Where have my Gb gone?

[ptkelly]

I have an Acer with 128Gb. The Files App says I have 18Gb left. That app also says I have seven optional apps installed that total less than 1Gb. I was running a lot of apps but I converted all but the seven optional apps to running on websites through Google Chrome Browser. Since Chrome OS runs on devices with 16Gb I assume it isn't eating up all my Gb.

What's the explanation? Where did it go?

 

[B. Diddy]

Do you have a lot of files in Google Drive marked as Available Offline?

 

[ptkelly]

I went to Google Docs and none of the files showing there are set to be available offline. The offline option was turned off.

When I go to Google Drive, which I don't understand at all, I see some Google Doc files in a folder named "Files" which doesn't show up in the directory. Under Google Drive, Storage shows a total of less than 40Gb being used.

My cell phone shows a similar use of memory.

 

[B. Diddy]

Look at the storage details for the general breakdown of what is using how much storage. I'm the Chrome OS Files app, click the menu button to find that storage breakdown.
What does that say?

 

[ptkelly]

I have two "Files" apps. One says I have 17Gb free and the other says 24Gb free.

If I go to storage in Chrome OS settings under Storage Managment, it says I have 17Gb free, out of 128, but it only shows:
My files
544 MB
Browsing data
137 MB
Android storage
2.1 GB
Other users
0 B

That accounts for about 3Gb.

 

[ptkelly]

Okay, I reloaded Google Photos as an app and disconnected from WiFi and Bluetooth. I get all my photos. Photos back more than thirteen years. Thousands of photos. If I can access all of them that means they're on internal memory.

How do I move the old ones to the cloud? Since I sync the photos I suspect they're somewhere on the cloud already but if I delete them from my internal memory I have absolutely no idea how to find them on the cloud.

 

[B. Diddy]

Photos back more than thirteen years. Thousands of photos. If I can access all of them that means they're on internal memory.

No, I don't think this is the case. Google Photos is simply "streaming" your cloud photos, without downloading the actual photos to storage (unless you manually download a photo). If you had a ton of photos locally saved, they should show up in those storage stats you shared above. You could always look in the Google Photo app's menu and see if the Free Up Space option says you'll gain any storage back, but I doubt it.

I agree it's odd that your Chromebook is reporting such little space available. Try installing Cog form the Chrome Web Store and see what it reports as the total Storage: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/...viewer/difcjdggkffcfgcfconafogflmmaadco?hl=en

If all else fails, you might consider doing a Powerwash and starting from scratch (which, on a Chromebook, should only take about 10 minutes, rather than the hours and hours on a PC).

 

[ptkelly]

No, I don't think this is the case. Google Photos is simply "streaming" your cloud photos, without downloading the actual photos to storage (unless you manually download a photo). If you had a ton of photos locally saved, they should show up in those storage stats you shared above. You could always look in the Google Photo app's menu and see if the Free Up Space option says you'll gain any storage back, but I doubt it.

I agree it's odd that your Chromebook is reporting such little space available. Try installing Cog form the Chrome Web Store and see what it reports as the total Storage: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/...viewer/difcjdggkffcfgcfconafogflmmaadco?hl=en

If all else fails, you might consider doing a Powerwash and starting from scratch (which, on a Chromebook, should only take about 10 minutes, rather than the hours and hours on a PC).

I powerwash fairly often so that wasn't a biggie. I'm downloading a bit but it's about 8Gb in use instead of 112Gb. I should have mentioned but I recently switched over to the Beta channel. Could that have done it?

Also I made an error. My phone is okay.

 

[ptkelly]

Thanks, B. Diddy.

 

[B. Diddy]

The Beta channel switch might have been the culprit. I've never done Beta, so I can't speak from firsthand experience. I'll ask in a Chromebook group over on MeWe to see if anyone there has had that experience.