Manage files in your Google Drive storage

Your storage is shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. When your account reaches its storage limit, you can’t upload or create files to Drive. Learn more about Google storage policies.

To learn how to manage files in your Google Drive storage:

Check how much storage you have

To know how much space you have left on a computer, go to google.com/settings/storage.

Learn how storage policies vary by plan

Storage policies vary by plan:

  • Your account, , is a Personal account with 15 GB of storage at no charge: This storage is shared among Drive, Gmail, and Photos.
  • You’re not signed into a Google account: To find out what plan you have, log into your Google account and reload this article.
Google Workspace storage

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.

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
Google One storage
Google One storage is shared between Drive, Gmail, and Photos and across family accounts, where applicable. The amount of storage for each user depends on your Google Workspace edition.

Google One Plan

Payment

Availability

100 GB

Monthly or yearly

Everyone

200 GB

Monthly or yearly

Everyone

2 TB

Monthly or yearly

Everyone

5 TB

Monthly or yearly

Upgrade for existing members

10 TB

Monthly

Upgrade for existing members

20 TB

Monthly

Upgrade for existing members

30 TB

Monthly

Upgrade for existing members
Google One members can share their plan features with up to 5 family members.
Everyone gets 15 GB of cloud storage at no charge with their Google Account. The rest of the paid Google One storage is shared between family members. Learn how to start or stop sharing with your family.
You can also use the storage manager to Clean up & troubleshoot your Google storage.

Learn how to clear space

Important: Files in trash are automatically deleted after 30 days. Before the time window closes, you can restore your files. After the 30-day window, you may lose those files permanently.
To delete your Google Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos files and make space available, move them to the trash and then empty your trash. If you delete, restore, or permanently delete multiple files or folders at once, it might take time for the changes to take effect.

Learn about items that use storage space

Google Drive
Important: As of June 1, 2021, newly created Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, or Jamboard files count toward storage. Files that already exist don't count toward storage unless they're modified on or after June 1, 2021. 
  • Most files in your My Drive take up space. My Drive contains files and folders you upload or sync, such as PDFs, images, or videos. It also contains files you create, such as Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms.
  • Items in your Trash also take up space. Learn how to empty your trash.
  • If you use Drive for work or school, content in shared drives' trash also counts toward your organization's storage.
Gmail
Messages and attachments, like items in your Spam and Trash folders, take up space.
Google Photos
  • Photos and videos backed up in Original quality take up space.
  • Photos and videos backed up in High quality (now named Storage saver) or Express quality after June 1, 2021. Any photos or videos you backed up in High quality or Express quality before June 1, 2021 will not count toward your Google Account storage. Learn more about Photos backup options.
Other items that use storage space

Files besides Gmail, Drive, and Photos can still use up your Google storage space. Examples include backups of your WhatsApp messages and media.

To turn off backups of your WhatsApp messages:

  1. Open WhatsApp, go to Settings.
  2. Turn off Drive Backups.

You can manage your existing WhatsApp backups directly through:

  • WhatsApp app
  • Google Account settings under "Manage your Google Account"
Storage differences in Google Drive

Items in Google Drive for desktop take up a different amount of space than the same items in drive.google.com.

  • Items in your Trash take up space in Google Drive, but aren't synced to your computer.
  • Shared items will take up space on your computer, but not Google Drive.
  • Items that are in multiple folders will be synced to all folders on your computer, taking up more space.
  • If you only sync some folders to your computer, the storage on your computer will be less than what is shown on Google Drive.
  • Your computer may show a slightly different file size than drive.google.com because of Mac or PC requirements.

Learn about items that don't use storage space

Google Drive
  • Files in "Shared with me" and shared drives don't use space. These files only take up space in the owner's Google Drive.
  • Google Sites.
  • Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Jamboard, and Drawings files you create before June 1, 2021, and don't edit after that date.
Google Photos
Photos and videos backed up in Storage saver quality or Express quality before June 1, 2021 don't use space.

Learn what happens if you run out of space

Important: If you're over your storage quota for 2 years, your content across Gmail, Drive, and Photos may be deleted.
Gmail
You can’t send or receive messages. Messages sent to you are returned to the sender.
Google Drive
You can’t sync or upload new files. You can’t create new files in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard. Until you reduce the amount of storage you use, neither you nor anyone else can edit or copy your affected files. Syncs stop between your computer's Google Drive folder and My Drive.
Google Photos

You can’t back up any photos or videos. If you want to add any more photos and videos, you can clear up Google storage space or buy more Google storage.

Clear up storage space

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