IT Announcements

UA Google Workspace: Time to tidy up your storage

November 7, 2025

As previously shared, Google is changing how storage works for education accounts — and the University of Alaska is preparing for those changes.

In the past, Google offered unlimited storage to higher education institutions at no cost. That policy has ended. Now, each university receives a limited amount of shared storage space, and anything beyond that will come with a cost.

To prepare for these changes, the University of Alaska encourages everyone to start reviewing and organizing their Google files now. Building good digital cleanup habits today will make it easier to stay within future storage limits and keep your account running smoothly.

Tips for reducing your Google storage footprint
The following steps can make a big difference in managing your storage and keeping your account organized:

Gmail

  • Delete old or large emails, specially promotions, updates, and social notifications.
  • Save attachments: Save important email attachments to a shared or team drive, then delete the email.
  • Unsubscribe from newsletters you no longer read.
  • Empty Trash and Spam manually: Both trash and spam auto-delete at 30 days. If you want to immediately see a difference in total storage, delete them manually.

Visit Google’s guide to freeing up space in Gmail for more ideas.

Drive
In Google Drive, go to Settings → Storage, and sort by file size or date. Identify and delete any unnecessary:

  • Large videos or photos
  • Duplicate files
  • Outdated drafts or old versions

In General

  • Schedule it: Include time on your calendar each week to declutter your Storage.
  • Check your usage often: Visit drive.google.com/settings/storage.
  • Review your Drive files: Sort by size or date to find what can be deleted.
  • Be mindful of Docs, Sheets, and Slides: These files count toward your total.
  • Keep UA accounts for UA work: Move personal items to a private account.

Why this matters
Google’s shift away from unlimited educational storage affects every college and university. By cleaning up now and maintaining healthy file management habits, the UA community can stay organized, prevent disruptions, and help the university manage storage efficiently in the future.

For FAQs and cleanup tips, visit the UA Google Storage Project page or contact your IT Help Desk for support: UAA • UAF/OIT • UAS.