LEAVING GOOGLE ONE
Get under 15 GB before you cancel Google One, not after.
Cancelling deletes nothing. It puts your Google Account back to the free storage of up to 15 GB shared by Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. Google says that over the limit you cannot upload to Drive, cannot back up to Photos, and cannot send or receive Gmail — messages sent to you go back to the sender. Export first, get under the line, and change the plan last.
Sources checked Sep 21, 2026 – Sep 23, 2026
START WITH THE SETUP
Before you change the plan
- 01
Find out what is using the space. Google counts Gmail messages and attachments, including your Spam and Trash folders; files in Google Drive; and Google Photos backups at original quality, plus Storage saver and Express quality backed up after June 1, 2021. Files in “Shared with me” do not use your storage.
- 02
Decide whether you are downgrading or leaving. Google says a downgrade takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle, and that a cancelled membership keeps its storage and benefits until the end of the current one. Either way, each person keeps their default storage of up to 15 GB at no charge.
- 03
Check who else is on the plan. If you share Google One with a family group, every member falls back to their own 15 GB, so tell them before you cancel rather than after.
- 04
Allow time for the export. Google says a data download can take from a few minutes to a few days, and that most people get the link the same day they ask for it.
WORK THROUGH THE MOVE
Export, check, free up space, then downgrade
- 1
Start the export in Google Takeout. Drive and Google Photos are separate selections. For delivery Google offers a download link by email, or sending the archive to Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, or Box. Sending it to Drive uses the storage you are trying to free, so choose the email link or another service.
- 2
Choose the archive settings before you start. Google offers a one-time archive or scheduled exports every 2 months for one year; Zip or Tgz files, noting that you may need additional software to open a Tgz on Windows; and a maximum archive size, so a large library arrives as several files rather than one.
- 3
Download it while the link still works. Google says an archive expires in about 7 days, and that each archive can only be downloaded 5 times before you have to request another. Do not start an export you will not be around to collect.
- 4
For photos, consider the copy route rather than a download. Google documents copying your photos and videos to a service outside Google, covering photos, videos, albums, and descriptions, and says photos and videos are not deleted from your Google Account after you transfer them. Apple documents the same move from the other side: a Google Takeout transfer into iCloud Photos, which needs free iCloud space first.
- 5
Take Drive files in a format you can open. On drive.google.com you can download a file directly, and Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides can be saved as PDF, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or JPEG. Google says that if you cannot download a file, the owner may have turned off printing, downloading, and copying for people with view or comment access.
- 6
Sort out files other people own. Items in “Shared with me” never used your storage and are not part of your own export. Make your own copy, or ask the owner, while you still have access. Google says anyone you shared a file with can carry on using it until you permanently delete it, and loses access when you do.
- 7
Only then free up space, and mind the bins. Google says files you move to the Drive trash are deleted forever after 30 days, and that deleted photos and videos stay in the Google Photos trash for 30 days before permanent deletion, after which they cannot be restored. Gmail’s Spam and Trash count toward your storage as well, so emptying them is part of getting under the line.
- 8
Change the plan last. On a computer, Google documents Google One → Manage membership → Change membership plan, then a plan from Downgrade options; if there is no downgrade option you are already on the lowest plan. A downgrade starts at your next billing cycle, a cancellation runs to the end of the current one, and Google says storage plan purchases are non-refundable in most countries or regions.
- 9
Know what happens if you are still over afterwards. Google says all your files stay safe but you cannot store anything new: no uploads to Drive, no backups to Photos, and no sending or receiving in Gmail, with messages sent to you going back to the sender. If you stay over quota for 2 years, Google says your content across Gmail, Drive, and Photos may be removed, and that it gives at least 3 months’ notice by email first.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Four things the move can leave behind
Check these specifically. An archive that downloaded is not proof that everything you use is inside it.
- A document someone else created
- Files in “Shared with me” do not use your storage and are not part of your own export. Make your own copy, or ask the owner, while you still have access. Google says anyone you shared a file with keeps access until the file is permanently deleted.
- The moving part of a Live Photo
- Google lists what a copy to another service leaves out: failed videos and broken photos that cannot be displayed, Locked Folder content, Memories and creations that are not saved, the video portion of Motion Photos and Live Photos, manually edited metadata such as comments added to a photo, and anything in the trash.
- Your email, on the day the plan ends
- Gmail counts toward the same allowance, including Spam and Trash. Over the limit, Google says you cannot send or receive email and that messages sent to you go back to the sender, so email is usually the first thing people notice after a downgrade.
- An archive that expired while you were away
- Google says an archive expires in about 7 days and can be downloaded 5 times. Start the export when you can collect it, and check that the files inside open before you delete anything from Drive or Photos.
Downgrade to a smaller plan, or leave entirely?
If you are still over the free allowance, both end in the same place, so the number that matters is your total rather than the plan name. Google says a downgrade takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle, that a cancellation keeps your storage and benefits until the end of the current one, and that each person then keeps up to 15 GB at no charge. It also says storage plan purchases are non-refundable in most countries or regions, so cancelling early does not return the rest of the month.
Whichever you pick, do the exporting and the clearing out first. Moving your files off Dropbox as well? The Dropbox guide covers downloads, shared folders, and Dropbox Basic’s 2 GB. The iCloud+ guide covers the same ground for Apple, including what happens to device backups.
A GOOD REASON TO WAIT
Do not change the plan yet if
- Your Google total is still above 15 GB. Gmail stops sending and receiving, not just Drive.
- You have not opened the archive and checked that the files inside open.
- The photos you care about are Live Photos or Motion Photos, or sit in a Locked Folder.
- Other people share the plan and do not know they are going back to 15 GB each.
When to use the provider’s instructions
This is a planning guide, not account-recovery, legal, or data-protection advice. Every vendor statement here comes from the official help pages listed below, on the date shown. Providers change their steps and their limits, so open the provider’s current page before you delete or cancel anything.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Compare what you would move to.
iCloud+ and Google One side by side: free storage, US plan prices, family sharing, what uses the space, and what happens if you go over or stop paying.