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FAQs: Google Workspace Optimization Project

Below is a list of common questions about this project. Check back as more FAQs will be added as the project progresses.

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About the project

Can I continue to use Google Workspace for storage and collaboration?
Yes! The university is committed to continuing to offer the Google Workspace service as a valuable tool for productivity and collaboration. As we update how we manage Google Workspace, you’ll continue to have access to My Drive, shared drives, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, and other Google services, just as you do today.
Why are we changing the Google Workspace service?
Google has announced it will no longer provide higher education institutions, including Stanford, with unlimited storage at no charge. In fact, the industry as a whole appears to be shifting away from free cloud storage. To adapt to this change, we must introduce new policies and processes that optimize our storage solutions to benefit the Stanford community. This includes storage limits plus updated policies for managing inactive accounts and a new automated process for creating shared drives. More information will be published when the details are available.
How was the plan to update the Google Workspace service developed?
The plan is being created as part of the Google Workspace Optimization Project, a multi-year initiative aimed at preparing the university for a new Google Workspace service. In 2023, the Google Workspace Optimization Project team repeatedly consulted with the CIO Council, C-ACIS, SGG, UMG, and other stakeholders, while also negotiating with Google to achieve the best possible terms for quota, price, support, and timeframe. Based on an endorsement from C-ACIS, funding support from SGG, and in line with the input from all stakeholders, a plan to update the Google Workspace service has been adopted. Read more in Transitioning to a Sustainable Google Workspace.
What are the next steps for the Google Workspace Optimization project?
With input from the community, the project team will continue to refine the plan with more nuanced details. New tools and resources as well as policies around account lifecycle management will be introduced. As the project progresses, information will be clearly and frequently communicated through both broad channels and targeted messaging. You can bookmark the Google Workplace Optimization web page and check back at any time for updates.
What kinds of accounts and data will be affected by changes to the storage limits?
Any data stored in your Stanford University Google Workspace account may be impacted, including files stored in Google My Drive, shared drives, Gmail, and Google Photos.
Can I move data from Stanford Google My Drive or shared drives to a personal or non-Stanford account?
Any files stored in your Stanford Google account that are institutional, and not personal (individual), should remain in a storage platform offered by Stanford. Loading professional content into your personal account(s) or keeping it on your personal hardware, such as an external hard drive, may put university data at risk.
I have a question not answered here. Who can I contact?
If you have a question or need support, please submit this Help request. If you have feedback or a suggestion for the project team, please use this feedback form.

Understanding storage limits

What are the storage limits for Stanford Google Workspace accounts (My Drive and shared drive)? What is the timeline for these changes?
  • A 50 GB storage limit will be implemented for all active Google Workspace accounts in the Stanford domain on Sept. 1, 2024. This limit applies to My Drive and each shared drive.
  • Accounts storing between 50 GB and 500 GB will automatically be given a one-year extension through at least Sept. 25, 2025, before the quota is enforced.
  • Refer to Transitioning to a Sustainable Google Workspace to learn more.
What happens if I reach or exceed the new storage limit?

You will be contacted by email if your account surpasses the storage limit. As we continue to implement the storage quotas, you will be contacted by email if your account surpasses the storage limit.

If your account is approaching or above the 500 GB limit, consider exploring other storage options at Stanford or deleting large files you no longer need. If you need more space and don’t want to migrate data, you can pay for additional storage at a rate of $0.15 per GB per year (in Fiscal Year 2025). Storage may be purchased starting Aug. 1, 2024. More details on how to purchase additional Google storage will be provided soon.

Should you continue surpassing the storage limit after the deadline (Sept. 1, 2024, for accounts surpassing 500 GB of content; Sept. 1, 2025, for accounts surpassing 50 GB of content), you’ll be asked to provide a PTA to pay for any additional storage you’re using. Otherwise, your account will go into a “read-only” state until you reduce your usage or purchase more storage. With that, you’ll still be able to sign in to your Google Workspace account, view and download files, and share files with collaborators.  However, your access to services will be affected until you reduce storage or purchase more storage. 

  • Shared drives: Members and collaborators can still view, comment, and edit (depending on their permission level) existing files and folders within the shared drive. Members can’t move, create, upload, or copy content when the shared drive has reached the storage limit or if the item they are trying to move, create, copy, or upload will cause the shared drive to exceed the limit.
  • My Drive: You can’t create new Google files, such as Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Jamboard, or Forms.  And neither you nor others will be unable to edit or copy the affected files or submit forms you own. Also, you can no longer:
    • Upload new files or image.
    • Record new meetings in Google Meet
  • Gmail: If you use Gmail, your email will not be affected and you’ll still be able to send and receive emails. However, emails and attachments you receive will continue to count against your total storage use. See Storage limits for those who use Gmail.
  • Photos: You cannot sync or upload photos. 
  • Learn more about “read-only” 

If your account is approaching or above the 500 GB limit, consider exploring other storage options at Stanford or deleting large files you no longer need. If you need more space and don’t want to migrate data, you can pay for additional storage at a rate of $0.15 per GB per year (in Fiscal Year 2025). Storage may be purchased starting Aug. 1, 2024. More details on how to purchase additional Google storage will be provided soon.


To learn more, visit the Google Workspace Storage Options Guide. 

Will I be affected by the Google storage limits?
The good news is that very few people (less than 5% of all Stanford University accounts) will be directly impacted by the new storage limitations. 
What happens if my My Drive or a shared drive that I manage is between 50GB and 500 GB on Sept. 1, 2024?
You will automatically be granted a one-year extension. If your drive has less than 500 GB, nothing will happen until Sept. 1, 2025, when the 50 GB storage limit goes into effect.
What happens if my My Drive or a shared drive that I manage is over 500 GB on Sept. 1, 2024?
Your drive will transition to “read-only” until you reduce usage or purchase more Google Workspace storage.
Am I able to pay for additional storage over the 50 GB limit?
If you need to store a large amount of data and prefer to use Google Workspace, you will be able to purchase more storage at a rate of  $0.15 per GB per year for Fiscal Year 2025. Orders for additional storage may be placed starting Aug. 1, 2024. Billing for any additional storage purchased starts Sept. 1, 2024.
As Stanford is implementing storage limits, what options are being explored to offload data?
Google Drive is just one of the storage solutions available to you. The university supports a variety of storage technologies — one of which may be better suited to your unique requirements. Refer to the Storage Options guide to learn more.

Check your storage use

How do I check my current My Drive storage use?
To check your current My Drive storage use, go to https://drive.google.com/drive/quota. You'll see your files in descending order of file size.
What counts toward storage use?

The following count toward file storage:

  • Google Drive
    • Most files in Google Drive, including PDFs, images, and videos
    • Files created or edited after May 2, 2022, in collaborative content apps such as Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard
    • Content in shared drives
    • Items in your “trash” that haven’t been permanently deleted
  • Gmail
    • Messages and attachments, including items in Spam and Trash folders
  • Google Photos
What doesn't count toward storage use?

The following doesn't count toward file storage

  • Files in "Shared with me." Shared files are counted only for the file owner's storage, not for the users the file is shared with
  • Google sites
  • Drive shortcuts
  • Content created with My Maps 
  • Version history for files created in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, unless the you explicitly decide to keep older versions
How do I manage my storage by deleting content?

When managing your storage use, you may want to start by reviewing items that use the most amount of storage space. Items that commonly utilize more storage space include large files (videos, music, software installers, etc.), high resolution or raw photos, and docs/sheets/slides with images embedded.

For tips on how to review your Google Drive and delete content, visit How to Clean Up Google Drive. 

Please be aware of any collaborators on files/folders you own if you choose to delete them, as you may cause data loss for those accessing that content.

I deleted several large files, so why hasn’t my storage use changed?
  • When you first delete content, it is moved to the "trash"  and automatically and permanently deleted after 30 days. Before the 30-day window closes, you can restore your files.
  • To permanently delete your Google Drive files and make space available, you must move them to “trash”  and empty your bin. Until permanently deleted, items in trash count against your storage use. 
  • Remember, items that are permanently deleted from trash are irrecoverable. 
Is there a way to see the storage usage of my group (lab, department, etc)?
The project team is developing new tools that will provide designated IT leaders with these kinds of insights. ​
Will any of my files in Google Drive be automatically deleted or migrated?
There are no plans to automatically migrate or delete files that are currently stored in Google Drive.

What about shared drives?

Are shared drives going away?
No, shared drives are not going away.
How do I check my shared drive usage?
To check your current storage usage, navigate to the shared drive and click the information "i" icon in the top right corner of the page. In the sidebar that appears, you will find the drive's storage usage under Drive details > Storage used. Need more help? Visit the UIT website for step-by-step instructions.
Can I move my data to a shared drive?
You can move files and folders you own from My Drive to a shared drive.  Follow the steps in Google’s Move files & folders into shared drives. Remember, each shared drive has a 50 GB quota. The dates for enforcement for shared drives is the same as for My Drive.  Visit the Transitioning to a Sustainable Google Workspace to learn more.
Does the transition away from free, unlimited storage impact shared drives? If so, will there also be changes to shared drives?
In the future, it’s likely that policies and practices for the creation and life cycle management of shared drives will be a part of the strategy needed to adapt to Google's service changes.
My shared drive is over the limit. As a solution, can I split the content into separate shared drives?
To complete our transition to a sustainable Google Workspace Service, it may be necessary to limit the number of shared drives an individual can manage. Therefore, this approach isn’t a recommended solution.
My shared drive is over the limit. As a solution, can I move content into Microsoft OneDrive?
Please be advised that due to changes announced by Microsoft, the platform will see storage limits similar to Google Drive in the near future. 
Is there a way to see the shared drive storage usage of my group (lab, department, etc)?
The project team is developing new tools that will provide designated IT leaders with these kinds of insights. 
What happens if my shared drive exceeds the storage limit?
If you exceed the storage limit allocated to your Stanford Google My Drive account or a shared drive you’ve created, your drive will become "read-only." Although you’ll still be able to sign in and view, download, and share files with collaborators, your experience will change until you either reduce storage or purchase more storage. Learn more about "read-only."​
 I only need to view my content. Can I allow my shared drive to remain “read-only”?
If you allow your content to remain in “read-only” for an extended period of time, at some point you’ll receive a notification that you must take action to prevent the content in your drive from being deleted. 

Storage limits for those who use Gmail

Does the storage limit apply to Gmail accounts? And if so, what is the storage limit for those who use Stanford Gmail?
Those who use Stanford Gmail should be mindful of its usage, as content in Gmail will count towards their My Drive storage limit. However, it’s important to note that the storage limit in My Drive for those who use Stanford Gmail will be 600 GB during the grace period that begins Sept. 1, 2024, and transition to 150 GB when the grace period ends on Sept. 1, 2025. 

Here’s how to see the amount of storage you’re using across Google Drive, Photos, and Gmail.
How can I free up space in Gmail?
These tips can help you save space on Gmail:
  • Empty your trash. Files in your trash are automatically deleted after 30 days. But while they are in trash, they count against your storage.
  • Delete messages with heavy attachments. Attachments count towards your storage. To find emails with large attachments: In the search box, type “:attachment larger:10mb” (of course, you can choose a different size file to search for). Click "Search." Check the boxes of the emails you want to delete and click the trash icon.
  • Delete very old messages. To find older emails In the search box, type “older_than:3y” (again, you can enter any number of years). Click "Search." Check the boxes of the emails you want to delete and click the trash icon.
  • Delete Spam. Go to your Spam folder, select all the messages, and delete them.
Last modified March 20, 2024