Hey everyone! I’m in a bit of a pickle here. I’ve got a ton of pictures (like, over 500k) sitting in my Google Drive’s main folder, and I’m trying to get rid of them all. I’ve already tried a bunch of stuff:
Clicking and deleting manually - yeah, that’s not happening. Way too many files!
Tried to hook up my Drive to my computer and run a script, but kept running into permission problems.
Even gave Google Apps Script a shot, but it keeps hitting limits or taking forever.
I’m kinda stuck now. Anyone know a trick to zap all these files quickly? I’d love to hear if you’ve dealt with something like this before. Any ideas would be awesome!
I’ve been in a similar situation before, and I found that using Google Drive’s built-in ‘Select all’ feature can be surprisingly effective for large-scale deletions. Here’s what worked for me:
Go to drive.google.com and navigate to your main folder. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+A (or Cmd+A on Mac) to select all files. Then, right-click and choose ‘Remove’. This method can handle a large number of files at once, though you might need to repeat the process a few times for 500k+ files.
If that still proves too slow, consider creating a new Google account, sharing your entire Drive with it, and then using that account to delete everything. This can sometimes bypass certain limitations. Just remember to revoke access afterward for security.
hey, i had a similar issue. try using rclone, it’s pretty good for bulk operations. you’ll need to set it up first, but once done, you can delete everything with a single command. just be careful not to accidentally wipe important stuff! it’s way faster than the web interface.
As someone who’s dealt with massive file cleanup on Google Drive, I can tell you it’s a real headache. One method that worked wonders for me was using Google Drive’s desktop app. Install it, sync your Drive to your computer, then use your OS’s file manager to delete everything. It’s way faster than the web interface.
Another trick is to create a new folder, move everything into it (which is quicker than deleting), then delete that single folder. It’s counterintuitive, but Drive handles it much better.
If all else fails, consider a third-party tool like MultCloud. It’s designed for managing cloud storage and can handle bulk operations more efficiently than Drive’s native interface. Just be cautious with permissions.
Remember, whatever method you choose, it’ll take time. Start the process and let it run overnight. Good luck with your cleanup!