Digital declutter

Finding and deleting large files

Removing files you no longer need helps keep your digital storage organised and manageable. Large files in particular can quickly take up significant space, so reviewing and removing them can have an immediate impact when decluttering. The same approach can also be used to remove other files that are no longer required, not only those identified by size.

Before deleting a file or folder, be mindful of whether it has been shared with others.

• Folders that have been shared will show a person icon on the folder.
• Files that have been shared will display a person icon next to the file name.

How to find and delete files

1. Within Google Drive, select Storage from the left navigation menu. This is shown at the bottom of the menu.
2. Your files will be displayed in size order, with the largest files listed first.
3. Review the files and remove any that are no longer needed by right-clicking the file and selecting Move to bin.

Emptying the file bin

When files are removed from Google Drive, they are moved to the bin and will be fully removed automatically after 30 days. Emptying the bin manually allows you to remove these files immediately and recover storage space sooner. However, any files in the bin will contribute towards your storage allocation.

How to empty the file bin

1. Within Google Drive, select Bin from the left navigation menu. Review the files to confirm nothing is needed before proceeding.
2. To fully remove all files, select Empty bin.
3. To fully remove a single file, select the More options (three dots) next to the file and choose Delete forever.

ℹ️ Moving files from Google My Drive to OneDrive

As part of Phase 1A of the Modern Work Programme (Personal Productivity), all Google My Drive files in your _MWP_Migration folder were migrated to Microsoft OneDrive. If you still have files in Google My Drive that you require access to, they should be moved to OneDrive. Steps for this are available in the Importing files from Google Drive to OneDrive section of the Working with OneDrive page.

Removing shared files and folders

Files and folders in Shared with me are owned and managed by other individuals and have been shared with you for access. They are not your responsibility to manage, do not count towards your personal storage, and do not need to be deleted on behalf of others.

If you no longer need to see shared items for your own organisation, you can remove them from your view. This does not change access permissions or ownership and does not delete the file for anyone else.

How to remove shared files and folders from your view

1. Within Google Drive, select Shared with me from the left navigation menu.
2. Select the files or folders you want to remove.
3. Right-click and choose Remove.

Review shared drives you have access to

This step helps you identify which shared drives you currently have access to in Google Drive. Reviewing this list allows you to understand which shared locations you are connected to before taking any further action.

How to locate shared drives

Use this step to view all shared drives you are currently a member of.

1. Within Google Drive, select Shared drives from the left-hand menu.
2. You will see a list of all shared drives that you currently have access to.
3. Select a shared drive to view its folders and files.

Check your access level in shared drives

Checking your access level in a shared drive helps you understand what actions you are able to take and what responsibility you have within that shared location. Your access role determines whether you can manage members, edit content, or view files only.

How to check your access level

1. While inside a shared drive, select the drive name at the top of the screen.
2. Select Manage or view members to view who has access to the drive.
3. Your access level will be shown next to your name.

Understanding shared drive access roles

Shared drives use different access roles, which determine what actions you can take:

• Manager: full control of the shared drive, including managing members and deleting the drive
• Content manager: can add, edit, move, and delete files
• Contributor: can add and edit files, but has limited management permissions
• Commenter: can comment on files but cannot edit them
• Viewer: read-only access

For a complete list of what each access level allows, please refer to the Google guidance.

Deleting files and folders

Files and folders stored in shared drives are owned by the shared drive rather than an individual. Deleting content from a shared drive affects everyone who has access, so it should only be done where appropriate. Only users with Manager or Content manager access can delete files and folders in a shared drive.

How to delete files or folders in a shared drive

1. Select the shared drive containing the files or folders you want to remove.
2. Choose the file or folder you want to delete.
3. Right-click and choose Remove.

Remove yourself from a shared drive

You may want to remove yourself from a shared drive if it is no longer relevant to your role or work. Removing yourself only affects your own access and does not delete files or affect other members of the shared drive.

Managers can remove their own access; if you do not have this level of access, you will need to ask a manager or content manager to remove you.

Refer to the Check your access level in shared drives section above, to identify who the managers are.

How to remove yourself from a shared drive (Managers only)

1. Choose the shared drive you want to remove yourself from.
2. Select the shared drive name at the top of the screen.
3. Select Manage members and find your name in the members list.
4. Select the drop-down next to your name and choose Remove member.

Delete a shared drive

You can only delete a shared drive if you have Manager access and the shared drive contains no files or folders. This role is typically assigned to the person who created the shared drive, and all content must be moved or deleted before the drive itself can be removed.

How to delete a shared drive

1. Choose the shared drive you want to delete.
2. Move or delete all files or folders within the drive (shared drives cannot be deleted if content exists inside it).
3. Select the shared drive name at the top of the screen and choose Manage members.
4. Remove access for all members listed, except yourself (shared drives cannot be deleted if multiple members exists inside it)
5. Select the shared drive name again and choose Delete shared drive.

ℹ️ Preparing for Phase 1B of the Modern Work Programme

Phase 1B of the Modern Work Programme (Connected Collaboration) focuses on shared files. To prepare for this, staff are encouraged to review which shared drives they can access and to understand what files and folders are stored within them. Having this awareness in advance will support more effective discussions with your team about shared content needs and the use of collaborative spaces in Microsoft.

When reviewing shared drives, it is also useful to be mindful of the following:

• File and folder name length – names should not exceed 255 characters.
• Invalid characters – avoid using the following characters in file or folder names: " * : < > ? / \

Deleting emails in bulk

1. Click on the checkboxes next to the emails you want to delete

2. Select the Bin icon to move the selected emails to the Bin

3. Navigate to the Bin folder, then click on Empty Bin to permanently delete the emails

Viewing more emails on one page

1. The default view is to display 50 emails on each page you can change this to 100 in settings 
2. Click on Settings > See all settings 
3. In the General Tab select Maximum page size to 100

Selecting and deleting all the emails on one page

1. Using the dropdown button next to Select Icon and select ALL 
2. Select the Bin Icon 
3. Empty your Bin

Note: Clicking the bin icon does not delete emails, they are placed in your bin and will be deleted after 30 days. To delete immediately, follow the instructions in the Emptying your bin section.

Finding older emails

1. Open Google Mail
2. In the search bar at the top, type the following, modifying the dates as required (note how the dates are formatted) after:2018/3/16 before:2020/3/17 
3. This will display emails between these dates
4. Delete the emails you no longer require

Identifying and removing emails with large attachments 

This search allows you to easily locate emails with large attachments

1. Open Google mail
2. Click on the Show search options located at the end of the search mail field
3. Enter the following conditions Size: select greater than, tab to move to the next field, type in a value, tab to move to the next field and select MB. 
4. Select the Has attachment checkbox
5. Click Search to find emails that match your criteria

Finding emails using search

You can use words or symbols called search operators to filter your Gmail search results.

1. In the search box type in the search operator

This Google Support article provides a comprehensive list,  the main ones are listed below:

Emptying the email bin

The bin will automatically empty after 30 days but to empty immediately and recover all the space follow these instructions

1. Open Google Mail
2. Select the Bin icon from the folder pane (left of the screen). If you cannot see the Bin folder click on the More arrow which is located after the Drafts folder
3. The emails that are in bin will be displayed, these will be automatically deleted after 30 days 
4. If you would like to delete all the files click on Empty Bin now
5. To delete an individual email hover over the email, right click and select Delete Forever

Deleting files from the N:Drive

The N:Drive is a network storage area that is created when your staff account is initiated. Not all staff will use their N: Drive, for more information please see the Staff Storage Article

Using the sort function will enable you to quickly find files that are taking up a lot storage.

1. If you are working off site turn on the VPN
2. Open File Explorer on your Task Bar
3. Double click on your N Drive in the Navigation pane to display the contents
4. Select the View Tab 
5. Use the Sort by button to select Size, this will display the files that take up most storage.
6. Select the files you no longer need, see instructions below for an easy way to do this.
7. Right click on the selected files and choose Delete

Selecting multiple files

1. Select the View toolbar
2. Turn on Show Item Checkboxes
3. Select all the files you would like to delete 
4. Right click and select delete

Deleting files from the K:Drive

The K: Drive is university-owned network storage area that is available for only named departments and sections; you should not be able to see any other departments/sections on the K Drive. Please be aware that not all departments will use their K: Drive, some will use shared areas on Google Drive,  for more information please see the Staff Storage Article

Note: Please be cautious when deleting files or folders from the K: Drive. Ensure you have permission from the folder or files owner before proceeding and check that no one else in the team will need access to these files. 

Using the sort function will enable you to quickly find files that are taking up a lot storage.

1. If you are working off-site turn on the VPN
2. Open File Explorer on your Task Bar
3. Double-click on your K Drive in the Navigation pane to display the contents
4. Select the View Tab 
5. Use the Sort by button to select Size; this will display the files that take up most storage.
6. Select the files you no longer need; see the instructions below for an easy way to do this.
7. Right-click on the selected files and choose Delete

Selecting multiple files

1. Select the View toolbar
2. Turn on Show Item Checkboxes
3. Select all the files you would like to delete 
4. Right-click and select delete

Deleting Google Chrome bookmarks

The easiest way to declutter your bookmarks is to open Bookmark Manager

1. Open Google Chrome and check that you are signed in
2. Click on the three dots (top right of the screen) a drop down menu will display
3. Select Bookmarks and Lists followed by Bookmark manager
4. The pane on the left will display all the folders you have created, if you click on a folder the bookmarks will be displayed
5. To delete a bookmark right click on the bookmark and select Delete
6. To delete a folder right click on the folder and select Delete
7. To move a bookmark to a different folder, click and drag the bookmark to the folder
8. To create a new folder click on the three dots (top right next to the search bar) and select Add new folder

Deleting Google Forms

Instructions

1. Open Google Drive
2. On the Navigation Panel on the left-hand side select Storage, it's towards the bottom
3. From the Type Menu at the top select Forms view image
4. The Forms that you own will be displayed
5. Delete the Forms that you no longer require by right clicking on them and selecting Move to Bin

If you are deleting Google Forms and may need to recreate them in Microsoft Forms, we recommend reviewing the available guidance on Microsoft Forms before doing so.

Downloading photos from Google Photos

On a personal device

1. Open a new browser tab and login to your University account
2. Click the Avatar (First letter of your first name) in the top right corner of any Google page
3. Click Manage your Google account
4. Click Data and Privacy
5. Scroll down to 'Data from apps and services that you use'
6. Click Google Photos icon

Under Google Photos, you will see the number of photos you have in Google Photos

1. Click that number
2. Click Albums on the left-hand menu
3. Create a new album
4. Name the album and click add photos
5. Add the photos as required
6. Click Done
7. Click the 3 dots (top-right)
8. Select download 
9. All images in the album will be downloaded as a zip file

Note: Staff should not save personal photos on their personal drive

Deleting Google Sites

1. Open Google Drive
2. On the Navigation Panel on the left-hand side, locate Storage, it's towards the bottom 
3. From the Type Menu at the top, select Sites View Image
4. The Sites that you own are displayed
5. Delete the files that you no longer require by right clicking on them and selecting Move to Bin

Staff file storage

The University provides staff with access to both Microsoft and Google storage services to support day-to-day work. Understanding your storage limits can help you manage files more effectively and avoid issues when saving or sharing information.

Microsoft standard storage limits for staff are:

• Outlook: 10GB
• OneDrive: 15GB

Note: some staff may have a slightly higher Microsoft storage allowance. This can be based on specific role requirements or arrangements that were honoured during migration.

For Google services, there is a range of Google Mail and Google Drive storage allocations that were originally assigned. As these limits can vary between individuals, staff are advised to check their own Google accounts to confirm their available storage.

For more detailed and up-to-date guidance on file storage at the University, including how to review your individual storage limits, please see the Staff Storage article.

Digital Skills training

Developing strong digital skills helps staff work more efficiently, manage information effectively, and make best use of the University’s digital tools. A range of training and support options are available to help you build confidence and capability in your day-to-day digital work.

• Details of our current training schedule can be found on the Staff IT Training page.
• If you would like tailored support with digital decluttering or Microsoft 365 tools, you can book a 1:1 M365 WoW session. When booking, please ensure you select the How-to guidance option. 

Information governance guidance and records management support

Information governance provides a structured approach to managing information responsibly and consistently across the University. It helps ensure that information is handled in line with legal, regulatory, and operational requirements throughout its lifecycle.

Effective information governance means understanding:

• what information you hold
• where it is stored (paper and digital)
• who is responsible for it
• how long it should be kept and when it should be disposed of

The University’s Retention Schedule sets out how long different types of information should be retained before review or disposal. While this schedule is currently being updated, the existing version remains valid and should continue to be used until a replacement is formally published.

When it comes to reviewing and reducing information holdings, staff are encouraged to use the Weeding Starter Pack available on the intranet. Although this guidance was originally written with paper records in mind, most of the principles apply equally to electronic files. Step 7 includes specific guidance on managing and deleting digital information, including a Google weeding guide.

Additional support is available through the Records Management factsheets, which cover topics such as naming conventions and scanning. These factsheets currently refer to Google systems and are due to be updated as part of the move to the new intranet. Until then, they remain the most up-to-date source of advice in these areas.

For broader context, policies, training, and further guidance are available on the University’s Information Governance page. The Information Governance team also run regular webinars, with details published on the Information Matters page.

Together, these resources provide the most current guidance available to support staff in reviewing, managing, and reducing information holdings in a safe, compliant, and sustainable way.