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New UP Google Workspace Storage Size

Google has announced that there will be changes in their Workspace for Education storage. To learn more about this, please read Google's announcement: https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/google-workspace-for-education/

UP mail (which uses GMail), Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Forms, and other Google Workspace for Education apps will be affected as the previously unlimited storage will no longer be available to the academic community worldwide. With this upcoming change, UP is also commencing its transition for its users. Said changes in the storage space will take effect on July 15, 2023.

How should UP users begin their transition for this change in storage size?

By July 15, 2023, each UP Mail user will be allocated with limited storage.

To assist you in your transition to the upcoming storage size changes, we recommend the following steps:

  1. Check the amount of storage space you are using up in your UP Google Workspace account. You can do this by going to your Google Drive Storage Settings: https://drive.google.com/settings/storage
  2. You can start downloading your UP Google Workspace Account data by reading and following the details in this link: How to download your Google data
  3. Review all the files saved in your account, and remove those that are large and/or unnecessary. You must also review the file attachments in your email, both in the Inbox and Sent items.
  4. It is strongly advised to remove files that are currently not being used. The UP Google Workspace is intended for the use of sharing files.
  5. IMPORTANT REMINDER: Remove personal files that are not for the academic/research/administrative purposes of UP. The UP Google Workspace is for University use only. This is in compliance with the UP Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), which you can read here: Approved Acceptable Use Policy for Information Technology (IT) Resources of the UP System
  6. Manage your UP Google Workspace storage by searching and deleting files. You can read and follow the steps in this link: Manage files in your Google Drive storage

For more information to help you with the transition, please visit this page: How to Prepare for the New Google Workspace for Education Storage Limits

For inquiries and concerns related to this matter, please do not hesitate to contact your Constituent University’s IT Office/Unit. Their contact details can be found here: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/contact-us#cu-it-support



Frequently Asked Questions


How much storage size will be allocated to me?

Starting July 15, 2023, each UP Google Workspace user will be given specific storage allocation. The following are the corresponding storage sizes according to the user type:

  • Faculty/REPS: 75 gigabytes (GB)
  • Administrative Staff: 25 GB
  • K-12 Students: 15 GB
  • Students (Undergraduate and Graduate): 25 GB
  • Offices: 60 GB
  • Alumni: 5 GB

To have your UP Mail classified/tagged according to your current user type, please contact the local IT Office/Center of your Constituent University/campus. Their contact details can be found here: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/contact-us#cu-it-support



How are other universities handling this change in Google Workspace storage?

Other universities and academic institutions have been implementing their respective storage limits. For more information, click here.



Will the UP Mail accounts of offices be included in this new storage quota policy?

Yes. All UP Mail accounts are included in this new storage quota or limit, as this is part of Google’s new policy.



If an office UP Mail account is included in the new storage quota policy, what can be done to handle such change?

For office UP Mail accounts, you can start managing and cleaning out your office UP Mail account to reduce the storage space usage. More information and tips can be found in the following links::


I am a student concurrently working either as an administrative staff or faculty or REPS. How much Google Drive storage should I be allocated?

If you are both a student and an administrative staff or faculty or REPS of the University, the storage capacity of your account would correspond to your designation either as administrative staff, faculty, or REPS. To have your UP Mail classified/tagged according to your current designation, please contact the local IT Office/Center of your Constituent University/campus. Their contact details can be found here: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/contact-us#cu-it-support



What happens if I exceed my allotted storage size on July 15, 2023?

When you still exceed your allotted Google Workspace storage limit, your account is affected in the following ways:

  • You will not be able to upload new files or images to Google Drive.
  • You will not be able to create new files in collaborative content creation apps like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard. Until you reduce your storage usage, nobody can edit or copy your affected files or submit forms owned by you.
  • You will not be able to back up any photos and videos to Google Photos.
  • You will not be able to record new meetings in Google Meet.
  • You can still sign into and access your Google Workspace for Education account, view and download your files, and send and receive emails. Note: Users with Google Workspace licenses other than Education will not be able to send and receive emails when they exceed their storage limit.


When will the new storage quota be implemented?

The new storage quota for UP Google Workspace accounts will take effect on July 15, 2023.



Will my files that exceeded my allocated storage size be deleted after July 15, 2023?

If you fail to migrate or backup your files/data before the implementation of the new storage quota takes effect, you might risk losing important files or data if you already exceeded your previous storage limit. Google provides only limited functionality to restore files. Likewise, the University will not be able to save a copy of all data or files before deletion.



What types of files are allowed to be stored in my storage quota?

Only files that are relevant to the academic, research, and administrative purposes of the University are allowed to be stored in your UP Google Workspace account. Personal files are NOT allowed to be stored in the UP Google account.



What other options are available for UP users who need to store academic/research/administrative-related files?

As an alternative, UP users can utilize the OneDrive feature of their UP Microsoft Office 365 accounts as storage of files for academic/administrative/research purposes. Here, email storage is 50 gigabytes (GB) and OneDrive storage is 1 terabyte (TB) (Note: 1 TB is equal to 1000 GB). For more information about Office 365 and how to request for an account, kindly see this link: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/services/software-services/microsoft-office-365-for-up

Please note that personal files are also NOT ALLOWED to be stored in your UP Microsoft 365 account.



Can UP offices request for a Microsoft Office 365 account?

Yes, a UP office can request for a Microsoft Office 365 account. Office accounts can use Outlook (Email), OneDrive, and Office on the cloud. However, they are NOT authorized to download and install MS Office for computers/devices. Only faculty and students are authorized to download and install MS Office for computers/devices.

Here, email storage is 50 gigabytes (GB) and OneDrive storage is 1 terabyte (TB) (Note: 1 TB is equal to 1000 GB). For more information about UP Microsoft Office 365, kindly see this link: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/services/software-services/microsoft-office-365-for-up



Where can I find the University rules about the use of UP Mail, storage, and other online services?

Regarding the use of UP Mail, storage, and other online services, all UP users must comply with the UP Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), which you can read here: Approved Acceptable Use Policy for Information Technology (IT) Resources of the UP System



I have personal photos and files, can I use UP Mail/Google Workspace for these personal photos and files?

No, the UP Google Workspace account SHOULD NOT be used to store personal photos and files. This will violate the UP Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), which you can read here: Approved Acceptable Use Policy for Information Technology (IT) Resources of the UP System



Do UP Mail email attachments take up space in my UP Google Workspace and affect my storage usage?

Yes, emails and email attachments count towards the amount of storage you use up. To check how much storage you are using in your UP Google Workspace, go to your Google Drive Storage Settings via this link: https://drive.google.com/settings/storage



Do files shared with me take up space on my Google Drive?

Shared files are stored in your collaborator's Google Workspace and will not take up space in your account. Take note that files in your Google Drive which you save under "My Drive" take up your storage space. This includes files you created, such as Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms, in your "My Drive."



Which data or files will be affected by this change in the UP Google Workspace storage size?

Data and files in your UP Mail (Gmail), Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Forms, Google Photos, and other Google apps will be affected.



Will my Google Drive be affected?

Yes, your Google Drive is affected, since inside this Drive are your files. You must ensure that the total storage size of the files contained in your Drive is within the limit.



What will happen if I fail to reduce my emails and manage my storage use, and it exceeds the quota when the new UP Mail Google Workspace storage size change takes effect?

When you still exceed your allotted UP Google Workspace storage limit, your account is affected in the following ways:

  • You will not be able to upload new files or images to Google Drive.
  • You will not be able to create new files in collaborative content creation apps like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard. Until you reduce your storage usage, nobody can edit or copy your affected files or submit forms owned by you.
  • You will not be able to back up any photos and videos to Google Photos.
  • You will not be able to record new meetings in Google Meet.
  • You can still sign into and access your Google Workspace for Education account, view and download your files, and send and receive emails. Note: Users with Google Workspace licenses other than Education will not be able to send and receive emails when they exceed their storage limit.



How can I check how much storage I am using in my UP Google Workspace?

You can check your storage use by going to your Google Drive Storage Settings through this link: https://drive.google.com/settings/storage



What tool can I use to download files from my UP Google Workspace account?

You can use Google Takeout to begin downloading your data. Google Takeout is a free tool used to export Google data for backup. It supports multiple types of data including mail, Drive content, and calendars, among others.

For more tips on downloading your files, visit the How to download your Google data page.



What can I use to help me manage and clean up my Google Workspace storage?

For more tips on managing your storage, you can go to the Manage files in your Google Drive storage page. This page includes steps for:

  1. Deleting files by size in Google Drive.
  2. Permanently deleting large emails in Gmail.
  3. Permanently deleting emails in your Spam folder.
  4. Moving photos and videos to Trash.


How do I restore files accidentally deleted from my Google Drive?

For information about deleting and restoring files, go to the Delete and restore files in Google Drive page. This page contains the steps for:

  1. Moving a file to the trash.
  2. Emptying the Google Drive trash.
  3. Recovering a file from the trash.
  4. Restoring deleted files.


Can users purchase additional storage for their UP Google Workspace account at their own expense?

Unfortunately, this is not possible. Users can purchase additional storage for their own personal Gmail accounts, not UP Mail accounts.



Can users request additional storage?

At the moment, no, users cannot request additional storage until all the UP Mail accounts have normalized and are within their respective storage quota limits.



I cannot directly transfer data/files between my UP Mail/Google Workspace to my personal email. Is there a way to do this?

Currently, there is no seamless way yet to transfer data from the UP Google Workspace account to personal email accounts. The data needs to be first downloaded via Google Takeout and then uploaded to the personal email account.


For more information to help you with the transition, please visit this page: How to Prepare for the New Google Workspace for Education Storage Limits



Do emails affect the storage quota?

Emails are not affected, but email attachments are affected by the storage quota.



I need more help, who will I contact and how?

For more inquiries and concerns, please contact your Constituent University’s IT Office/Unit. Their contact details can be found here: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/contact-us#cu-it-support