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Google Workspace: Storage Management Guide

How to take action if a My Drive or shared drive exceeds the storage limit

Overview

Due to Google's shift away from free, unlimited storage, the university will limit the amount of free storage in each My Drive or shared drive to 5 terabytes (TB).  Those with exceptionally large storage needs— beyond the 5 TB limit — can submit a PTA to update their drive to a paid premium offering, which allows storage beyond the  5TB limit to be purchased.

  • TODAY
     
    Those with drives near or exceeding  5TB should plan to secure funding to reduce data.
  • March 2025
     
    Process to submit a PTA to update to a paid Google Workspace storage (for storage over 5TB) rolls out. Billing based on actual usage at the rate of $0.15 per GB annually starts in September 2025.
  • Sept. 1, 2025
     
    Storage limits are applied. Drives storing over 5 TB will switch to read-only until a PTA is submitted or data is reduced.

Before you begin

If you've received notification about a drive exceeding the storage limit, here are two points to consider as you begin planning.

Remember to prioritize security

Institutional files stored in your Stanford accounts should remain in a Stanford-approved solution. Moving Stanford data to a personal storage account or purchasing local data storage significantly increases risk.

View position paper from the Information Security Office »

Think My Drive vs. shared drive

Consider whether institutional files should be stored in My Drive or shared drive. My Drive is your personal storage space, while shared drives are designed for team collaboration and support business continuity.

Learn about storing data in shared drive »

Know that help is available

Your local IT team can help you understand which drives are impacted and how to navigate your options. If you need more help exploring Stanford storage solutions, submit a request to meet with UIT's dedicated storage consulting team.

Request a meeting with the storage consulting team »

Ready to start? Explore your options

You'll want to act promptly if your My Drive or shared drive exceeds the storage limit. Otherwise, the drive may become "read-only," allowing you and your colleagues to access the drive and download data but not create or edit files. 

Reduce usage

If you aim to reduce your usage to under the limit — or just to ensure you're not paying to store files you don't need — these tips will help.

See tips to clean up Google Drive » View My Drive storage usage »

Move data to another storage solution

Google Workspace is just one storage option available at the university. If you don't need real-time collaboration features, consider other Stanford storage solutions.

Learn more about storage alternatives »

Purchase more Google Workspace Storage

If your Google Workspace storage needs exceed the storage limit, you can submit a PTA to purchase more through the university. Monthly billing will be based on actual usage.

Learn how to purchase Google Drive storage »

Special considerations for shared drives

As a manager of a shared drive, you should take a few actions specific to shared drives, including the first step of identifying drives impacted by the storage limit. Be sure to confer with colleagues before making decisions that impact content accessibility.

Identify impacted drives

You can ask your local IT support team to help, if needed. Next, check storage use.

Identify drives and check usage »

Clean up your shared drive

Learn how to organize and manage a shared drive to increase efficiency or delete a shared drive that's not needed.

View shared drive tips »

Manage access and permissions

If you are no longer responsible for the shared drive, you can assign a new manager and remove yourself from the drive.

Change roles and access levels »

Additional resources

Questions or support

Please read carefully, as the best way to get help depends upon the nature of the request: 

  • If you have feedback for the project team or are unsure who your designated Campus Partner ambassador is, please use this form to reach out to the project team.
  • If you need technical support, please submit a Help request. 
  • If you have questions about where to store content currently in Google Workspace, please submit a storage consulting request.

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