Does Google Drive make files smaller?

Google Drive is primarily a cloud storage service that allows you to store, share, and access files from anywhere with an internet connection. It doesn't alter the size of files. When you upload documents on Google Drive, it retains its original size and format. So how can a file be too small to upload? Read on to find more details to solve the error in Google Drive: "Some files are too small to upload".

★ Note: It's worth noting that Google Drive offers the option to convert certain file types into Google's own formats. For example, when you upload a Microsoft Office file (like a .docx) to Google Drive, you can convert it to a Google Docs format. In this case, the file might be converted to a different format, potentially resulting in a different file size, but this is not the same as reducing the size of the file.

What are the file size limits in Google Drive?

Google Drive does not impose a minimum size requirement for files. This means that you can upload even small, or empty files to Google Drive. Conversely, Google Photos has minimum file size limitations, like file sizes that can be backed up must be larger than 256 x 256. By the way, if you want to know more, you can read the file size restrictions on this page.

So learning about the file size limitations, how can we solve the issue that the Google Drive file is too small to upload? Let's keep reading!

Fix Google Drive some files are too small to upload in 4 ways

Google offers some useful features aimed at enhancing the user experience. However, it frequently happens that users encounter the persistent "some files are too small in Google Drive" issue. If you have the same issue, you can read the following solutions and choose one according to your needs.

Way 1. Ensure the files meet the minimum requirements

Why does Google Drive regard files smaller than these restrictions that we discussed before as "too small to upload"? There is the answer: when a file falls below a certain size threshold, most software programs tend to flag it as either invalid or corrupted. Thereby those files are incapable of being previewed in Google Drive or any other software program.

To prevent upload errors like Google Drive: Upload unsuccessful in Google Drive, Some files are too small on your Windows 10, Google Drive upload failed connection lost, it is important to verify that the files meet the minimum requirements set by Google Drive or Google Photos before uploading files.

Way 2. Utilizing Google Drive in place of Google Photos

You can also try this simple solution to solve Google Drive some files are too small, that is, to avoid backing up to Google Photos, particularly for smaller images.

When you configure Google Drive for desktop to back up your photos, you may choose to back up to Google Photos instead of merely storing files on Google Drive. While this setup works seamlessly for managing actual photos, it might not adequately back up small images and icons. So a workable way is to utilize Google Drive instead. Here's how you can adjust the settings on your Google Drive:

1. Click on the Google Drive icon in the taskbar then sign into your Google account > hit the gear icon on the right top.

2. Click Preferences > navigate to the left-side menu labeled My Computer.

3. You'll find a list of the folders you are syncing. The problematic folder is likely located under Google Photos. So click the folder containing the affected files. Then uncheck the Back up to Google Photos option and check the Sync with Google Drive box.

4. Finally click Done to save your changes.

★ Note: If you prefer to back up full-sized photos to Google Photos, you can have both boxes checked. However, keep in mind that this will result in double storage consumption as the photos will be uploaded twice - once to Google Photos and once to Google Drive.

Way 3. Increase the size to meet the required limitations

To address the issue in Google Drive: Some files are too small, using image software to increase the image sizes is workable. A robust tool like Photoshop is suitable, or web-based image manipulation tools such as Photopea can also serve the purpose.

✿ Tip: When enlarging the images, it's unnecessary to make them excessively large. Simply ensure that those images surpass the minimum requirement. While this is not an ideal option because the process can be extremely time-consuming, especially when dealing with numerous images, but this method can be effective for backing up a small number of images solely for viewing purposes.

Way 4. Opt for free Google Drive alternative to sync files without size limitations

If you want to upload files to Google Drive without any file size or type limitations, or avoid Google Drive errors, like Google Drive not syncing on Windows 10, you can try the free yet professional software CBackup. It allows you to upload files to Google Drive error-free. What's more, using its File Filter function, you can choose to contain or exclude certain file types when you upload files.

Here is a list of useful features of CBackup:

It supports you to sync/backup files to Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, or other public clouds.

It can help you get unlimited Google Drive storage space to store your important data by combining cloud accounts as many as you have.

Furthermore, this tool allows you to sync one cloud to another cloud, like syncing OneDrive to Google Drive or syncing Google Drive to another cloud.

It helps you save time when you need to transfer files among different clouds.

1. Download and install the CBackup application. Sign up for a free CBackup account and then sign in to its desktop app.

2. Click on the Storage tab located on the left-hand side. Choose Google Drive then click Authorize Now and follow the necessary steps to grant CBackup access to your Google Drive account.

3. Under the Sync option, select Sync PC to Public Cloud to initiate a new task.

4. Choose files on your PC that you wish to sync to Google Drive. Next, select a destination folder on your Google Drive account. Finally, click on Start Sync to sync small files to Google Drive.

✿ Tip: You can auto sync files/folders to Google Drive with this tool. Click on Settings and then navigate to the Scheduler option, select your preferred sync frequency from the options provided like Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.

Conclusion

I hope you have found the solution to solve the error Google Drive: Some files are too small to upload in this article. And if you want to use an error-free Google Drive alternative to sync files, don't forget to try CBackup for free.

It allows you to upload files/folders to Google Drive and multiple cloud storage services without file size and type limitations. Moreover, you can also get 5GB of free CBackup Cloud storage as you sign up an account to backup files securely.