I'm using a PC with Windows 10. One way to copy files to Google Drive is to use Windows Explorer. I can copy or drag files from my local harddrive to Google Drive accessed via Windows Explorer. Copying files to Drive in this way is quick, certainly much much faster than directly uploading them to Drive via Chrome. When I copy a file over via Windows Explorer, the process commandeers that storage space on my local disk, but when the copy is complete, the storage space is not automatically freed up. My understanding is that this local storage copy is supposed to automatically clear, but I haven't witnessed it, nor do I know under what conditions or events it is supposed to clear. So if I copy over 20 gigs to Drive, my C:\ disk will have 20 gigs less space, even once the copy has finished. Of course, I have the original 20 gigs of the files on my disk, and now 20 gigs on Google Drive, but how do I clear these 20 gigs of copy data on my local disk? I've tried defragmenting, but it did nothing.
Google-drive – Copying files from the local disk to Google Drive via Windows Explorer uses local disk space to make the copy. How to clear this temporary data
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Related Solutions
If your company is using Google Apps then as Baljeet said your best solution would be GoFileDrop, click here to activate it on your Google Account, you will then be able to send a link to your clients who can upload directly to your Google Drive account (without needing to use Google Apps or Gmail on their side). GoFileDrop basically gives deposit only access via a web browser for clients to drop files in your account.
Let me rephrase this for you:
I often "upload" old files I don't need anymore in a folder in Google Drive.
You can do the same with Dropbox. You can upload files to Dropbox as well. The local files that take up space and are actually present in your computer are the ones in your synched folders. Meaning that you have them stored locally and in Dropbox in the cloud as well.
You can sync folders through your account settings:
Once there you can choose which folders to sync:
When a folder is unsynced it will be deleted from local storage but remain saved in the cloud. The benefit of that is that you do not have to wait for them to download when you want to access them from your computer.
Since you talk about old files I would suggest you upload them in the cloud (just as you do with Google Drive) and do not put them in a synced folder.
The ones already in your synced folder can be easily un-synced by just moving them to an un-synced folder in the cloud. Future files you can drop them locally in your synced folder and once they are synced (uploaded in the cloud), move them to an un-synced (cloud) folder as well.
PS: The screenshots are from a Mac.
Best Answer
Solved. See the discussion here. https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/drive/RLHaLKoe0Tw;context-place=forum/drive
In brief: Don't upload files to Drive or File Stream via Explorer or Finder directly (from one window to another eg). Always upload directly to Drive via Chrome or another supported browser. If you do or have uploaded files via Explorer or Finder, and those files are eating space on your local drive, disconnect and reconnect to Drive. In windows, click the Drive icon in the taskbar, click, the elipp