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Google Workspace Changes FAQ

Modified on: Thu, 16 May 2024 3:35 PM

Introduction


This article will answer additional questions Students, Faculty and Staff have about the upcoming Google Workspace Changes and how their accounts will be affected.



Applicability


This article is intended for Students, Faculty and Staff of the University of Alberta with an active CCID. 



Details


IMPORTANT!
All accounts will still be able to send and receive emails even if they are over quota. If an individual account has not reduced storage to under their respective quota, then the data stored in My Drive and Photos is marked as view-only by Google Workspace. Read-only means the account can’t sync, upload, create, and edit files in My Drive and Photos. Additionally, the account can’t record new meetings in Google Meet.


As mentioned on the Google Workspace Changes website Google has introduced a new license and storage model, which no longer provides free, unlimited storage for higher education. Below are additional answers to questions about the upcoming changes to your Google Workspace account for your CCID.



General Account Changes Questions


  • Which Google applications count towards my account storage quota?
  • All file types (i.e., documents, digital media including videos and photos) stored in Gmail, My Drive and Photos count towards your quota and storage use. While Gmail counts towards your storage quota, users will still be able to send and receive emails if they are over quota.


  • How can I tell how much storage I’m using in my Google Account?
  • You can confirm how much storage you are using in Gmail, My Drive, and Photos at https://drive.google.com/settings/storage while logged in with your U of A account.


  • What happens if I do not reduce my account storage to under quota?
  • If an individual account has not reduced storage to under their respective quota, then the data stored in My Drive and Photos is marked as read-only by Google Workspace. Read-only means the account can’t sync, upload, create, and edit files in My Drive and Photos. Additionally, the account can’t record new meetings in Google Meet.


  • What happens to my account when I leave the University?
  • Please refer to the appropriate section of the Changes to U of A Accounts website for information on what will happen to your account when your relationship ends.


  • Can you help me backup my data or do it for me?
  • Google Workspace services (Gmail, My Drive, Photos, and others) are only accessible to the logged in account holder. We cannot export your data for you. 


  • How do I know what my account storage quota is? 
  • As a result of Google introducing a new licensing and storage model, the U of A is implementing storage quotas on all university accounts based on your role which can be found on the Google Workspaces Changes site. The quota applies to all of the data stored in Gmail, My Drive, and Google Photos. In the case that you fall within two categories (i.e. you are an undergrad student and employee at the university), your account will default to the larger quota.



Email (Gmail) Questions

  • How do I delete just the attachments from emails?
  • You can not remove just the attachments from messages in Gmail. You can only download the attachment and then delete the message. Gmail permanently deletes messages in Trash and Spam after 30 days automatically, reducing account storage. You can manually empty the Trash to immediately free up storage.


  • Could you please let me know the best way to figure out what is stored on Gmail so I can delete the messages no longer needed?
  • Begin by searching and filtering emails, and then delete the messages that are no longer needed.
    • Search Gmail for large attachments
      • Emails with attachments that are greater than a certain size, such as 10 MB. In the Gmail search box, type: has:attachment larger:10MB to find email messages with attachments larger than 10 megabytes
    • Search Gmail for older emails
      • Older emails, such as emails you received more than 3 years ago. In the Gmail search box, type: before:2019/01/01 to find email messages older than the year 2019
    • Search Gmail for a specific sender
      • Newsletters, emails from groups, or organizational updates that come from the same sender or have a standard subject line. In the Gmail search box, type: 
        • from:hank@globex.com to find email messages received from Hank
        • list:info@globex.newsletter.com to find email messages received from the Globex newsletter mailing list
        • subject:technology to find email messages with the word technology in the subject line


File Storage (My Drive, Shared drives, department file servers, other)

  • What is the difference between My Drive and a Shared Drive?

  • My Drive is primarily for individual accounts to store and share work and study related files and folders.

 

Shared drives are designed for collaborative work among teams or groups, providing centralized storage and streamlined access control.


  • What does the “Shared with me” do in Google Drive?

  • When people or organizations share files and folders with you in Google Drive, they appear under the "Shared with me" section in Google Drive. You may find files and folders shared by the U of A community, colleagues from other organizations, or even the public. These files and folders do not count towards your account quota but will count towards the owner's quota. Owners and editors of these files and folders can also remove your permission to access and edit without notice.


If you want quick access or to organize these files in your My Drive, you can create a Shortcut to the file and then add it anywhere in My Drive. The shortcut to the file will no longer work if the owner or editor removes your permission.


  • Do files Shared drives count towards my individual U of A account quota?

  • Shared drive storage is separate from My Drive storage in your individual U of A account. As Shared drives are included in the overall Google quota, we do not recommend moving personal data that is not related to your work, research, or studies at the University of Alberta to a Shared drive.


  • Who owns the files stored in a Shared Drive?

  • When using Google Drive to create and upload files to a Shared Drive, the University of Alberta is identified as the owner. The files in Shared Drives do not count towards your account quota and storage usage.


All data created and stored using the University of Alberta Google Workspace (e.g. Gmail, Drive, Photos) or other U of A systems are considered institutional data (Institutional Data Management and Governance Procedure).


  • Who owns the files stored in My Drive?

When using Google Drive to create and upload files to My Drive, your email account (e.g. yourccid@ualberta.ca) is identified as the owner. These files in My Drive count towards your account quota and storage use.


All data created and stored using the University of Alberta Google Workspace (e.g. Gmail, Drive, Photos) or other U of A systems are considered institutional data (Institutional Data Management and Governance Procedure).


  • How to check the total storage usage for a Shared drive?

  • You can use the Activity stream and the Details panel, to view information and history of changes made in Shared drives. Such as:

  • Total storage used, creator, creation date, and download permissions of the Shared drive

  • Activity about who uploaded, copied, moved, or deleted a file or folder

  • Details of file types, size, location, last modified, opened, and creation dates

  • Sharing permission changes


To review the total storage in a Shared drive:

  1. On your computer, go to https://drive.google.com

  2. On the left click the name of the Shared drive

  3. In the upper right, click the View Details info (i) button

  4. Shared drive storage is Under the Storage used heading


  • Who is the owner of a Shared drive?

  • In Google Workspace, the owner of a Shared drive and the files, is identified as the Shared drive ID. This Shared drive ID is noted in Google Drive as the University of Alberta instead of an email account name. 


To view the managers or members of a Shared drive:

  1. On your computer, go to https://drive.google.com

  2. On the left, click on the specific shared drive

  3. In the upper right, click on the view details/info (i) button

  4. Under the owner section, University of Alberta should be noted the owner

  5. Click on the Manage access button to view the managers and members of a Shared drive


  • Are there any actions we should be taking at this time for Shared drives?

  • We encourage you to confirm the total Shared drive storage you are using, review the U of A data management guidance to help your team manage information effectively, and determine if the data is stored in the appropriate solution. 


University data management guidance:


  • Do Google Sites count against my account storage quota? 

  • Google Sites and related files you create and store in My Drive count against your storage quota. Google Sites files are very small however, related files in My Drive can use a greater amount of storage (e.g. HD Video files in My Drive that are linked on the Google Site). Google Sites and related files stored in Share drives do not count against your individual account storage.


  • How do I move files in My Drive? 

  • You can use Google Drive to create and upload files in My Drive (e.g. Google Docs, Sites, PDFs, Excel files and more). To organize your files in My Drive, you can create folders and then move the files into folders (Google My Drive How To Guide).


  • How do I reduce storage in My Drive?

  • Begin by using the storage view link to sort all your My Drive files from largest to smallest. Review and delete any large files that are not explicitly related to your studies, work or department at the university (i.e. personal files such as family photos and videos, financial documents, etc.). Then empty trash in My Drive to permanently delete files and reclaim the storage quota. Review the Google My Drive How To Guide for more information.


Google Photos

  • What is Google Photos?

  • Google Photos is an additional consumer service available to U of A accounts for storing, organizing, and sharing photos and videos. Photo and video files stored in Google Photos count towards your account quota. You are encouraged to review and remove personal files unrelated to your work, studies, or research from Google Photos.


  • How do I delete photos and videos from Google Photos

  • Photos and videos you delete will stay in your trash for 60 days before they are permanently deleted forever. Photos and videos that were permanently deleted can’t be restored.


To delete photos and videos:

  1. On your computer, go to https://photos.google.com

  2. Click on the photo or video that you want to delete

  3. At the top, click Delete and then Move to trash in the popup 

  4. Click on Trash and then Empty trash to permanently delete photos and videos immediately





Additional Considerations


Changes to U of A Accounts - https://www.ualberta.ca/information-services-and-technology/services/ccid-passwords/changes-to-u-of-a-accounts.html


Google Workspace Changes - https://www.ualberta.ca/information-services-and-technology/initiatives/google-workspace-changes.html


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