How do I Delete backups from Google Drive?

Google Drive is an online storage service provided by Google that allows users to store files and folders on Google’s servers. One of the useful features of Google Drive is the ability to create backups of your files and folders. Backups allow you to restore older versions of files in case you accidentally delete or modify them.

While backups can be useful, they can also take up a lot of storage space on your Google Drive account over time. If you want to delete old backups to free up storage space, here are some tips on how to do that.

Find the Backups Folder

Google Drive saves all backups in a special folder called “Backups.” To find this folder:

1. Open Google Drive in a web browser.
2. Look for the Backups folder in the left sidebar.
3. If you don’t see it, click on “More” at the bottom of the sidebar to view all folders.
4. The Backups folder may be hidden here – click “Show” to reveal it.

View Backup Contents

Once you locate the Backups folder, click it to view its contents. You will see:

• Backup folders for each of your Google Drive files and folders that have backups enabled.
• Inside each backup folder is a dated folder for every backup created.

For example, if you have a folder called “Reports” with backups enabled, you would see a “Reports” backup folder. Inside that are dated folders like “Reports – Dec 12, 2022” for each backup created.

Select Backups to Delete

Now that you can view your backups, decide which ones you want to delete. Good candidates include:

• Very old backups you likely no longer need.
• Backups of files/folders you have deleted.
• Multiple backups created close together.

Try to keep backups that are recent and retain important file history just in case. But deleting older and redundant backups can recover a lot of drive space.

Delete Backup Folders

To delete a backup folder:

1. Navigate to the backup folder you want to remove.
2. Right click on the folder and choose “Delete”.
3. Confirm deletion in the popup dialog.

The entire dated backup folder and all its contents will be sent to the trash.

Delete Backups from Trash

After you delete backup folders, empty your Trash to recover the storage space on Drive:

1. Open the Trash from the left sidebar.
2. Select all items.
3. Click “Empty trash” at the top.
4. Confirm deletion in the popup.

This permanently removes the backup folders and files from Google Drive.

Disable Backups

In addition to deleting old backups, you can disable backups entirely for files/folders you don’t need them for anymore. This prevents new backups from accumulating:

1. Right-click on the file/folder.
2. Uncheck “Back up to Drive.”
3. Confirm disabling backups.

Alternative Ways to Delete Backups

Aside from directly deleting backups in Google Drive’s web interface, there are a couple other options:

Use Google Drive Desktop App

If you have the Google Drive app installed on your computer, you can delete backups:

1. Open the Google Drive app.
2. Find and right click the backup folder.
3. Select “Remove from My Drive.”
4. Confirm deletion in the popup.

Use Google Takeout

Google Takeout lets you export all your Google data and then selectively delete services. You can use it to remove Drive backups:

1. Go to takeout.google.com
2. Deselect all services except Google Drive.
3. For Drive, deselect everything except “Backups.”
4. Click “All Drive data included” to confirm.
5. Export data and download the backup archive.
6. Now empty the Trash on Google Drive to delete the backups.

Tips for Managing Backups

Here are some additional tips for managing your Google Drive backups efficiently:

• Check backup sizes in Drive to identify which folders are taking up the most space.
• Sort backups by last modified date to see the oldest ones.
• Only enable backups for important files, not everything.
• Delete backups right after important milestones like projects or tax seasons.
• Create a reminder to review and delete backups every few months.

Conclusion

Deleting old Google Drive backups can quickly free up storage space on your account. Simply navigate to the Backups folder, select dated backups to remove, and empty your Trash to complete the process. Disabling backups for unneeded files provides additional control.

With a regular cleanup routine, you can enjoy all the benefits of protecting your files with Google Drive backups without the massive storage requirements piling up over time.