Changes to Google Storage policy

In 2021, Google announced changes to their storage policy and that the unlimited storage offering for education would be ending. The timelines published by Google regarding these changes do not apply to the University of Alberta. IST and the U of A are actively planning and preparing for this change, and are reviewing the institution's overall storage policy.

There are no actions for users to take at this time. We will share more information through the IST website as it becomes available.

FAQ

What should I start doing now?
There are no actions for users to take at this time. We do not recommend deleting or moving U of A institutional data to other non-approved storage solutions (e.g., Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.).

Note: It is not recommended to store personal data on any university system or equipment (computer, phone, etc). If you currently have personal data on your computer or in your university email, you should transfer it to your own personal computer and personal email.

What Google applications are affected by this announcement?
The announcement includes all file types (e.g., documents, videos, and more) across the Google core services (e.g., Gmail, Drive, Photos, and others).

I use Google Drive File Stream and or Google Backup and Sync (now branded Google Drive for Desktop) with my UAlberta Google account. Does this change affect me too?
Yes, these applications provide access to your files stored in Drive and use UAlberta Google storage.