In February 2021, Google announced that it would enact a new storage policy, which would eliminate the “free and unlimited” nature of Google Drive. On January 23, Information Technology Services activated per-user and Shared Drive quotas for UCSB Google Drive accounts. This was the first change made to ensure that the entire campus' Google Workspace usage is within a given storage allocation by summer 2024. This service change impacted less than 2% of UCSB accounts.

You do not need to take any action to reduce your storage usage now. If you are interested in knowing what your current Google storage is, check your usage here.

Information Technology Services has taken the following steps to ensure that recent changes will not impede day-to-day activities in Google:

  • All newly created accounts will receive an automatic quota of 150GB total for Google Workspace core services, including Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos.
  • All newly created Shared Drives will receive an automatic quota of 50GB.
  • All existing accounts have been assigned a “temporary containment quota” to slow content growth in our Google accounts. These quotas will allow normal personal and Shared Drive operations until the final implementation plan is developed.

The UCSB Connect Services team has already completed the first phase of changes to the Google Workspace service with no direct impact on day-to-day operations. In the coming months, this team will meet with campus stakeholders to share additional details and develop a plan for the long-term quota implementation.

We encourage you to visit our FAQ page if you have any questions or would like more information. Please submit a ServiceNow ticket if you need assistance with your Google Workspace storage quota or other technical support.

Thank you for your support in maintaining collaboration tools on our campus.