Available disk spaces does not increase after deleting files on an external drive.
When a file is deleted, the space used on the disk is not reclaimed until the file is truly erased. The trash (recycle bin on Windows) is actually a hidden folder located in each hard drive. To completely delete the file, another step must be performed.
Macintosh:
Files, when deleted, are sent to the "Trash". To remove the file and reclaim the space, empty the trash can.
Right click or press command and click on the Trash can icon and choose the option "Empty Trash".
If that does not correct the free space reporting, then eject the drive by dragging it to the trash can, unplug the drive for 30 seconds then reconnect it.
If the drive still doesn't correctly reflect the free space then run First AID on the drive.
- With nothing selected, choose Go from the Apple menu.
- Choose Utilities
- Choose Disk Utility
- Choose the LaCie External drive
- Click the First AID icon at the top of the Disk Utility Windows
- Run First AID until it completes without any errors.
If the drive has been formatted HFS+ or APFS some files may not be visiable to all users. Log in as any other users on the Mac to see if large files may be taking up space.
Windows:
Files are sent to the "Recycle Bin" when they are deleted from a Windows machine. To empty this folder and reclaim the space, right-click its icon, and left-click "Empty Recycle Bin" on the menu that appears.
If that does not correct the free space reporting, then eject the drive, unplug the drive for 30 seconds then reconnect it.
If the drive is formated NTFS, some files may be hidden from the current user. If your system has multple users, log in as the other users to see if any protected large files exist.
FAQs
Why is my hard drive still full after deleting files? Available disk space does not increase after deleting files. When a file is deleted, the space used on the disk is not reclaimed until the file is truly erased. The trash (recycle bin on Windows) is actually a hidden folder located in each hard drive.
Why is my storage still full after deleting stuff? ›
Cached Data: Sometimes, apps store temporary data or cache files on your phone's internal storage. Even if you delete files, these cached data may still occupy space. Clearing the cache of specific apps or using a cache cleaner app can help free up storage.
Why is my Google Drive storage not freeing up after deleting? ›
Resolution. Once you have deleted your data from Google, they will be sent to your Trash. Data in Trash will be automatically deleted after 30 days. However, data in Trash still count against your storage limit, so you should empty your Trash after deleting it.
Why is my hard drive still full after deleting files on my Mac? ›
Deleted files Mac but still no space can be caused by any error in macOS, like macOS can't repair the disk. It will not be possible to reclaim the drive space used by a deleted file until we truly delete it from the Mac. Some processes can remain the file unclosed which stops it to delete from the disk.
How do I manually free up disk space? ›
Here's how to free up hard drive space on your desktop or laptop, even if you've never done it before.
- Uninstall unnecessary apps and programs. ...
- Clean your desktop. ...
- Get rid of monster files. ...
- Use the Disk Cleanup Tool. ...
- Discard temporary files. ...
- Deal with downloads. ...
- Save to the cloud.
Note that files in the Deleted files will continue to consume space till they're permanently removed. Read on to find out more about how to immediately remove files from the Deleted folder if you're out of storage space. You can also recover deleted files at any time before they're permanently deleted.
Why does Google keep saying my storage is full when it's not? ›
There are some reasons should be responsible for Gmail account storage is full but it's not, let's find out: Deleted emails in Trash or Spam folders still taking up space. Large attachments impact storage. Shared files and folders using up storage quota.
Why are my deleted photos but storage still full Google Drive? ›
It is caused by many reasons. Cached Thumbnails: Sometimes, even after you delete photos, your device may keep cached thumbnails or previews of those photos. These cached files can take up space. Auto-Backup Settings: Check if your device is set to automatically back up photos or videos.
Why is my storage still full after deleting in Gmail? ›
This happens because Gmail uses a distribute architecture to maintain storage, ensuring redundancy and backup to avoid atrocities like data loss. Thus,if you have emptied your trash bin but Gmail is still showing storage full, try signing out of your Gmail account and then sign in again to see if the issues resolves.
How do I clean up my hard drive after deleting files? ›
Wipe files
The most common way of wiping deleted files from your hard drive is to permanently remove them with data wiping software. Pros: Wiping files with data wiping software is a simple and straightforward option that doesn't require you to take any additional steps. Just select the file and wipe it.
When it comes to taking out the trash, flash drives are a lot like computers: deleting something doesn't automatically make it go away. This is the number one reason why USB drives read as full—your flash memory is being used up by your deleted data!
Does emptying the Recycle Bin free up space? ›
Emptying the recycle bin frees up the storage space occupied by those files, so in the future it simply overwrites the information in that same index. Thus, a deleted file can last invisibly for days, weeks, or months on your computer until the operating system wants to occupy it with a new one.
Why is deleting photos not clearing space? ›
Check the Recently Deleted Folder
This means that deleted data still exists on your phone—and is synced to iCloud—for some time, despite you having deleted it. People commonly forget to clear this album out since the folder is buried far down in the Photos app.
Why does Disk Cleanup not delete files? ›
Generally speaking, Disk Cleanup not deleting temporary Internet files or other types of files may be due to the following reasons: Disk Cleanup is not granted administrator privileges. The current account does not have permission to delete a certain file. There are corrupted system files.
Why does deleting files on Dropbox not free up space? ›
Deleted files don't count against your storage quota, so permanently deleting them won't free up space. If other Dropbox users have a copy of the files that you permanently delete, their copies won't be deleted.
