Google announced an update to storage policies in November 2020. Back then, the company informed users that it changed which files count against a user’s storage quota.
The change affects high quality photos uploaded to Google Photos and also new Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms or Jamboard files. One of these services, Jamboard, a whiteboarding app, has been shut down in the meantime.
A help page on Google’s support website lists data that counts against a user’s quota. Apart from what is listed above, this also includes the following:
- Meet call recordings.
- Files in Google Drive.
- Gmail messages and attachments.
- Original quality photos and videos backed up to Google Photos.
Users may experience issues when they are over quota. Broken down, it limits the ability to save new files to the cloud storage in many Google products.
Inactive Google accounts
In the same update, Google announced new policies for inactive accounts and accounts that are over the limit.
Accounts inactive for 24 months may have content deleted in the aforementioned services. Google explicitly refers to “product(s) in which you’re inactive”.
The wording is confusing, as users may interpret it as having to use all of these services at least once in a 2 year period to avoid having their data deleted.
This appears to not be the case. Google suggests to “periodically visit Gmail, Drive or Photos on the web or mobile, while signed in and connected to the internet” to avoid the banhammer.
Google reassures users that it will notify users multiple times by email and notifications prior to deleting content or deleting the entire account.
Accounts that exceed their storage quota for a 2 year period also risk deletion, according to Google.
Most accounts are safe
Some news outlet painted the new policy in dramatic terms. While it is true that Google may delete inactive accounts, it is relatively easy to do something about it.
One could argue that users who have not used their account for 2 years may not hold it in high value and that most may not mind the deletion.
In any event, here is what I recommend:
- If you store valuable files or emails in your Google account, create a backup.-You can use Google’s Takeout service to export the data. Another option is to save files locally or use a local email client, e.g., Thunderbird, to synchronize the emails.
- To make sure the account is not deleted, sign-in to one of the supported Google products at least once every 24 months.
Closing Words
Google is not the only company that threatens to delete inactive accounts. Microsoft, for example, has similar policies in place. Microsoft users who have not signed-in to their account in a 2 year period may have their accounts deleted as well.