How Am I Affected by the Google Storage Project?

Please choose your primary university affiliation below for a detailed explanation of how you are affected by the new Google storage limits and the steps you should take.

Note: If you manage a Google Shared Account or shared drive, you can find information about each at the end of this page (under "Account Managers").
Important: If you are both an alum and a faculty/staff member, choose faculty or staff. If you are both a student and staff member, choose student (unless you intend to remain a faculty/staff member after graduation).

University Affiliations

Faculty (Regular, Emeritus, and Lecturers)

If you are a faculty member (regular, emeritus, or lecturer), you now have a 250GB storage limit in U-M Google. This limit applies across your entire account, including Google Drive, Mail, and Photos.

Storage limits for existing faculty were applied on January 16, 2023. (If you joined U-M as a faculty member after January 16, your 250GB limit was automatically applied to your account.)

  • If you are under the limit, there is no further action at this time beyond maintaining your storage unless you receive an email from ITS explaining how you are otherwise affected.
  • If you are over the limit, a temporary storage limit has been placed on your U-M Google account above your current storage total. Since January 2023, you have received emails from ITS monthly that contain more information and next steps. Please read these messages carefully.

    • You have until April 1, 2024, to bring your total storage under 250GB. If you’re not compliant by then, your U-M Google account’s functionality will be noticeably impacted.

ITS has created a tool to assist faculty with moving data from U-M Google to another university-provided storage solution: U-M Dropbox or an ARC storage service (Turbo, Locker, Data Den). Refer to Getting Started With the ITS Google Storage Transfer Tool for access to the tool and instructions for getting started.

As a faculty member, you should:

  • Check your current storage usage: Google provides you with an overview of your current storage usage in Google Drive, Mail, and Photos and a list of the largest files in your Drive.
  • Clean up your U-M Google account: Review Tips for Cleaning Up Your U-M Google Account for suggestions on how to best engage in sustainable data practices.
  • Investigate other storage solutions: A best practice for everyone affiliated with the university is to familiarize themselves with the array of storage options available to them using the U-M Data Storage Finder, as there are situations where alternate storage options may be preferred.
Staff (Regular and Temporary)

If you are a staff member (regular or temporary), you now have a 250GB storage limit in U-M Google. This limit applies across your entire account, including Google Drive, Mail, and Photos.

Storage limits for existing staff were applied on January 16, 2023. (If you joined U-M as a staff member after January 16, your 250GB limit was automatically applied to your account.)

    • If you are under the limit, there is no further action at this time beyond maintaining your storage unless you receive an email from ITS explaining how you are otherwise affected.
    • If you are over the limit, a temporary storage limit has been placed on your U-M Google account above your current storage total. Since January 2023, you have received emails from ITS monthly that contain more information and next steps. Please read these messages carefully.

      • You have until April 1, 2024, to bring your total storage under 250GB. If you’re not compliant by then, your U-M Google account’s functionality will be noticeably impacted.

    ITS has created a tool to assist staff with moving data from U-M Google to U-M Dropbox. Refer to Getting Started With the ITS Google Storage Transfer Tool for access to the tool and instructions for getting started.

    As a staff member, you should:

    • Check your current storage usage: Google provides you with an overview of your current storage usage in Google Drive, Mail, and Photos and a list of the largest files in your Drive.
    • Clean up your U-M Google account: Review Tips for Cleaning Up Your U-M Google Account for suggestions on how to best engage in sustainable data practices.
    • Investigate other storage solutions: A best practice for everyone affiliated with the university is to familiarize themselves with the array of storage options available to them using the U-M Data Storage Finder, as there are situations where alternate storage options may be preferred.
    Student

    If you are a student (undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. candidates), you now have a 250GB storage limit in U-M Google. This limit applies across your entire account, including Google Drive, Mail, and Photos.

    Storage limits for existing students were applied on January 16, 2023. (If you joined U-M as a student after January 16, your 250GB limit was automatically applied to your account.)

      • If you are under the limit, there is no further action at this time beyond maintaining your storage unless you receive an email from ITS explaining how you are otherwise affected.
      • If you are over the limit, a temporary storage limit has been placed on your U-M Google account above your current storage total. Since January 2023, you have received emails from ITS monthly that contain more information and next steps. Please read these messages carefully.

        • You have until April 1, 2024, OR until you graduate to bring your total storage under 250GB. If you’re not compliant by then, your U-M Google account’s functionality will be noticeably impacted.

      For upcoming graduates (as of Winter 2023): The April 1, 2024, deadline does not apply to you. Refer to Leaving U-M for Graduating Students to understand your U-M computing service deadlines, including when your alumni Google storage limit will be applied and what happens if you do not reduce your storage in time. If no action is taken, your account will be considered abandoned, deactivated, and scheduled for permanent deletion.

      ITS has created a tool to assist current students with moving data from U-M Google to U-M Dropbox. Refer to Getting Started With the ITS Google Storage Transfer Tool for access to the tool and instructions for getting started. However, remember that you do not retain access to your U-M Dropbox account when you graduate and leave U-M.

      As a student, you should:

      • Check your current storage usage: Google provides you with an overview of your current storage usage in Google Drive, Mail, and Photos and a list of the largest files in your Drive.
      • Clean up your U-M Google account: Review Tips for Cleaning Up Your U-M Google Account for suggestions on how to best engage in sustainable data practices.
      • Transfer ownership of academic, research, and other university business data: As a best practice and to prepare you for when you graduate, you should transfer ownership of files/folders containing university data, including academic, business, or research data to the appropriate individual or group at the university.
        • For academic data: Speak with the faculty member with whom you worked (e.g., as a GSI or TA) to determine whether they'd like you to transfer ownership of any files and where best to store that data.
        • For research data: Speak with your research team to determine to whom ownership should be transferred and where best to store that data.
        • For business data: Speak with your supervisor/manager to determine whether they'd like you to transfer ownership of any files and where best to store that data.
        • For shared drives you manage: Make sure to add at least one additional eligible Manager to manage the drive to avoid loss of university data after you graduate.
      Important: Your Google storage limit will change from 250GB to 15GB upon graduation. You will also lose the ability to create and manage shared drives as alums are not eligible. Please be aware of the services you lose upon graduation (including U-M Dropbox). You are responsible for understanding the affiliations you have at the university to determine when access to certain U-M computing services will end and how to prepare accordingly. Plan ahead to avoid data loss.
      Sponsored Affiliate

      If you are a sponsored affiliate (and do not have another active university affiliation), you now have a 250GB storage limit in U-M Google. This limit applies across your entire account, including Google Drive, Mail, and Photos.

      Storage limits for existing sponsored affiliates were applied on January 16, 2023. (If you joined U-M as a sponsored affiliate after January 16, your 250GB limit was automatically applied to your account.)

        • If you are under the limit, there is no further action at this time beyond maintaining your storage unless you receive an email from ITS explaining how you are otherwise affected.
        • If you are over the limit, a temporary storage limit has been placed on your U-M Google account above your current storage total. Since January 2023, you have received emails from ITS monthly that contain more information and next steps. Please read these messages carefully.

          • You have until April 1, 2024, OR until your sponsorship expires to bring your total storage under 250GB. If you’re not compliant by then, your U-M Google account’s functionality will be noticeably impacted.

        ITS has created a tool to assist sponsored affiliates (Type-1 only) with moving data from U-M Google to U-M Dropbox. Refer to Getting Started With the ITS Google Storage Transfer Tool for access to the tool and instructions for getting started. However, remember that you do not retain access to your U-M Dropbox account when your sponsorship expires.

        As a sponsored affiliate, you should:

        • Check your current storage usage: Google provides you with an overview of your current storage usage in Google Drive, Mail, and Photos and a list of the largest files in your Drive.
        • Clean up your U-M Google account: Review Tips for Cleaning Up Your U-M Google Account for suggestions on how to best engage in sustainable data practices.
        • Investigate other storage solutions: A best practice for everyone affiliated with the university is to familiarize themselves with the array of storage options available to them using the U-M Data Storage Finder, as there are situations where alternate storage options may be preferred.
        Important: Please be aware of the services you lose when your sponsorship expires (including U-M Dropbox and Google). You are responsible for understanding your affiliations at the university to determine when access to certain U-M computing services will end and how to prepare accordingly. Plan ahead to avoid data loss.
        Alum or Retiree

        If you are an alum or retiree (and do not have an active university affiliation), you now have a 15GB storage limit in U-M Google. This limit applies across your entire account, including Google Drive, Mail, and Photos. Storage limits for existing alums and retirees were applied on January 16, 2023.

        Note: If you become an alum or retiree after January 16, 2023, the dates below do not apply to you. If you are an alum who graduated in the Winter 2023 term or later, you will follow a new offboarding timeline for graduating students. If you are a recent retiree, your 15GB limit was automatically applied to your account upon affiliation loss.
        • If you were under the limit on January 16, 2023, there was no further action for you to take.
        • If you were over the limit on January 16, 2023, your final 15GB storage limit was applied to your account on August 1, 2023, and you lost the ability to use Google Drive and Photos. From January to August 2023, you received emails from ITS on a monthly basis.

          • If you were still over the 15GB storage limit on January 2, 2024, your account (and all its data) was considered abandoned, deactivated, and scheduled for deletion. All deleted data is unrecoverable. You received emails from ITS on a monthly basis from August through December 2023.

        As an alum and/or retiree, you should:

        • Check your current storage usage in Google: Google provides an overview of your current storage usage in Google Drive, Mail, and Photos and a list of the largest files in your Drive.
        • Clean up your U-M Google account: Review Tips for Cleaning Up Your U-M Google Account for suggestions on how to best engage in sustainable data practices. (Reducing your storage will also help prevent storage banners from appearing on your account.)
        • Transfer ownership of university data: Transfer ownership of files/folders involving university data (especially research data) to an individual with an active affiliation at the university (e.g., a faculty or staff member) or existing Google shared drive managed by actively affiliated individuals (note that shared drives now have a 15GB storage limit).
        • Export data from your account: Use Google Takeout to export your data from U-M Google to another non-university storage solution or personal non-Google account. Refer to Getting Started With Google Takeout for instructions on using the tool.

        Account Managers

        I Manage a Google Shared Account

        If you manage a U-M Google Shared Account, all Shared Accounts now have a 15GB storage limit in U-M Google. This limit applies across the entire account, including Google Drive, Mail, and Photos.

        Shared Account limits were applied on January 16, 2023. (If you requested a Shared Account after January 16, the 15GB limit was automatically applied.)

        If your Shared Account is over the limit and affected by this change, you have received emails from ITS on a monthly basis since January 2023 that contain more information and next steps. Please read these messages carefully. To check your current storage usage, log in to your Shared Account, and navigate to the account's storage overview.

        The Shared Account deadline is April 1, 2024. If you’re not compliant by then, your Shared Account’s functionality will be noticeably impacted.

        Important: Please note that this limit is separate from your individual account limit. For example, if you’re a staff member, you still have a 250GB limit even if the Shared Account you help manage has a 15GB limit because they are two separate accounts.

        The intended purpose of Shared Accounts is to manage access to a shared inbox in Gmail and a shared Google Calendar. Shared Accounts should not be used for storage in Google Drive or Photos. If shared collaborative storage is needed, ITS recommends using a Google shared drive (NOT associated with your Shared Account), U-M Dropbox Team Folder, or another university-provided storage service. (Refer to Shared Accounts in U-M Google to learn more.)

        I Manage a Google Shared Drive

        If you manage a Google shared drive, there are several changes regarding membership requirements and storage limits.

        The following changes were made regarding shared drive storage:

        • Every new shared drive created after January 16, 2023, has a 15GB storage limit.
        • Every existing shared drive (created before January 16, 2023) with under 15GB of storage had the new 15GB limit applied to the drive.
        • Every existing shared drive (created before January 16, 2023) with over 15GB of storage and at least one eligible Manager was granted “legacy status.”
          • Legacy shared drives have a storage limit slightly above what its storage was on January 16, 2023. This will remain their final limit for as long as the shared drive has eligible Managers (i.e., faculty, regular staff, or students).
            • There were several legacy shared drives that had to reduce their storage consumption by October 31, 2023. Managers received emails from ITS on a monthly basis from January through October 2023. Their final storage limits have been applied and will remain as long as the drive has eligible Managers.

        To check your current storage usage, navigate to the shared drive and click the information "i" icon in the top right corner of the page. In the sidebar that appears, you will find the drive's storage usage under Drive details > Storage used.

        Important: Please note that the shared drive limits are separate from your individual account limit. For example, if you’re a staff member, you still have a 250GB individual limit, even if the shared drive you’re a member/Manager of has a 15GB limit.

        In conjunction with the new shared drive creation process and policies that were rolled out in January 2023, there are additional changes to shared drives that no longer meet the Manager eligibility requirements. Affected shared drive Managers received emails from ITS on a monthly basis between January and August 2023.

        Shared drives that have no Managers with an eligible university role were required to take action:

        • Ineligible roles include temporary staff, sponsored affiliates, alumni, retirees, Shared Accounts, MCommunity groups (with no eligible members/owners), and external (non-UM) email addresses.
        • August 1, 2023, was the deadline for these drives to either remove their data or add an eligible Manager (i.e., faculty, regular staff, or student). After that date, the shared drive was given a 0GB storage limit, and all members lost the ability to create, upload, copy, or move content into the shared drive.
        • On January 2, 2024, all remaining shared drives with no eligible Managers were permanently deleted. These drives are unrecoverable.
        Moving forward, to help mitigate the deletion of data that is still being used by eligible collaborators at the university, Google shared drives with no eligible Managers (and the content stored in them) become inaccessible to any collaborator or shared drive member within 24 hours of losing eligibility. Collaborators have 90 days to contact the ITS Service Center for assistance before the shared drive is deleted.

        Appropriate Use of Shared Drives

        Shared drives should be used for collaborative data related to administration, learning, teaching, and/or research at the University of Michigan. Shared drives are not appropriate for storing personal data (SPG 601.07). Data in shared drives are considered to be owned by a group or team rather than an individual.

        Data that is not collaborative and/or does not necessitate the real-time collaborative features Google Drive offers should be stored in a more applicable location, such as a U-M Dropbox Team Folder or another university-provided storage service. (Refer to Shared Drives in U-M Google for more information.)