Manage your storage in Drive, Gmail & Photos

Understand how Google storage works, what takes up space, and how to manage it effectively.

If you're over your storage quota for 2 years, we might delete your content across Gmail, Drive, and Photos. Learn more about Google storage policies.

Learn what takes up storage and what happens when it's full

Your Google storage is shared across Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive. However, other items like WhatsApp backups or Drive for Desktop syncing can also take up space.

Learn what takes up storage in Gmail, Photos & Drive

Learn what items in Gmail use storage space

Messages and attachments, like items in your Spam and Trash folders, take up space.

Learn what happens when you run out of space in Gmail

When your account reaches its storage limit:

  • You can’t send or receive messages.
  • Messages sent to you return to the sender.
Photos logo

Learn what items in Google Photos use storage space

  • Photos and videos backed up in Original quality take up space.
  • After June 1, 2021, photos and videos backed up in High quality (now named “Storage saver” or ”Express quality”) take up space. Learn more about Photos backup options.

Learn what items in Google Photos don’t use storage space

Photos and videos backed up in Storage saver quality or Express quality before June 1, 2021 don't use space.

Learn what happens when you run out of space in Google Photos

  • When your account reaches its storage limit, you can’t back up any photos or videos.
  • Photos and videos backed up before June 1, 2021 don't use space in Storage saver quality or Express quality.

Learn what items in Google Drive use storage space

  • Most files in your My Drive take up space as they contain files and folders you upload or sync, such as .pdf files, images, or videos.
  • Your space in My Drive 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.

Important: New files you create in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings and Forms use up your Google storage space. Files that already exist don't count toward storage unless they're modified on or after June 1, 2021.

Learn what items in Google Drive don’t use storage space

  • 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 files you created before June 1, 2021 don’t count against your storage unless you edit them after that date.

Learn what happens when you run out of space in Google Drive

When your account reaches its storage limit:

  • You can’t sync or upload new files.
  • You can’t create new files in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings or Forms.
  • 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.

Learn about storage differences for Google Drive for Desktop

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. Learn how to empty your trash.
  • Shared items take up space on your computer, but not Google Drive.
  • Items that are in multiple folders sync to all folders on your computer and take up more space.
  • If you only sync some folders to your computer, the storage on your computer is less than what is shown on drive.google.com.
  • Your computer might show a different file size due to Mac or PC requirements than in drive.google.com.

Learn about other items that use storage space

Files other than Gmail, Drive, and Photos can still use up your Google storage space. For example, backups of your WhatsApp messages and media.

To turn off backups of your WhatsApp messages:

  1. On your device, open WhatsApp.
  2. Go to Settings and then Chats and then Chat backup.
  3. Tap Never.

You can also delete your WhatsApp backups through the Google Drive app.

Important: Once deleted, you can't recover WhatsApp backups from Drive.

  1. On your device, open the Google Drive app.
  2. Make sure you have signed in to the correct google account.
  3. At the top left, tap Menu Menu and then Backups.
  4. Find your WhatsApp backup file.
  5. Tap Menu More and then Delete backup.

Optimize Your Google Storage or Get More Space

Check out how much storage you have

You’re not signed into a Google Account. To find out how much storage you have and how to manage it, log into your Google Account and reload this article.

Sign into your Google Account

Learn how to clear space

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Sign into your Google Account

Learn how to buy more storage

You’re not signed into a Google Account. To find out how much storage you have and how to manage it, log into your Google Account and reload this article.

Sign into your Google Account

Google One is a subscription that gives you more storage across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos for your account, .

When you subscribe to Google One, your total storage increases depending on the plan you choose.

Get more storage with Google One

Learn how storage policies vary by plan

Learn about 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.

Pooled storage is granted in stages:

  • At the time of purchase, you get part of your storage. 
  • As you make timely payments for your subscription, your storage increases up to your total storage limit. 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
Learn about Google One storage

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

Google One Plan

Payment

Availability

30 GB

Monthly or yearly

India and Indonesia

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 and troubleshoot your Google storage.

Need more help?

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More storage across Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos for you and your family. Access to Google experts. Family sharing option. Expanded storage.

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