Think before you sync

Keep what counts — not everything

Mount Royal is launching a campus-wide initiative to help you clean up your mtroyal.ca account, including your Gmail and personal Google Drive.

With storage usage growing fast and Google implementing storage limits, the start of the year is the perfect time to do a digital tidy-up.

 

 

What do I need to do?

Check your current storage usage.

This link provides an overview of your current Google storage usage broken down by area: Drive, Mail and Photos. It lists the largest files in your personal Drive, providing a useful snapshot of which files are potentially using the majority of your storage. 

 

Why this matters

Storage isn’t unlimited. Google Workspace for Education has changed its storage policies. By adopting mindful data management practices now, the community ensures that services remain uninterrupted, reduces digital clutter that slows down productivity, improves overall digital hygiene, and plays a vital role in shaping future sustainable storage policies, including individual allocations, to maintain a robust digital environment for everyone.

 

Storage is a shared resource

Usage analysis reveals that a disproportionate amount of our institutional storage is consumed by a very small number of accounts. In fact, our top 10 users occupy a massive share of the university’s total capacity. We encourage everyone to check their status to ensure they aren't inadvertently dominating shared resources. Please take a moment to review your files.

 

What data should I be looking at?

  • Review your photo backups: Check your mobile device settings to ensure you aren't automatically syncing every personal photo to your MRU account.
  • Audit large video files: High-definition videos are the largest contributors to storage consumption; please avoid storing non-essential or personal video files on university drives.
  • Clean out "digital clutter:" Regularly delete old recordings, duplicate files and items in your "Trash" or "Spam" folders that no longer serve a purpose. Prioritize essential data: Reserve your university storage for files that are strictly necessary for your research, coursework or professional duties.

 

Storage usage tips and how-tos

Step 1: Check your current usage

Check your current storage usage. This link provides an overview of your current Google storage usage broken down by area: Drive, Mail and Photos. It lists the largest files in your personal Drive, providing a useful snapshot of which files are potentially using the majority of your storage

Step 2: Review your photo backups

Many mobile devices default to syncing all photos to the primary logged-in account. To prevent personal memories from consuming university space:

  • Check Google Photos (Android/iOS): Open the Google Photos app, tap your profile icon, select Photos settings, then Backup. Ensure it is toggled Off or switched to a personal Gmail account.
  • Check iCloud settings (iOS): If you use the Google Drive app on iPhone, ensure "Google Photos" sync is disabled within the Drive app settings to prevent duplicate cloud storage.
  • The "social media" audit: Specifically look for and disable folders that sync automatically, such as WhatsApp images, Instagram exports, or screenshots, which often contain non-essential data.

Step 3: Audit large video files

High-definition (HD) and 4K videos are thousands of times larger than a standard document.

  • Find the space-hoggers: In Google Drive, click on Storage in the left-hand menu. This will automatically sort your files by size, placing your largest videos at the very top.
  • Download and move: If you have personal videos or old project footage, download them to a personal hard drive or a personal cloud account, then remove them from your university Drive.
  • Record to the cloud wisely: When using Zoom or Teams, consider recording to your local computer instead of the cloud if the video doesn't need to be shared immediately with a large group.

Step 4: Clean out "digital clutter"

Deleting a file is only the first step; you must clear the "holding areas" to actually recover storage space.

  • Empty the trash: Files in your Google Drive and Gmail "Trash" folders still count against our university limit until they are permanently deleted. Manually select Empty Trash to clear space instantly.
  • Search for "attachments": In Gmail, use the search bar and type has:attachment larger:10M. This will find old emails with large files that you likely no longer need.
  • Clear the spam: Go to your Spam folder and select Delete all spam messages now.

Step 5: Prioritize essential data

Adopting a "University-only" mindset for your account ensures there is room for everyone’s academic success.

  • Define "essential": Before uploading, ask: "Is this file required for my current research, coursework, or professional duties at the university?"
  • Personal vs. professional: If you are using your university Drive as a general backup for personal tax documents, family photos, or music libraries, please migrate these to a personal storage solution (like a personal Google Drive, iCloud, or Dropbox).
  • Use shared drives for teams: Instead of storing departmental files in your personal "My Drive," use Shared Drives to ensure data is managed collectively and doesn't disappear when a student or staff member leaves.

 

Assessing future storage quotas

To help balance the collective needs of our community, ITS is currently evaluating sustainable long-term storage strategies, which may include the introduction of individual storage allocations. While specific limits have not been established at this time, adopting more mindful data management practices now will play a vital role in how we shape these future policies and help us maintain a robust digital environment for everyone.

 

Need help?

If you have questions after reviewing this page, contact ITS through the online service portal at mru.ca/ITShelp.

 

Frequently asked questions