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If you have any sort of Google account, whether it’s for Gmail, YouTube, Google+, or all of the above, you’ve probably used Google Drive at some point in time. Google Drive has increased in popularity, as they offer a generous 15GB of free storage. While 15GB of free storage is great, there are times when you may need more storage. You can either fork over $1.99 per month to the “over lord” for an additional 100GB of space, or seek an alternate solution. Is there a better way?

Getting 1TB of Free Storage

There is a fairly simple way to earn 1TB of free Google Drive storage. You simply have to reach Level 4 on Google Local Guides.

What Is Google Local Guides?

Google Local Guides is a rewards program that was started for users who actively submit reviews to Google Maps. If you’re like me, you love being an amateur restaurant critic. I was naturally reviewing restaurants on Google Maps long before Google Local Guides existed, and lucky for me (and maybe you), the points were all added from stuff I reviewed prior to joining the program.

Get To The Point.. I’m Here For Free Storage1463089426_free_sales_badge_label_sticker

In order to gain 1TB of free storage, you must gain 200 points, which earns you Level 4 in the program. There are several ways to earn points – the main way is by reviewing any location on Google Maps. You get one point for reviewing a location, and you get one additional point each additional thing you complete. These things include: uploading a photo of the location, fixing false information, answering questions about the location, or adding a new place that has not yet been added to Maps. The points are added within 24-hours of completing items, and once you reach Level 4, it takes a few weeks to get the free storage added to your account.

1463089469_MoreGoogle Local Guides Also Has More Benefits

But wait, there’s more! Yep, seriously. By reaching Level 4 on Local Guides, you also get other rewards at random times. Google recently gave all Level 4 members a free 3 month subscription to New York Times Online. In addition, all Level 4 members receive a yearly gift as a thank you from Google. Last year, this gift was a free Local Guides t-shirt. In addition, you also have opportunities to beta test new Google software as it is being developed. The most recent opportunity being the to beta test Google Trips, a new app in development.

But It Isn’t Free Forever

There’s a catch: the storage is only good for 2 years – after that, it expires. It is unclear there is any way to “re-earn” the storage at this point, but I believe you only can get it once. So after 2 years, you’ll have to narrow your files back down to 15GB, or purchase additional storage from Google.

Conclusion

With a little time and effort, you can earn 1TB of free Google Drive storage. It isn’t free forever though, so keep that in mind.

Kevin Nether