File storage and deletion

The storage meter

On the right of the media library toolbar there’s a small bar showing the space you’ve used against your limit, for example “412 MB / 5 GB”. It updates immediately after every upload and every deletion. The limit depends on your plan (Starter, Growth, Pro or Enterprise), so what you see there is your real limit.

Two things can block an upload

The file itself is too big. You’ll see a message saying the file exceeds the allowed size. Compress the file or export it at a lower quality and try again.
You’re out of space. You’ll see a message saying you’ve reached your storage limit. Deleting files frees up space straight away.

The tighter of the two limits applies, and the message tells you which one it is.

Before you delete, check where the file is used

Open the “…” menu on the row and choose Delete file. The confirmation window checks your settings and, if it finds the file in use, lists those places with a note that deleting the file will remove it from there too.

Places that are detected and cleared automatically:

the site SEO image,
the marketing logo,
the blog SEO image,
the favicon,
the brand logo,
the header logo and footer logo, with the name of the set,
your profile photo.

These references are cleared as part of the deletion, so none of them is left with a broken image.

What isn’t checked

The list above covers only settings and branding fields. Your pages, email campaigns, product thumbnails, lessons, downloads and communities are not scanned. If a file is embedded on a page or in an email, deleting it leaves a broken image there, and nothing will warn you.

The safe order

Search for the file name in the library and note what it looks like.
Replace it or remove it in every page, email, product and lesson that uses it, with the Remove current option in the media picker.
Only then delete it from the library.

Deletion can’t be undone

The window warns that this action can’t be undone, and it really can’t. The file disappears from the server and from the list; there’s no bin and no restore. If you only want to tidy up, use tags and lists instead of deleting.

Back it up first

If you’re in any doubt, use the Download option in the same menu and save the original on your computer before you delete the file.