Spring Clean Up! Decluttering the »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵStorage Cloud
April 3, 2026
New storage limits were announced recently for University of Alaska Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 accounts. Faculty and staff are limited to 15 gigabytes within each platform— including emails, files, photos, videos, documents, and even items sitting in the Trash or Recycle Bin. If you haven't checked your total usage, now is the time.
A small amount of targeted cleanup can have a big impact. Massive video files, high-res photos, and large email attachments are typically the biggest space hogs, so start deleting those first. In Gmail, search has:attachment larger:10M to find bulky emails quickly. In OneDrive, the Manage Storage tool will show you what's taking up the most room. On both platforms, make sure to empty the Trash (Google Workspace) or Recycle Bin (Microsoft 365), since deleted items still count against your total storage allotment, until they are permanently deleted.
Another easy win is moving shared or departmental files out of your personal »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵstorage.
Any file stored in your personal Google Drive or OneDrive counts against your individual
limit, even if it's shared with others. Team and department files belong in a Google Shared Drive or a Microsoft 365 SharePoint
Library, where storage is managed at the department level and doesn't eat into your individual allotted storage total. For more helpful tips
read through .
Beyond the initial cleanup, the real goal is to make storage organization a regular
habit, not a once-a-year scramble. Blocking just 10-15 minutes on your calendar each
month to sort, delete, and tidy is often all it takes. Think of it like cleaning out
your office: a little consistency prevents a much bigger headache later.
If you've cleaned up as much as possible and are still over your limit or have a project with unusually large cloud storage needs, reach out to your campus IT help desk for further guidance: - - .