Why Google Drive streaming uses disk space
Jump to instructions ↓Your computer
Mirrored files
Offline files
Recently used streamed files
Your Google account
Drive files you own
Gmail
Google Photos
Changing My Drive to streaming does not increase your cloud allowance.
Check which mode you use
- Open Drive for desktop.
- Open Settings → Preferences, then Folders from Drive. Google’s other instructions call this section Google Drive.
- Look under My Drive syncing options: is Stream files or Mirror files selected?
If you already use streaming
- Check Drive’s sync status. Resolve pending uploads before considering any cleanup.
- Inspect the files or folders you deliberately made available offline. In streaming mode, their right-click menu has Offline access options. Keep the ones you need without an internet connection.
- Check Folders from your computer separately. Those folders use mirroring even when My Drive uses streaming; switching My Drive does not remove their local contents.
- Compare your computer’s free disk space with your Google account’s storage usage. They are separate limits, so a full Google account is not evidence of a large local cache.
Recently opened files can remain cached. Do not delete the cache folder to force a quick fix: it can contain changes that have not reached the cloud. If disk use is still unexplained, note your operating system, sync mode and any sync errors before contacting Drive support.
Switching from mirroring
Wait for local files to finish syncing. Then select Stream files in the same settings. Your file location changes and the old mirrored folder stops syncing.
Google’s Windows procedure requires quitting Drive before removing the old mirrored folder. Confirm the cloud copies and the exact old folder first. If you cannot identify it confidently, stop: do not delete a folder merely because its name contains “Drive.”
This changes local disk use, not your Google cloud quota.