Overview
This article further clarifies the recent memo on Google Drive storage reductions, and provides detailed instructions for reviewing and reducing storage usage.
Google account storage
USC Google accounts are available to USC faculty, staff, and students and can store up to 100 GB of data. This includes files stored in:
- Google Drive
- Google Photos
- Gmail (primarily students)
If an account reaches the 100 GB storage limit, its Google Drive and Google Photos access becomes read-only.
In rare cases, a USC Google account may have been set to a higher limit. This was a temporary increase granted by ITS to prevent data loss for accounts that exceeded the 100 GB limit. To avoid being charged storage, even if you were granted a temporary higher limit, you must reduce your storage to meet the 100 GB limit.
Viewing your Google storage usage
Quick guide
- Sign into https://usc.edu/googledrive using your USC NetID and passphrase.
- Your storage use appears in the left navigation. You can click Storage to view a list of your files ordered by size.
Google Photos
If Google indicates that you have files stored in Google Photos, you may need to review your Google Photo usage as well:
- Go to https://photos.google.com.
- Click Storage in the left navigation.
- Google suggests large files and blurry photos for you to review and delete.
Reducing your storage usage
Consider the following steps for reducing your storage usage:
- Review and remove large files
- Delete outdated drafts, duplicates, and personal files
- Transfer files as needed to Microsoft OneDrive
- Once files are deleted, empty your trash
- Consult with DTS about alternatives to Google Drive
Note that we do not mention reviewing the Shared with me category in Google Drive. This is because files that are shared with you are stored by the sharer, and do not count against your own storage. A possible exception is if a folder was shared with you, and you uploaded files to the folder: the folder does not count as part of your storage, but the files that you uploaded do count.
Review and remove large files
By default, clicking Storage will show a list of your files ordered by size. You can also click Type to filter for common large files such as videos, images, and audio.
Delete outdated drafts, duplicates, and personal files
On the Storage page, click Modified and then set a Custom date range to review files by year.
If you have multiple files for the same document, it's a good idea to delete the older files. One way to find duplicate files is to search your Google Drive for files containing copy in the name.
We also suggest checking for and then transferring or deleting any personal files you may have inadvertently saved to your USC Google account instead of your personal Google account.
Check for old computer backups
If you used Google Drive to back up an old computer's files, you can review those files and delete anything that you have already migrated to your current computer. In the left navigation, click Computers. Then, select a backup to review:
Transfer files as needed to Microsoft OneDrive
While your Google account can only store up to 100 GB, your Microsoft account can store up to 250 GB. Additionally, unlike Google Drive, Microsoft is approved by USC for the storage of confidential data.
Just be aware that you cannot open native Google formats in Microsoft. This includes Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms. You can download individual Google files in Microsoft format, but you will lose Google's version history.
The following guides will help you copy files from Google Drive to OneDrive:
Delete files after transfer
After you copy the files to OneDrive and confirm you can access them, you need to manually delete them from Google Drive. This step is important not only because it frees up Google Drive space but because you don't want to end up with duplicate files across two different platforms.
Once files are deleted, empty your trash
After deleting files, you can free up storage by emptying the trash promptly. Once you empty your trash, files are permanently gone and even ITS cannot retrieve them:
Quick guide
Empty Google Drive trash
Items in the trash are permanently deleted after 30 days. To delete them and reclaim your storage sooner:
- In the left navigation, click Trash.
- You have two options:
- To delete everything: Click Empty trash.
- To delete a specific item: Click the More actions
icon next to the item, and select Delete forever.
Empty Google Photos trash
Items in Google Photos trash are permanently deleted after 60 days. To delete them sooner:
- Go to https://photos.google.com.
- In the left navigation, click Trash (you may need to scroll down).
- You have two options:
- To delete everything: Click Empty trash.
- To delete a specific item: Click the photo. Then, at the top, click Delete permanently.
Consult with DTS about alternatives to Google Drive
If you are using Google to store research data or other essential work that is storage-heavy, email DTS at ts@dornsife.usc.edu for a consultation. We can help you explore and compare the costs of alternatives.
Requesting a storage increase (fee applies)
To use Google Drive to store data above the 100 GB limit, you can purchase additional storage. The cost is $144 per TB, charged annually. Smaller quotas of 250 GB and 500 GB are also available.
Reimbursement is not permitted for storage purchases for personal Google accounts, as non-USC accounts cannot be used to store University data.
A note about the pricing: USC is charged $144 per TB annually by Google for additional storage. This is the discounted cost for Google Workspace for Education, which includes enterprise-grade security and compliance tools. While this rate is higher than Google One personal plans, please keep in mind that Google One personal plans lack sufficient controls to protect University data.