I have 87 files in my Google Drive that I haven't opened in over two years.

Project files from old clients. Screenshots I shared once. Random PDFs people sent me. All sitting there, taking up space, never to be accessed again.

Sound familiar?

Don't get me wrong - Google Drive is great. But I was using it for everything, and that was the problem.

The problem with permanent storage

Here's what happens when you use cloud storage for every file you share:

You upload a file to share it once. The other person downloads it. Everyone's happy. The file is now... still there. Forever. Unless you remember to manually delete it.

Multiply this by a hundred files, and suddenly you're paying for extra storage or spending an afternoon cleaning up your Drive.

When cloud storage makes sense

I still use Google Drive, but only for specific things:

Ongoing collaborations

When I'm working with a team on a project, we need shared access to files. Everyone needs to see updates. We need version history. This is what cloud storage was made for.

Personal archives

Family photos, important documents, tax returns - stuff I actually want to keep forever. These belong in cloud storage with backups.

Files I reference regularly

Client contracts, templates I use often, design assets I reuse - these make sense to keep in the cloud.

When temporary sharing is better

For everything else, I switched to temporary file sharing. Here's why:

One-time transfers

Sending a video to a client. Sharing photos from an event. Transferring project files to a freelancer.

These are one-and-done. The other person downloads the file once. Why should it stay in my cloud storage forever?

No storage limit concerns

I get 15GB free on Google Drive. Sounds like a lot until you're storing every file you've ever shared. With temporary services, the file deletes automatically. Doesn't count against any quota.

Faster and simpler

Upload, get link, share. No organizing into folders. No setting permissions. No "wait, which folder did I put that in?"

Takes about 10 seconds total. Much faster than navigating through Google Drive.

The security angle nobody talks about

Here's something I realized: files that exist forever are exposed forever.

Every old Google Drive link I've shared is still active unless I manually disabled it. That's years of potential exposure for files I don't even remember sharing.

With temporary sharing, files auto-delete after 24-48 hours. The exposure window is minimal. Much better for anything remotely sensitive.

Real example: Video project delivery

I used to deliver video projects through Google Drive. The workflow was:

Upload video to Drive
Share with client
Client downloads
Video sits in my Drive forever taking up space
Months later, run out of storage
Spend hour cleaning up old files

Now the workflow is:

Upload to temporary service
Share link with client
Client downloads
File auto-deletes after 24 hours

Simpler, cleaner, no storage management needed.

The "but what if" concerns

People worry about temporary sharing: "What if they need the file later?"

In three years of using temporary sharing, this has happened exactly twice. Both times, I had the original file and just sent it again. Took 30 seconds.

Compare that to the hours I've spent organizing and cleaning up Google Drive. Not even close.

What I actually do now

My current system is simple:

Google Drive for:

Team collaboration
Files I need to access repeatedly
Personal archives
Important documents

Temporary sharing for:

Client deliverables
One-off file transfers
Large files I don't need to keep
Anything I'll only share once

Result? My Google Drive is actually organized now. Only contains files I actually need. Free storage is plenty.

Cost comparison

Before: Was paying $1.99/month for extra Google Drive storage because the free 15GB wasn't enough.

Now: Using free temporary sharing for most transfers, Google Drive for real archives. Haven't needed extra storage in over a year.

Saved: $24/year. Not life-changing money, but why pay for storage I don't need?

The takeaway

Cloud storage is great. But using it for everything is like using a filing cabinet for both important documents and junk mail. Eventually, you can't find anything and the cabinet is full.

Use the right tool for the job. Permanent storage for permanent files. Temporary sharing for temporary transfers.

Your cloud storage (and your wallet) will thank you.

Why I Stopped Using Google Drive for Everything