I am a student with a Cornell Google account. How do these changes affect me?

Caps were added to Cornell faculty, staff, and student Google Drive accounts in June 2022. The caps were set above the amount stored in the account at that time.

If you had less than 15 GB stored in Google Drive, a cap of 15 Gigabytes (GB) was applied. There is a good chance this was the case for you. Nearly eight in ten students have only a few GB of Drive storage. Nearly nine in ten use less than 15 GB.

If you had more than 15 GB stored in Google Drive, you have a cap above the amount of storage you were using at that time.

You can see how much storage you are using and how much space you have before reaching your storage cap at your Drive Storage page. If you have another Google account, such as a personal account, make sure you're looking at the Drive Storage page for your Cornell account by clicking your profile icon in the upper right. Your Cornell Google account is the one using your netid@cornell.edu email address.

Google will show a storage alert if your use reaches the cap. See Google's guidance on how to reduce your storage. If you still need more space for your Cornell work, you can request it.

A small number of students who use an extremely large amount of Google Drive storage may be contacted to see how essential Google Drive is to their Cornell work and whether another option might be a better fit. If you graduated on December 2022 or after, Cornell Google services including Gmail and Drive will end for you the November after you graduate when your status in Cornell IT systems changes from student to alumni.

For more information, see Students: Preparing for Storage Changes.

Can I keep using my Cornell email address after I become an alum?

Yes. You will be able to use an Office 365 email account with your Cornell email address. Refer to the email section at What Happens When You Graduate: Steps to Take Before Becoming an Alum.

How can I keep my files and email activity from my student Google accounts?

Refer to the options suggested at Move Your Personal Data.

How can I see how much I have stored in my Cornell Google account?

You can see how much storage you are using and how much space you have before reaching your storage cap at your Drive Storage page. If you have another Google account, such as a personal account, make sure you're looking at the Drive Storage page for your Cornell account by clicking your profile icon in the upper right. Your Cornell Google account is the one using your netid@cornell.edu email address.

What plans does Google offer that would fit my needs? How much do they cost?

See Google's Choose a plan that works for you. There's a good chance a free or low-cost account can handle the amount of data you have.

If you are signed into your Cornell Google account, you will be asked to sign into a personal Google account. You can also see the information when you are completely signed out or visit using a private browser window.

Why can't Cornell continue to provide Google services after I graduate?

Please see Why Cornell Google Services are Changing.