Google Drive Storage Limit Explained: Free, Paid Plans & What Counts

Google Drive's free storage limit is 15 GB, shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. This limit applies to uploaded files, email attachments, and photos stored in "Original quality"—but not to Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides created within Drive. Paid Google One plans increase storage to 100 GB, 200 GB, 2 TB, or more, with all services still sharing the same quota.

Key Takeaways

15 GB free storage is shared across Drive, Gmail, and Photos
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides don't count toward storage
Uploaded files, PDFs, images, videos, and Gmail attachments do count
Google One paid plans start at 100 GB for $1.99/month
Shared files don't count toward your limit unless you own them
Workspace accounts have different limits based on your organization's plan

Understanding what counts toward your limit helps you avoid unexpected storage overages and decide whether upgrading makes sense.

What Is Google Drive's Storage Limit?

Free Account: 15 GB

Every Google account includes 15 GB of free storage, shared across:

Google Drive – Uploaded files, PDFs, images, videos
Gmail – Emails and attachments
Google Photos – Photos and videos in "Original quality" (not "Storage saver")

These three services pull from the same 15 GB pool. If Gmail uses 8 GB, you have 7 GB left for Drive and Photos.

Google Workspace: Custom Limits

If you use Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) for work or school, your storage limit depends on your organization's plan:

Plan	Storage per User
Business Starter	30 GB per user
Business Standard	2 TB per user
Business Plus	5 TB per user
Enterprise	Custom (often unlimited with 5+ users)

Workspace accounts have separate storage from personal Google accounts. Your work Drive doesn't affect your personal 15 GB.

Google One Paid Plans

Google One is Google's subscription service for additional storage. Plans include:

Plan	Storage	Price (Monthly)
Basic	100 GB	$1.99
Standard	200 GB	$2.99
Premium	2 TB	$9.99
Premium+	5 TB	$24.99
Enterprise	10 TB, 20 TB, 30 TB	$49.99–$149.99

Annual plans offer discounts (typically 2 months free). All Google One plans include storage shared across Drive, Gmail, and Photos, plus additional benefits like VPN access and Google expert support.

What Counts Toward Your Google Drive Storage Limit?

Understanding what uses storage helps you manage your quota efficiently.

What Counts

In Google Drive:

Uploaded files (PDFs, Word docs, Excel sheets, PowerPoint)
Images, videos, audio files
ZIP archives and compressed files
Files synced from Google Drive for Desktop
Files you own or uploaded

In Gmail:

Email messages
Email attachments (each attachment counts)
Spam and Trash (until emptied)

In Google Photos:

Photos and videos uploaded in "Original quality"
Photos uploaded before June 1, 2021 in "High quality" (if you switched to "Original quality" after that date)

What Doesn't Count

Google Workspace Files Created in Drive:

Google Docs
Google Sheets
Google Slides
Google Forms
Google Drawings
Google Sites

These files are free and unlimited. You can create thousands of Docs without affecting your storage.

Shared Files You Don't Own:

Files others share with you
Files in shared folders where you're not the owner
Shortcuts to files (shortcuts are pointers, not copies)

Google Photos in "Storage Saver":

Photos and videos uploaded in "Storage saver" mode (compressed quality)
Photos uploaded in "High quality" before June 1, 2021 (grandfathered)

How to Check Your Current Storage Usage

Quick Check: Google One Dashboard

Go to one.google.com/storage
See total usage across Drive, Gmail, Photos
View breakdown by service

This shows your overall consumption but doesn't reveal which specific files are using space.

Detailed Breakdown in Google Drive

Open Google Drive
Click Storage in the left sidebar (below "Shared with me")
See largest files sorted by size

Limitation: Only shows files you own in Drive. Doesn't include Gmail or Photos.

Check Gmail Storage

Open Gmail
Search: has:attachment larger:10M
See emails with large attachments

You'll need to manually review to understand total Gmail usage.

Check Google Photos Storage

Open Google Photos
Go to Settings → Recover storage
See if you have photos in "Original quality"

Google offers to compress them to free space.

The Problem: Fragmented Visibility

Google's native tools show storage in silos. You check Drive, then Gmail, then Photos—but you never see a unified view of what's actually consuming your 15 GB.

Overdrive solves this by scanning your entire Google account and showing every file, attachment, and photo that counts toward storage—in one place. You see large files, duplicates, old content, and exactly where your quota is going, so you can make informed decisions about what to keep or delete.

When Should You Upgrade to a Paid Plan?

Situations Where Upgrading Makes Sense

You legitimately need more space:

You work with large files daily (video editing, design, photography)
Your job requires storing extensive archives or datasets
You're backing up multiple devices to Drive

You've already cleaned up efficiently:

You've deleted duplicates, old files, and unnecessary content
Your remaining files are essential
You still hit the limit regularly

Storage is cheaper than time:

Cleaning up Drive would take hours
The value of your time exceeds $1.99/month
You'd rather pay than manually audit files

Situations Where You Shouldn't Upgrade Yet

You haven't cleaned up:

You're hitting the limit but haven't checked for large files or duplicates
Old email attachments are consuming gigabytes
Google Photos is in "Original quality" when "Storage saver" would work

Most of your storage is unnecessary:

You have files you don't remember uploading
Duplicates are wasting space
App data from old integrations is taking quota

Before upgrading, use Overdrive or manually audit your storage. Many users reclaim 20–50 GB of space without deleting anything essential.

How Google Drive Storage Limits Work in Practice

Scenario 1: You Upload a Large Video

You upload a 2 GB video to Google Drive
Your storage immediately increases by 2 GB
The video counts toward your quota until deleted (and Trash is emptied)

Scenario 2: Someone Shares a File With You

A colleague shares a 500 MB file
Your storage doesn't change (they own it)
You can access and edit it, but it uses their quota, not yours

Scenario 3: You Make a Copy of a Shared File

You copy that 500 MB file to your own Drive
Your storage increases by 500 MB (you now own a copy)
The original remains in your colleague's storage

Scenario 4: You Create 100 Google Docs

You create 100 Google Docs, each with 50 pages
Your storage doesn't change (Docs don't count)
You could create 10,000 Docs without affecting your quota

Scenario 5: Gmail Hits 10 GB

Your Gmail inbox reaches 10 GB from years of attachments
You now have 5 GB left for Drive and Photos
Deleting emails frees space only after emptying Trash

What Happens When You Hit the Storage Limit?

When your account reaches 15 GB (or your paid plan limit):

You can't upload new files:

Google Drive rejects new uploads
Google Photos stops backing up
Gmail can't receive emails with attachments (senders get bounce-backs)

Existing files remain accessible:

You can still view, download, and share files
You can still edit Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
Nothing is deleted automatically

Google gives you time:

You get warnings before hitting the limit
After exceeding, Google waits 2+ years before deleting content
You'll receive multiple notifications before any deletion

What you need to do:

Delete files and empty Trash
Compress Google Photos
Clean up Gmail
Or upgrade to a paid plan

How Google Drive Storage Compares to Competitors

Service	Free Storage	Paid Plans Start At
Google Drive	15 GB (shared)	$1.99/mo (100 GB)
Dropbox	2 GB	$11.99/mo (2 TB)
Microsoft OneDrive	5 GB	$1.99/mo (100 GB)
Apple iCloud	5 GB	$0.99/mo (50 GB)
pCloud	10 GB	$49.99/year (500 GB)

Google Drive offers one of the most generous free tiers. However, the 15 GB is shared across three services, which means heavy Gmail or Photos users fill it faster than those who only use Drive.

Google Drive Storage Limits: Common Misconceptions

Misconception 1: "I Have Unlimited Storage"

Reality: Only certain Workspace Enterprise plans offer "unlimited" storage (typically 5+ users). Personal Google accounts always have limits.

Even Workspace "unlimited" plans often have soft caps that trigger admin reviews if you exceed several terabytes.

Misconception 2: "Google Docs Count Toward Storage"

Reality: Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Drawings are free and unlimited. Only uploaded files (PDFs, Word docs, Excel sheets) count.

If you convert a Word doc to Google Docs format, it stops counting toward storage.

Misconception 3: "Shared Files Use My Storage"

Reality: Files others share with you don't count toward your quota. Only files you own or upload count.

Copying a shared file to your Drive creates a new file you own, which does count.

Misconception 4: "Deleting Files Immediately Frees Space"

Reality: Deleted files go to Trash and still count for 30 days. You must empty Trash to reclaim storage.

Misconception 5: "Photos in 'High Quality' Don't Count"

Clarification: Photos uploaded in "High quality" before June 1, 2021 don't count (grandfathered). After that date, even "High quality" counts unless you use "Storage saver" mode.

How to Avoid Hitting Your Storage Limit

1. Use Google Docs Format When Possible

When creating documents, use Google Docs instead of uploading Word files. Convert existing Word/Excel files to Google format to free space:

Open the file in Drive
File → Save as Google Docs (or Sheets/Slides)
Delete the original uploaded file

2. Set Google Photos to "Storage Saver"

Open Google Photos
Under Backup, select Storage saver
Click Recover storage to compress existing photos

Photos remain high quality for viewing and sharing, just not printable at poster size.

3. Clean Gmail Regularly

Unsubscribe from newsletters with large images
Delete old emails with attachments: has:attachment larger:5M
Empty Gmail Trash monthly

4. Delete Duplicates

Google doesn't auto-detect duplicates. You'll need to:

Manually search for duplicate filenames
Use Overdrive to automatically identify and group duplicates for review

5. Audit Storage Quarterly

Set a reminder every 3 months to check your storage usage. Delete files you no longer need, and empty Trash.

Should You Pay for Google One or Clean Up First?

Before upgrading, ask yourself:

Have you cleaned up?

Deleted large files you don't need?
Removed duplicates?
Emptied Gmail Trash and Drive Trash?
Compressed Google Photos?

Is the remaining storage essential?

Do you actively use most files?
Are the large files necessary for work or personal projects?
Would deleting them cause problems?

If you answered "no" to the first set and "yes" to the second, upgrading makes sense. But if you haven't cleaned up, you could reclaim 10–30 GB without spending anything.

Overdrive helps by showing you exactly what's consuming space. One scan reveals hidden storage hogs, so you can decide confidently whether to clean up or upgrade.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Google Drive have unlimited storage?

No. Personal Google accounts get 15 GB free, with paid plans offering more. Some Google Workspace Enterprise plans advertise "unlimited" storage (with 5+ users), but often have soft limits and admin oversight for very large usage.

Why is my Google Drive full when I have no files?

Your storage is shared across Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. Even if Drive looks empty, Gmail attachments or Google Photos in "Original quality" could be consuming your 15 GB. Check one.google.com/storage for a breakdown.

Do Google Docs count toward my storage limit?

No. Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Drawings, and Sites don't count. You can create unlimited Google Docs without affecting storage. Only uploaded files (Word docs, PDFs, images, videos) count.

Can I increase my Google Drive storage for free?

No. Google doesn't offer promotions or referral programs for free storage increases. The only way to get more than 15 GB is to upgrade to a Google One paid plan.

What happens if I downgrade my Google One plan?

If you downgrade to a plan smaller than your current usage, you become "over quota." You can't upload new files until you delete enough to fit within the new limit. Existing files remain accessible.

Do files in Trash count toward storage?

Yes. Files in Trash count toward your quota for 30 days. After 30 days, they're permanently deleted. To free space immediately, empty Trash manually.

How do I see what's using my Google Drive storage?

Go to Google Drive → Storage in the left sidebar. This shows your largest files. However, it doesn't show Gmail, Photos, duplicates, or app data. For a complete view, use Overdrive to scan your entire account.

Keep Reading

Google Drive Storage Full? Here's Why (and How to Fix It) – Identify what's consuming your storage
Why Is My Google Drive Full But Empty? (Solved) – Where hidden storage goes
The Ultimate Google Drive Storage Cleanup Guide (2026) – Complete cleanup process
Hidden App Data Is Eating Your Google Drive Storage – Find invisible storage usage