Below are common questions about managing Google Drive for an organization or team.
Looking instead for a Drive feature overview?
Overview
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Yes. Drive is a place to store and access all your files, while Docs, Sheets, and Slides are types of web-based documents, as are Forms and Drawings. The suite of Google's web-based editors is referred to as Google Docs editors.
Similarly, Google My Maps are also web-based documents that you can create or share in Drive. Like Docs editors, My Maps can be used with or without Drive.
With Drive, your data is always backed up or stored in the cloud, so no matter what happens to your devices, your files are safe. You get the same business-grade data protection and security advantages that you get with Google Workspace, as described in Google Workspace security and privacy.
Accessing Drive files
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No. Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and My Maps are found on your computer as files that are essentially just pointers to web documents. These small "pointer files" have Google extensions (such as .gdoc, .gsheet, and .gslides). If you open these files on your computer, they open in your browser where you can edit them online as usual.
For cloud-based Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms, you can enable offline access to Docs editors. My Maps aren't available offline.
With Google Drive for desktop, you can make selected Drive files available for offline use.
If you need to exclude the Drive for desktop cache from antivirus or backup software, exclude the following directory:
- Windows:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\DriveFS - Mac:
~/Library/Application Support/Google/DriveFS
You can optionally customize the cache location.
With Drive for desktop, you need a valid Google Account to access all Drive files.
No. If you turn off the Drive service, this disables Docs editors as well as all Drive components (Drive on the web, Drive mobile apps, and Drive sync applications).
Drive search includes full search over all file content, in addition to the operators listed here.
File and folder limits in Google Drive
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Each user can have up to 500 million items that were created by that account. When the limit is reached, the user can no longer create or upload items in Drive. They can still view and edit existing items. To be able to create files again, they must permanently delete items or use a different account.
What counts toward the limit:
- Items created or uploaded by the user in Drive
- Items created by the user but now owned by someone else
- Items in Trash
- Shortcuts
What doesn’t count toward the limit:
- Permanently deleted files
- Items shared with the user but owned by someone else
- Items owned by the user but created by someone else
A folder in Drive which is not in a shared drive can have a maximum of 500,000 items in it. This limit doesn't apply to the root folder of My Drive.
The following items count toward this limit
- Folders, but not number of items in those folders
- Files
- Any file you can store in Drive counts toward the limit.
- Ownership of the file doesn't matter.
- Shortcuts
- A shortcut counts as a single item in a folder, even if the item it points to isn't in that folder.
Example 1
The following example shows how files and folders are counted. Folder A has 4 items and Folder B has 2 items:
- My Drive (root)
- Folder A (four items directly in this folder: Doc 1, Doc 2, Doc 3, Folder B)
- Doc 1
- Doc 2
- Doc 3
- Folder B (two items directly in this folder: Doc 4, Doc 5)
- Doc 4
- Doc 5
- Folder A (four items directly in this folder: Doc 1, Doc 2, Doc 3, Folder B)
Example 2
The following example shows that items in a folder count towards the 500,000 item limit, but not items in child folders.
- My Drive (root)
- Folder C has 300,000 items directly placed in it
- Folder D has 400,000 items directly placed in it
- Folder E has 200,000 items directly placed it it
- Folder C has 300,000 items directly placed in it
Here, Folder C contains 300,000 items, including Folder D and Folder E. The contents of Folder D and Folder E don't count towards the item limit for Folder C.
My Drive folders can be nested up to 100 folders deep, including the parent folder. A folder (the parent folder) can contain a folder (a nested folder), that contains a folder, that contains a folder, and so on until the folders are nested 100 deep. In the deepest folder, the user can add files and shortcuts, but not folders. The limit doesn’t apply to items that are restored or migrated to another account.
For example, in the following diagram, a new folder can be nested inside of folder number 99 but not inside of folder number 100. However, folder number 100 can store files like any other Drive folder:
Syncing files
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To learn more about how Google Drive for desktop syncs files, go to Use Google Drive for desktop.
With Drive for desktop, your Drive files are moved to the cloud, freeing up disk space and eliminating the network bandwidth needed to keep all your files synced from your computer to the cloud. You can stream Drive files on demand, or make them available for offline access.
With Drive for desktop, files are stored in the cloud and don’t need to sync with online versions, saving network bandwidth. Files that are cached for offline access will sync back to the cloud when you’re online.
Files deleted from Drive for desktop will be purged from the system trash after 30 days.
The Drive for desktop content cache supports connected APFS (macOS), HFS+ (macOS), or NTFS (Windows) file systems. Drive for desktop currently doesn’t support network volumes (for example, SMB or NFS).
Drive for desktop creates a virtual Drive, which appears as a FAT file system.
Note: FAT has some file size limitations. For example, the largest possible file for a FAT32 drive is 4GB (minus 2 bytes).
- You can’t upload a folder larger than the available storage in the partition where the cache folder is located.
- Drive for desktop will show a limited Drive quota (even for unlimited accounts), according to the available space in the local drive where the cache is located.
Furthermore, if you try to drag a .gdoc or .gsheet file from your desktop into a shared drive in your browser, you will see the error message "Can’t duplicate filename.gdoc.” Instead, to add a file to a shared drive, use a web browser and follow these instructions.
Storage
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Google Workspace storage is shared between Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. Learn how storage use is calculated.
The amount of storage for each user depends on your Google Workspace edition. Most Google Workspace editions have pooled storage. Pooled storage is indicated in the following tables as total storage or a storage amount times the number of End User licenses.
Pooled storage is granted in stages:
- At the time of purchase, you get part of your storage.
- Your storage increases to your total storage limit after you make a $30 USD payment for your subscription.
- You may make a manual payment or pay early to be granted all storage faster. It can take up to 72 hours after a payment for your storage to increase.
| Google Workspace Edition or Subscription | Storage Limits |
|---|---|
|
G Suite Basic No longer available for new customers |
30 GB per End User |
|
G Suite Business G Suite Business - Archived Users No longer available for new customers |
Unlimited storage 1 TB per Archived User |
| Google Workspace Business Starter | 30 GB times the number of End Users, including Archived Users |
| Google Workspace Business Standard | 2 TB times the number of End Users, including Archived Users |
| Google Workspace Business Plus | 5 TB times the number of End Users, including Archived Users |
| Google Workspace Enterprise Starter | 1 TB times the number of End Users |
|
Google Workspace Enterprise Standard Google Workspace Enterprise Plus |
5 TB times the number of End Users, including Archived Users For customers with 5 or more End Users, more storage may be available at Google's discretion upon reasonable request. Learn how to request storage. |
Google Workspace for Education
| Google Workspace Edition or Subscription | Storage Limits |
|---|---|
|
Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals Google Workspace for Education Standard |
100 TB total for all End Users |
| Google Workspace for Education Teaching and Learning Upgrade | Additional 100 GB times the number of End User licenses |
| Google Workspace for Education Plus | Additional 20 GB times the number of End User licenses |
For more information about storage for Google Workspace for Education storage, go to Understand storage availability and usage.
Google Workspace Essentials
Google Workspace Essentials editions do not include Gmail.
| Google Workspace Edition or Subscription | Storage Limits |
|---|---|
|
Google Workspace Essentials Starter |
15 GB per End User |
|
Google Workspace Essentials No longer available for new customers |
100 GB times the number of End User, up to a maximum of 2 TB |
| Google Workspace Enterprise Essentials | 1 TB times the number of End Users |
| Google Workspace Enterprise Essentials Plus | 5 TB times the number of End Users |
Google Workspace Frontline
| Google Workspace Edition or Subscription | Storage Limits |
|---|---|
|
Google Workspace Frontline Starter Google Workspace Frontline Standard |
5 GB per End User* |
*This storage limit applies to all End Users using a Google Workspace Frontline edition, even if the Customer purchased another Google Workspace offering with different storage limits.
Google Workspace for Nonprofits
| Google Workspace Edition or Subscription | Storage Limits |
|---|---|
|
Google Workspace for Nonprofits |
100 TB for all End Users |
If you need more storage, review your storage options for non-Education Google Workspace editions or storage options for Education editions.
Additional limits
The following files count toward storage:
Google Drive
- Items in Google Drive, which includes PDFs, images, videos, Meet recordings, and Sites project files.
- Files created or edited after May 2, 2022 in collaborative content creation apps like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Recorder.
- Content in shared drives.
- Content in Trash until it's permanently deleted.
Gmail
- Messages and attachments, including items in your Spam and Trash folders.
Google Photos
- Original quality photos and videos backed up to Google Photos.
- High quality (now named Storage saver) and Express quality photos and videos backed up to Google Photos after June 1, 2021. Any photos or videos you backed up in High quality or Express quality before June 1, 2021 don't count toward your Google Account storage. Learn more about this change.
The following content doesn't count toward storage:
- Drive shortcuts
- Google Chat messages and attachments
- Content created with My Maps
- Files shared with users. Shared files are counted only for the file owner's storage, not for the users the file is shared with.
- Version history for files created in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, unless the user explicitly decides to keep older versions.
- WhatsApp backups from Android devices
You can see your organization's storage use in your Admin console, including which users and shared drives use the most storage. For details, see Review storage use across your organization.
If you don't have access to the data on the Storage page, you might be able to review the Accounts report:
- Go to the article View Apps reports for your organization.
- Follow the steps on how to go to the Accounts report > Total storage used.
Review the storage status of a single user
-
Sign in with an administrator account to the Google Admin console.
If you aren’t using an administrator account, you can’t access the Admin console.
- Click a user to open their account page.
At the top of the page, you can see the percentages of mail and Drive storage utilized by the user.
If a user exceeds the storage limit set by their admin or by their license, their Google services are immediately impacted.
As soon as your organization exceeds its storage limit, users can’t add or back up photos to Google Photos.
If your organization exceeds its storage limit by 25% or for 14 days (whichever comes first), the following services are impacted:
- Users can’t add new files or images to Google Drive.
- Users can’t create new files in collaborative content creation apps like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, and Forms. Until they reduce storage use, nobody can edit or copy their affected files or submit forms owned by the user.
- Users can’t record new meetings in Google Meet.
When your organization’s limit is exceeded, users can still sign in to their Google Workspace account, send and receive emails, and view and download files.
If you need more storage, review your storage options for non-Education Google Workspace editions or storage options for Education editions.
Ultimately, you are limited to the amount of storage described in our terms of service, and if you exceed your limit, we reserve the right to disable uploads to Drive, suspend your domain, or delete your domain along with all its data.
The ways you can get more storage for your organization’s email, files, and photos depend on your edition:
- Google Workspace for Education: see Free up or get more storage for your institution.
- All other editions: see Free up or get more storage.
Google Workspace storage is best for files that users access and edit frequently or collaborate in through Drive, Gmail, or Photos. Cloud Storage is best for files that users access indirectly through a website or other system your organization’s developers set up.
Google Workspace storage is sold and calculated in binary units. For example, each Enterprise Standard user license adds 5 TiB to your pooled storage, equal to ~5.5 TB.
Individual storage subscriptions are no longer available for purchase. When you upgrade to an edition that has pooled storage or your edition is updated to have pooled storage:
- The legacy storage isn’t added to your organization’s pooled storage.
- Any legacy storage subscriptions are automatically cancelled.
User-purchased storage
If users purchased additional storage, you may want to prepare ahead of the switch to make sure your organization has enough pooled storage for everyone. To identify which users might have a legacy user-purchased storage subscription:
- Review the amount of storage included with your current Google Workspace subscription. On this page, go to What are Google Workspace storage and upload limits?
- In your Admin console, use the storage management tools to identify high-storage users. If their storage use is larger than what is included with their license, they might have purchased a legacy storage subscription. For example, a user with a Business Starter is expected to have 30 GB of storage, but if they’re using 50 GB, they may have purchased additional storage.
Alternatively, users can cancel their subscription ahead of the switch. To cancel an individual storage subscription, the user:
- Opens https://play.google.com/store/account/subscriptions with the account they use for work or school.
- Finds the Google One subscription (user-managed individual storage subscriptions are now listed as Google One subscriptions).
- Clicks Manage
Cancel subscription and follows the on-screen instructions.
Admin-purchased storage
If you purchased additional storage for your users with the legacy admin-managed storage subscription, you can review how much storage that added in your Admin console (go to BillingSubscriptions). On that page, you can cancel the subscription if you no longer need it. It will be canceled automatically after the switch to pooled storage.
Next steps: Set up Drive for your team