Reducing your Google Storage usage
Changes to Google Workspace came into effect at the 黑料不打烊 on Jan. 31, 2025. Consult the following guidance to manage and reduce your Google storage usage across services like Gmail, My Drive and Google Photos.
Storage by Data Type
Learn about best practices for data storage use by audience and data type.
Reducing your Storage Usage
Reduce Gmail Storage
Reduce your Gmail storage by with large attachments and old emails that are no longer needed. You can specify your search with .
- Review slides 35-54 in the (Video: ) for step-by-step instructions on searching and filtering email.
- Review Create an Email Archive using Google Takeout for information on saving non-transitory emails.
High-level guidance for deleting and archiving emails
- Gmail is not intended for long-term storage of student communications, operational communications, official records, research records or research data.
- in Gmail should be deleted
- Each faculty or department is responsible for their own data and/or records retention schedule.
- Refer to .
- Refer to Financial Management Records Retention Schedule as an example.
- The university is required to comply with federal and provincial statutory requirements relating to the retention of records.
- Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requires that all records be retained until the expiration of six years* after the end of the year to which they relate (does not include research records).
- Refer to Retention & Filing of Source Documents* for more information.
- Student files: the university's documents retention schedule recommends that registered student files in departments be kept from the date of last registration plus five years.
- Refer to the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies’ Retention of Student Files.
- Email communications about research, research records (grants, documentation, manuscripts, etc.) and research data in Gmail.
- This data should be saved to the Research Data Storage Service if the associated research project is being referred to infrequently, or you may need to refer to this research project information in the future (use the “archiving email process” below.)
Archiving emails + attachments
Easily copy your emails (all emails or by label) from Gmail, including attachments, using Google Takeout. Then search and read those emails in Mozilla Thunderbird. Then, follow these steps:
Review My Drive + Google Photos Content
Google My Drive vs. Shared Drives
Google My Drive is to be used as storage for personal productivity or drafting work-related documentation or data. Shared Drive is intended to be used as storage for data or records that require external collaboration or for materials that require concurrent editing.
Be aware that while Shared Drives do not contribute to individual quotas currently, data stored in Shared Drives impacts the overall quota that the U of A must adhere to based on Google’s licensing changes.
For more information about Google My Drive and how to move folders into Shared Drives from My Drive, use these resources:
Reviewing My Drive + Google Photos
Review your data in My Drive and Google Photos and remove any files that are not explicitly related to your work, studies and/or research at the university (i.e. personal files such as family photos and videos, personal financial documents, etc.).
Follow these steps:
- Review and delete large files or those that are no longer needed using the to sort your files.
- Review slide 33 in the for information about identifying transitory records.
- Delete personal photos and videos by activity, creations and categories using .
Empty the trash
Empty the trash folder in Drive. outlines the process.
Frequently asked questions
Find more information and answers to your questions on
Submit Your Questions
If you require additional information, .
If you are a faculty or staff member, we also encourage you to connect with your to discuss any questions or concerns you may have.