Google Drive is an important part of Denison’s storage strategy, providing secure, reliable data storage. This year, Google changed its practice of providing unlimited file storage to educational institutions. While we will still receive a limited amount of free storage, Denison has purchased additional space to meet the growing file storage needs of our campus.

What does this mean for me?

Your daily use of Gmail and Google Drive will not be affected by this change. ITS continues to recommend Google Drive as your primary file storage location to ensure reliable, secure, and collaborative storage. Going forward, individuals and departments will have storage quotas that balance their unique Google Drive storage needs with the overall needs of the campus. These quotas were developed following a close analysis of Denison’s file storage utilization and account for future usage.

What counts toward my quota?

Email (including attachments), files in Google Drive owned by your account, and photos in Google Photos count toward your storage quota.

How do I know how much storage I am using?

For individual accounts:

You will soon see your available storage on the lower left side of your Google Drive (as shown below). 

For shared drives:

Similar to individual drives, there will also be a quota allotted to each shared drive. Shared Drive usage can be seen in the Drive details section of each drive.

To find the quota size for shared drives:

1. In Google Drive, click Shared Drives, then select the appropriate drive.
2. To the right, a new section will appear labeled with the shared drive’s name. 
3. Find the quota in Drive details  > Storage used.

What happens when I reach my quota?

When your quota reaches 100%, you will still be able to send and receive email. You will no longer be able to add files to Google Drive or Google Photos.

If I am near or above my quota, what should I do?

If you are approaching or above your quota, we ask that you first identify and delete large email attachments and files that are duplicated or no longer needed. 

How do I delete large or duplicate files?

Gmail: Go to Gmail.com. Enter larger:10M  into the Gmail search field at the top of your Gmail inbox, then press Return or Enter on your keyboard to display messages larger than 10MB.

Photos: Go to photos.google.com. On the left side at the bottom, click Storage to see how much space you have used in photos. Unlike Drive, Photos does not display a list of large items. 

Drive: To confirm how much storage you’re using, go to https://drive.google.com/#quota.

1. To review and delete large or unnecessary files in Drive, go to https://drive.google.com/drive/quota.
2. To review and delete large or unnecessary files in shared drives, go to https://drive.google.com/drive/shared-drives.
3. Consider deleting Drive content that you may have copied to a shared drive. If a file resides in 2 locations, it may be consuming twice the storage space.
4. To search for and delete unnecessary or large emails, go to Manage files in your Google Drive storage and follow the instructions for Gmail.

Can I raise my quota?

Yes. If you still need additional storage after following the steps above to reduce large or duplicate content, please contact the ITS Service Desk to request an increased quota. 

Where can I learn more about Google’s changes to its tools for education?
You can read more here: https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/google-workspace-for-education/.

Questions?

If you have additional questions, would like to review your storage options, or would like to request additional storage, please contact the ITS Service Desk at 740-587-6395 or email servicedesk@denison.edu.