March 31, 2021: We've made some changes to the storage policy timeline. Please see this post for more information
What’s changing
In 2021, we’ll make some changes to the way we store Google Photos, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard content that may impact your domain. Please see below for more details.
Google Photos
Starting June 1, 2021, any new photos or videos uploaded to Google Photos or Google Drive in High quality will count toward the storage limits for users in your domain. Currently, only photos and videos uploaded in Original quality count toward storage quotas. Please note that any photos or videos uploaded in High quality prior to June 1, 2021, will not be impacted by this change and will not count toward storage limits.
Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard
Starting June 1, 2021, any newly created Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard files will also count toward the storage limits for users in your domain. Existing files within these products will not count toward storage, unless they’re modified on or after June 1, 2021.
Who’s impacted
Admins and end users. Storage limits differ across Google Workspace and G Suite editions, but we estimate that the majority of users will not be affected by these changes. See “Getting Started” below for more information on determining how much storage each user in your organization is allotted.
Why it’s important
Over the past decade, Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos have helped billions of people securely store and manage their emails, documents, photos, videos and more. Today, people are uploading more content than ever before—in fact, more than 4.3 million GB are added across Gmail, Drive, and Photos every day. These changes to our storage policy are necessary to provide our users with a great experience and to keep pace with the growing demand.
Getting started
- Admins: Primary admins in impacted domains will receive an email notification prior to these changes taking effect. In the meantime, check out the Apps usage user report (see General > Photos and Drive sections) for a comprehensive look at storage usage across your organization. To understand how much storage you’re allocated on your current plan, see the Usage and support section of the Help Center for Business editions, Enterprise editions, Education editions, and G Suite editions. If you’re not sure which edition you’re using, visit the Billing page in the Admin console.
- End users: Visit the Help Center to learn how to manage files in your Google Account storage.
Rollout pace
- Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: These policies will go into effect on June 1, 2021.
Availability
- These changes will apply to all customers with Google Workspace and G Suite licenses.
Resources
- Google Workspace Admin Help: User reports: Apps usage
- Google Workspace Admin Help: Compare Business editions (usage and support)
- Google Workspace Admin Help: Compare Enterprise editions (usage and support)
- Google Workspace Admin Help: Compare Education editions (usage and support)
- Google Workspace Admin Help: Compare G Suite Basic and Business editions