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Google Drive's free account comes with a generous quota of 15GB of storage space, which is shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos.
You can check your current quota usage by going to the Google Drive settings page.
To free up space, you can delete files and folders, or upgrade to a paid plan that offers more storage space.
The paid plans start at 100GB and go up to 30TB, with prices ranging from $1.99 to $299.99 per month.
Understanding Drive Quota
Your Google Drive quota is shared across Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive, so it's essential to understand what counts toward your 15 GB allotment. This includes downloads, documents, spreadsheets, and all the other items you store in Google Drive.
Your Google storage space is used by messages and attachments, like items in your Spam and Trash folders. This can quickly add up and eat into your free storage.
Google Photos and videos backed up in Storage saver quality or Express quality before June 1, 2021 don't use space. However, new files you create in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, and Forms use up your Google storage space.
You can request quota decrease adjustments for project-, folder-, and organization-level quotas. However, quota increase adjustments must be made at the project-level and are subject to Google Cloud approval.
Here's a breakdown of what counts toward your Google storage limit:
If your Google Drive is over the storage limit for two years, Google may delete your content, including your photos, Gmail messages, and files in Google Drive. This is a serious warning, so make sure to regularly check your storage usage.
Managing Drive Quota
You can use up to 15 GB of storage in your Google Drive, which includes documents, spreadsheets, and all other items you store there.
Everything in your Google Drive counts toward your 15 GB allotment, including downloads, documents, spreadsheets, and all the other items you store there.
To increase your storage space, you can purchase up to 30 TB more from Google to share between Gmail and Google Drive.
Google Drive storage is shared across Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive, but other items like WhatsApp backups or Drive for Desktop syncing can also take up space.
Messages and attachments, like items in your Spam and Trash folders, take up space.
Files that already exist don't count toward storage unless they're modified on or after June 1, 2021.
New files you create in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, and Forms use up your Google storage space.
To delete all files in your Google Drive, go to My Drive and press Ctrl+A to select all items, then select the Trash icon.
If Google Drive says your storage is still full after deleting files, you may have to wait up to 24 hours before you can use the available space, although it's usually instantaneous.
You can reset a quota value after an override has been applied by going to the Quotas & System Limits page, entering text in the filter search box to search for your quota, and clicking the checkbox preceding Reset value.
To reset a quota manually, follow the same steps as for requesting a higher quota limit, making sure to set the New value equal to the Default value displayed below the quota name in the Quota changes form.
To cancel your Google Drive storage plan, go to one.google.com/storage and sign in. Under your plan, select Cancel.
Here are some common reasons why your Google Drive storage might be full:
- Messages and attachments taking up space
- WhatsApp backups or Drive for Desktop syncing taking up space
- Files created in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, and Forms using up space
- Photos and videos backed up in Storage saver quality or Express quality before June 1, 2021 not using space
Troubleshooting Drive Quota Issues
If you're running low on Google Drive storage, check your Drive settings to see how much space you've used.
You can find your Drive storage usage by going to drive.google.com/settings.
To free up space, consider deleting files you no longer need or moving them to Google Drive's trash.
Files in the trash count toward your storage usage until they're permanently deleted.
What Happens When You're Over the Limit
If your Google Drive is over the storage limit for two years, Google may delete your content, including your photos, Gmail messages, and files in Google Drive. Google will notify you multiple times if deleting your content is a possibility, so you'll have plenty of warning.
If you're concerned about an inactive account, visit the Inactive Account Manager to designate a trusted contact and manage your settings. This will ensure your files are safe even if you forget your account.
You can see details of quota errors in Quota errors, which will help you understand what went wrong. This information is crucial to troubleshooting your quota issues.
To avoid quota errors, try the following: you can request quota decrease adjustments for project-, folder-, and organization-level quotas. You can also learn more about quotas for a specific service by reading the documentation for that service.
If you're over the limit, you'll receive multiple notifications before Google deletes your content. This will give you time to free up resources or request a quota increase.
Reset a Value
If you've had an override applied to your Google data quota, you can reset the quota value. To do this, go to the Quotas & System Limits page.
To find the page, go to Quotas & System Limits. You can also search for it using the filter search box and set Has override: True to show only quotas with an override.
Once you're on the Quotas page, look for the infoOverride next to the quota limits with an override. Click it to view details and an option to reset the value.
To reset the quota value, click the checkbox preceding Reset value and then click Reset value. Be aware that resetting the value removes your overrides.
To reset a quota manually, follow the same steps as for requesting a higher quota limit. Make sure to set the New value equal to the Default value displayed below the quota name in the Quota changes form.
What Causes Download Errors
Download errors can be frustrating, but understanding what causes them can help you troubleshoot the issue.
Google may lock a file from further downloads for 24 hours to prevent abuse if a large file is shared with many users who download it over a short period.
This can lead to the "Download quota is exceeded" error, which can be unpredictable because you have no way of knowing how many other people have already downloaded the same file you're attempting to download.
It's essential to keep this in mind when trying to download a file that's been shared with many people, as it may be temporarily unavailable.
Fixing Download Errors as Owner
If you're the owner of a shared file on Google Drive and you're experiencing the "Download quota is exceeded" error, it's likely because too many people have downloaded the same file over a short period, triggering Google's filter to block future downloads.
This block is specific to that particular file, not your entire Google Drive account, so you can still share other files without any issues.
To fix the error, simply right-click on the original file and select "Make a copy". This will create a new file with the same name and share settings, but it will be treated as a separate file by Google.
The new file will be shared with the same people as the original file, but you may want to limit the number of downloads to prevent triggering the filter again.
If you're looking for a more elegant solution, consider setting up an embedded Google Form where people can request access to the file instead of downloading it directly.
Learning About Drive Quota
Google Drive storage counts toward your 15 GB allotment, including downloads, documents, spreadsheets, and all the other items you store there.
This means that your Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard files all count toward your free 15 GB storage allotment.
Pooled storage is used in Google Workspace editions, which share storage between Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos.
Storage use is calculated in a way that's worth learning about, especially if you're on a shared plan.
The amount of storage for each user depends on your Google Workspace edition, and most editions have pooled storage.
Google Workspace editions have different storage limits, ranging from 30 GB to unlimited storage.
Here's a breakdown of the storage limits for each Google Workspace edition:
Pooled storage is granted in stages, with part of the storage available at the time of purchase and the rest increasing as you make timely payments for your subscription.
Sources
- https://cloud.google.com/docs/quotas/view-manage
- https://cloud.google.com/docs/quotas/understand-limits
- https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-check-your-gmail-storage-quota-3572140
- https://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/how-to-fix-google-drive-download-quota-is-exceeded-error/
- https://support.google.com/drive/answer/6374270
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