidden files and executables. You may find duplicates and viruses hiding in plain sight.
Prevent slowdown by getting rid of duplicates as early as you can. Once you delete the duplicates, limit the number of files inside a folder. Break things down by using folders inside a folder.
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Faster File Transfer
Take a look at one of your folders in Google Drive. If it’s as big as 4 GB, it might take some time to transfer the contents to a USB flash drive or phone. However, this might be a case where the size of the folder increased tenfold because of duplicate folders and files.
Delete those duplicates and compare the folder’s size a second time. If it’s smaller, even by a little bit, it’ll take less time to transfer the contents to a flash drive.
Remove Files In Your Google Drive Duplicate Folder Today
Now you know why it’s important to find and eliminate what’s in your Google Drive duplicate folder. Duplicates could indicate a virus infection and they consume valuable storage space, space you might be paying for. Duplicates also slow down file transferring and make it harder for you to find the files you need.
Of course, managing your Google Drive is only one aspect to master. For more Google Drive and technology tips, we suggest reading our other posts. We offer tons of tips and tricks for you to check out!
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Would you like to read more about Google Drive-related articles? If so, we invite you to take a look at our other tech topics before you leave!
