Low on space?

What can you do when you run low on storage space in WordPress?

With just 1 GB of storage space in a free WordPress account, it doesn’t take long to run out. There are many ways to save and to supplement. Let me list three approaches.

1. Upgrade – That’s what WordPress wants you to do. The Personal account is $48/year and increases the storage space to 6 GB. It also removes the ads.
2. Use your Google Photos – An easy place to store images. A free Google account provides 15 GB of combined storage (emails, photos, etc.) This is just a little inconvenient but works if you don’t mind the few limitations.
3. Insert via URLs – Use photos from other internet location via their URLs. This allows using images from just about anywhere (if you have the rights) but is the most limited in how they can be presented.

The details

1. Upgrade

Well, this solution needs little discussion. WordPress pushes upgrading pretty heavily, and you can find the upgrade information close to the top in your Dashboard.

Just click on Upgrade there and you can see all the plans, their offerings, and the prices.

2. Use your Google Photos

On just about any Media block that is used for images, including Image, Gallery, Tiled Gallery, even selecting the Featured Image, there is an Upload option and a Select Image option. When you click the Select Image option a dropdown menu shows Google Photos as the second choice. It is that easy.

But before you can use that option you have to upload the images you will use in your post to your Google Photos.

Google Photos

Let’s step aside here and talk about Google Photos.

Google Photos is part of your Google account, If you have a Gmail email address you have a Google account. If you don’t have one, it is quick and easy to set one up.

Go to Google.com, click Sign in. Then click Create account and you are on your way. (If you need help with this, or how to upload photos to your Google Photos space, inquire over at AskLudwig.com).

When to open Google you will see the icon (red arrow in illustration) for getting to the various Google places. You may need to scroll down to find the Photos icon. Click it to see your photos.

Before you upload your photos, I suggest that you make a setting to prevent Google from resizing your images.

Once in Google Photos click the Settings gear icon. Then click Original Quality. (The default setting is Storage saver which may resize your photos). You need to do this only once.

You should resize them yourself before uploading them.

Now back to WordPress and how to insert images from your Google Photos.

When you wish to insert an image, load the block you like, for example Image for just a single photo. Then do not drag in the image but click Select Image. Then click Google Photos.

An overlaid window will take you to your Google Photos where you can find the image you want. Click it and click Select. That’s it. All done.

3. Insert from URL

Almost as easy is inserting images from other sites. That could be another WordPress site, or just about anywhere else on the internet where you have permission to use images and can get the image URL. This approach is not as versatile as only a few of the image blocks allow you to do that.

If the source is another WordPress site go the that Media Library. Find and click the image you want. Click Edit. Over on the right (you may have to scroll down a little) find the URL box. There is a Copy button there, click it. Then go back to where you wish to insert the image.

In the image box click Insert from URL.

Paste the copied image URL into the box that pops up and press Enter.

And there is your image.

.:. © 2024 Ludwig Keck