Google introduced a new policy a few weeks back for its storage products – Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos. This policy does not take effect until June 1, 2021. According to Google, this new policy will help them continue providing everyone with a great storage experience.
Every Google account comes with 15GB of storage across these three products. Google estimates that about 80 percent of users should have at least three years before fully exhausting this 15GB.
In this post, we write about what happens when your Gmail and Google Drive (including Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard files) runs out of storage.
READ MORE: Google Photos is ending its free unlimited storage offer.
Gmail and Google Drive Out of Storage? Here’s What Happens
- Going by this new policy, after June 1st, if you’re over your storage limit for two years, Google may delete your content across Gmail, Drive, and Photos.
- Similarly, if you’re found to be inactive in one or more of these services for two years (24 months), Google may delete the content in the product(s) in which you’re inactive.
Important to note: Any any new Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms or Jamboard file you create after June 1, 2021, will begin counting toward your free 15 GB. Existing files before this date created on these products will not count. This is unless you modify them on or after June 1.
However, before any of the content removal happens, Google will notify you multiple times so you can take action. (Also, you can keep your account active by simply periodically visiting Gmail, Drive, or Photos while connected to the internet.)
What to do When Your Gmail or Google Drive Runs Out of Storage
If you run out of storage and you don’t want Google to delete your files, you can to any of the following:
- Choose what files to delete yourself. This can be easily done with the free storage manager in the Google One app or the web version.
- You can upgrade to a larger storage plan with Google One. It starts from 100 GB for $1.99/month, 200 GB for $2.99/month, and 1 TB for $9.99/month.
There you have what happens when your storage runs out. The pricing for additional storage seems quite affordable. Tell us what you think in the comments section. And if this is a great storage deal for Google users (especially when compared to other products).