No doubt, Chromebooks function best with a cloud. As a result, because you don’t need to download any software or other huge files for offline storage, on-device local storage is typically an afterthought.
However, there are many situations when it’s helpful to cache other work or store some images offline in case you locate a location with spotty Internet access. If this occurs, the space allotted to you may quickly be used up.
Google thankfully includes a few options to control your offline storage. If eliminating outdated files from the Files app alone isn’t sufficient for your purposes, let’s take a closer look at where they are and the features they provide.
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Find hidden files in the Files app
Your first tool is sort of concealed in plain sight. Navigate to the vertical, three-button menu in the upper right while the Files app is running. You can click here to see how much storage space is still available on your Chromebook. Unfortunately, unlike on Windows or OS X, you can’t click it to get a more thorough breakdown by file type.
There is also a Show hidden files option, which will make those little files visible that are concealed from view. These might be helpful if you’re looking for a mystery item that could be affecting stability or taking up too much space when troubleshooting performance on your Chromebook.
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Check the cache
If you want a more comprehensive view of what’s on your Chromebook’s hard drive or to search for hidden files, there is another location available for more experienced users to check out.
You can see additional in-depth information about the storage and other data on your Chrome OS device by typing chrome:/quota-internals into the Omnibox (read: Chrome’s URL bar).
You can choose from a variety of tabs at this point. If there’s a specific item you want to remove or if you want a comprehensive, accurate picture of everything using up storage space on the Chromebook, you should look at the Usage and Quota page.
Chrome provides a handy tool for controlling your storage quota, even if it isn’t very visually appealing.
Also, you can see the websites that have stored Internet files on your hard disk. This is the place to look if the browser appears sluggish or if you’re just interested in how businesses are monitoring your surfing.
If your storage is running low, these tools ought to be sufficient. A Chromebook is a powerful device that offloads the majority of the heavy work to the cloud, so if you often run out of storage space, it may be time to embrace some of the cloud-friendly apps and features that make a Chromebook what it is.