How To Clean Up Remains Of Google Drive On macOS

If you’ve used Google Drive extensively on your Mac, you might notice it consuming significant storage space—even though the Google Drive app doesn’t clearly show these offline files. Often, these hidden files accumulate within system directories.

Here’s a simple way to find and clean these hidden files:

Step 1: Attempt Basic Clean-Up

First, try removing residual Google Drive files by executing:

rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/DriveFS/

If this doesn’t resolve the issue, proceed to step 2.

Step 2: Identify Large Hidden Folders

Use the following command to identify large folders:

du -h -d 1 ~/ | grep -E "[0-9]+G"

Explanation:

• du -h: Shows folder sizes in a readable format (KB, MB, GB).
• -d 1: Checks immediate subdirectories.
• grep -E "[0-9]+G": Filters to only show folders larger than 1 GB.

Step 3: Perform Deep Folder Search (if needed)

For a deeper search, use:

find ~/ -type d -exec du -hs {} \; | grep -E "[0-9]+G"

Explanation:

• find ~/: Searches your entire home directory.
• -type d: Targets directories.
• du -hs {}: Calculates the size for each found directory.
• grep -E "[0-9]+G": Shows directories larger than 1 GB.

After identifying large folders, delete unwanted files manually or by using Finder.

This approach effectively clears leftover files from Google Drive, reclaiming storage space on your Mac.

Let me know your thoughts or if you have additional tips!