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How To Delete Files In Google Drive

Follow this simple and easy guide to know how to delete files whilst using Google Drive
Last Updated on July 15, 2024
How to Delete Files in Google Drive
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How would you react if someone asked you to delete a file from Google Drive? If you don’t know how to do it, then you might be surprised to hear that deleting files from Google Drive is actually really simple.

Google Drive is a cloud storage service that allows you to store documents, photos, music, and other types of data. The problem is that once you upload something to Google Drive, it can become very difficult to remove or even edit it if you don’t know how.

In this tutorial, we will show you how to delete files from Google Drive. We will use the official Google Drive app on Android and iOS devices. You can also use an alternative web-based interface for Google Drive.


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1

Delete File From Google Drive

Using Official App For Android And iOS Devices

Step

1

Open Google Drive On Your Device

Open the Google Drive app on your mobile phone or tablet. You will see all your files, documents and pictures that you have stored in the app.

Step

2

Click On The Folder Where The File Resides

Click on the folder where the document was uploaded to Google Drive. This will take you to the file that you wish to remove.

Step

3

Select The Image

Click the three dots underneath the image that is next to the file name. A pop up will appear with a number of actions.

Click on ‘Remove’. This will move the file to the bin.

Select the Image

Step

4

Confirm Image Removal

A pop-up will appear asking you to confirm moving of the document to the bin. Click “Move to Bin”.

Confirm Image Removal

Step

5

Go To The Bin

Click the arrow in the top left corner to go back.

Click on the three menu lines in the top left corner. In the menu click “Bin”.

Step

6

Delete The File Permanently

Just like before, click on the three dots under the file, and next to the title.

A pop up will appear. Click on “Delete Forever.”

This will remove the file completely. You can also leave it. After 30 days, the file will automatically delete.

Delete the File Permanently

2

Delete Document From Google Drive Using Web Based Interface

If you are not comfortable with using the official Google Drive app, you can still access your files through the web based interface.

Follow these steps to delete a document from Google Drive using the web interface.

Step

1

Log In To Your Google Account

Log in to your Google account on a computer or laptop. If you are already logged in, you can also click the 9 dots that are located to the right of the screen to bring up the Google applications.

This will bring up your dashboard.

Log in to your Google account

Step

2

Go To The Documents Tab

Go to the documents section under My Drive. This will bring up all your files.

Go to the Documents tab

Step

3

Find The Document That Needs To Be Deleted

Select the document that you wish to delete. Right click and press “Remove”.

Find the document that needs to be deleted

Step

4

File Has Been Moved To Bin

A window will pop up saying that it has been moved to the recycling bin. You can click “Undo” if it has been a mistake.

File Has Been Moved to Bin

Step

5

Confirm Deletion

To delete completely, click on the Bin icon and right click. Click “Delete Forever”.

Confirm deletion

Step

6

Restart Your Browser

Restart your browser to make sure that the changes have been applied.

That’s all! Your document has now been removed from Google Drive.

Final Thoughts

Google Drive offers an amazing service which allows users to store their important documents online. It also provides a simple way to share files with others.

However, sometimes we may accidentally upload sensitive data like passwords, bank statements, etc. onto our drives.

Deleting such files is very important because they contain confidential information. In case you did happen to upload such data, there are some ways to get rid of it.

We hope this article helps you out.

Andrew is one of three co-founders of BGFG, the parent company of PC Guide. A keen gamer and PC enthusiast, Andrew dabbles in a bit of writing sometimes - when he gets the chance to!