Did you know that Google allows you to store all your documents, photos, and more in a way that allows you to access them from anywhere? You can even share them with family members! Below, we’ll discuss Google Drive storage options and where to find adaptive technology training.
Google Drive vs Google One Comparison
Google Drive is a cloud storage service provided by Google. This storage solution allows you to save files online and access them anywhere from any device. You can use up to 15GB of free storage.
Google One is essentially the paid version of Google Drive. It gives you extra storage (beyond the free 15GB) across Drive, Gmail, and Photos. You can share this storage with up to five family members.
Plans begin at 100GB for $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year. If you need to store many photos and videos, Google’s premium plan gives you 2TB for $9.99 a month / $99.99 a year.
If you’re still using a free Google account and don’t want to switch, you can visit the Google One page to take advantage of a tool that may help you free up some extra storage space.
Sharing Cloud Storage with Family Members
If you want to share your storage, you must create a shared family group. Here’s how:
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Go to Google’s family plan page and click “Get started.”
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Next, click on “Create family group.”
You can invite up to five family members if they have Google accounts. Some suggestions will be listed, but you can type in a name (if they’re in your contacts list) or an email.
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The person you invited will be sent an email, and you’ll be emailed when they accept the invitation. The invitation will expire in two weeks.
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Once you’ve set up your family account, you can then set up your shared storage:
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In your Google One account, click the settings icon on the left.
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Look for “Share Google One with family” under the “Manage Family Settings” drop-down and toggle it on.
To enable shared storage, go to settings and look for “Share Google One with family.”
Now, members of your family can also use the additional storage. Once they use up their free 15GB, they will gain access to the additional storage your account gives them—this does not mean you have access to their files unless they share them directly with you.
Checking Your Storage Capacity
If you want to see how much of your storage each family member uses, go to your Google One account, click “Storage” on the left, and select the down arrow next to “Family Storage.”
You can see how much storage you have left by going to your Google Drive page and looking at the Storage statistic at the bottom of the left-hand column.
Now that you know how much space you have left, you can decide what to do next. If you’re getting close to your limit, do you want to pay for more storage space or find a different service to store your photos? It’s up to you.
One word of advice: before you do anything else, try to delete any old, unwanted, or duplicate files hanging around in your Google storage. You’d be amazed at how much space you might save.
Outlook Enrichment’s adaptive technology trainers can show you how to maximize your Google storage. Anyone with vision loss can come to Enrichment’s open lab every Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. You can also schedule an appointment for a one-on-one adaptive technology training session at a time that works for you.
