Google Project FAQs

Google Project FAQs

Google Project FAQs

collapse all expand all

Getting Help

Getting Help

If you need any assistance with Google Workspace including reduction techniques, reclaiming ownership of a large number of files, general storage questions, or what you should do next, please contact us.

Faculty, Staff, and Alumni: https://technology.berkeley.edu/contact-us

Students: https://studenttech.berkeley.edu/techsupport

If your department would like us to present information...

What are the storage limits for Berkeley Google accounts?

Storage limits will be applied in multiple phases.

July 5, 2023 All newly created individual accounts will have a 50 GB limit applied All individual accounts with 35 GB of content or less will have a 50 GB limit applied. All individual accounts with 36 - 150 GB of content will have a 150 GB extended limit applied. All individual accounts with more than 150 GB of content will maintain their current limit until Autumn 2024. Autumn, 2024 - all remaining individual accounts will have a 150 GB limit applied. Autumn, 2024 All SPA My Drives...

How do I check my Google account storage usage?

To see the breakdown of usage in your Google account, go to https://drive.google.com/settings/storage.

To see all the files in your Google MyDrive sorted by usage, go to https://drive.google.com/drive/quota.

To find how much you are storing in your Shared Drive go to https://drive.google....

How do I know if I will be affected by the new storage limits?

All accounts will be given a storage limit. To find out how much storage you are currently using, go to this URL and log in with your CalNet ID: https://drive.google.com/settings/storage . As we continue to develop the quotas, if you are directly impacted we will email you.

What services do the storage limits apply to?

The quota applies to Google Drive, bMail, and Google Photos.

If Berkeley IT can see how much storage I’m using, do they have access to my content and data?

On a day to day basis, we apply the model of privileged access, meaning we access the minimum of what is necessary in order to perform the requested or required task. We only access an account’s data without permission in very specific and rare cases such as legal holds. In those cases, we never look at the contents, but pull the requested information without further perusal.

Are Google Drive or other Google core services going away?

The Google services you access at Berkeley will remain available to you, and your account will continue to work as it does now, as long as your account remains under your quota. You will still have access to all the same Google services you use now.

Will you delete my data if I’m over the storage limit?

We always make absolutely every effort to communicate when content is at risk of deletion. Sometimes content can be automatically deleted as part of the account lifecycle, where we deactivate and then delete accounts that were used by people no longer affiliated with the university. If an account holder repeatedly ignores our attempt to contact them in order to assist with lowering usage and no engagement or reduction has occurred, we may consider deleting content in that account. It is our goal to never have to delete content on your behalf!

What kinds of accounts will be affected by the changes to the Google service?

The Google quotas and service changes will apply to all Google account holders at UC Berkeley, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, emeriti, and retirees; however, only a very small number of people are storing content over the new storage limits and will need to take action. Most people are not impacted by these changes.

Will you be communicating directly with departments? Can you present this project to my department?

If your department has members whose accounts hold more than 1 TB of data, we have probably already contacted your department. If you’d like us to present the details of the project to your department, just email us at google-storage-project@berkeley.edu. We'd be happy to present the project or provide a workshop for your department to develop a content management strategy.

How do the storage limits impact email?

If you are over quota, some services such as creating a new Google Doc may cease to function, however Gmail will continue to send and receive email normally.

In Gmail, when you attach something to an email, if that item is below 25 MB it stays in Gmail and applies to the Gmail portion of your overall usage. Larger attachments are saved in Google Drive and apply to the Drive portion of your overall usage. In both cases, the usage contributes to your overall quota.

Who do I talk to if I think my circumstances are unique?

We are happy to consult with you. Please email us at google-storage-project@berkeley.eduto arrange a personal consultation.

If another account shares files with me in My Drive, do those files count against my storage limit?

No, they are attributed to the owner’s account.

How will the storage limits work with SPAs and shared drives?

SPAs will need to reduce content in their My Drive space to be below 150 GB by Autumn 2024. Shared Drives that do not have a special arrangement in place will also need to be within 150 GB by Autumn 2024.

What happens if I go over my individual storage limit?

If your individual account is over the limit Autumn 2024, you will not be able to edit existing documents or upload new items in Google Drive. Email will work normally. No content will be deleted. Once you remove content so that you are below your limit your account will go back to operating normally. You can find more information about the various storage limit banners and notifications in the Knowledge Base.

How can I learn more about what kind of data can be stored in Google Drive or other storage services at UC Berkeley?

https://security.berkeley.edu/uc-berkeley-box-and-google-data-use-agreement

What do I need to do now to prepare for the new storage limits?

The vast majority of the community will not need to take any action at all! However, If you would like to prepare for lower storage limits that will be implemented later in the project, you can review your existing content in Google Drive, Google Photos, and bMail and delete anything you are comfortable with deleting, especially backups of backups, archives, and extremely out of date records/emails. Make sure you are staying within compliance requirements for records retention.

This is just a recommendation; you are responsible for determining...

When are the new storage limits going to be enforced?

All remaining individual accounts will have a 150 GB limit applied Autumn 2024.

SPAs will need to be within their new limits by Autumn 2024.

Shared Drives will need to be within their new limits by Autumn 2024, or have an Expanded Shared Drive or Pass Through Pay Option agreement in place...

Are you seeing label warnings on your Google Docs?

Are you seeing a scary WILL BE DELETED warning in Google Drive?

A screenshot with a red button that says will be deleted and a description explaining that the owner is no longer affiliated with the university

The owner of this file has left the university. Their account and contents they own have been scheduled to be deleted. The deletion will generally occur six months after their...

Can a student create a Shared Drive?

No. However, if the student is working on a group project with a Lab or other research group, the faculty member can create the Shared Drive and the team members, including the student, can use it.

Passthrough Pay Option MOU

All Passthrough Pay Option accounts must complete this MOU which uses the DocuSign platform. The MOU will have three signers:

Department/Group Budget Representative

Department/Group Data Manager (ensures content guidelines...

Should I just download my "My Drive" content to my desktop?

While the option to download to a local folder may work for some people, it is a risky endeavor due to security implications and the lack of the ability to restore accidentally deleted files. Data and recovery level classification applies to all institutionally owned data, and retaining sensitive data in laptops or portable drives is not recommended. Files should be stored on services the university officially provides both for security and for the ability to...