End of an Era: Free Storage Perks Disappear

Google is officially phasing out individual storage allotments for users of its G Suite legacy free edition. In an email seen by The Verge, the tech giant confirmed that starting May 1st, all users under the legacy plan will transition to pooled storage, a system where all available storage is shared across an organization rather than assigned individually.

This marks a significant shift for those who have held on to the free version of G Suite, a service that has been around since before Google rebranded it as Workspace in 2020. Originally discontinued in 2012, G Suite’s free edition allowed each user to enjoy 15GB of individual storage—making it a go-to solution for families, small businesses, and personal use cases.

 

Why Is Google Making This Change?

Google justifies the shift by claiming that pooled storage offers a simpler and more flexible management system. According to company spokesperson Jenny Thomson, Workspace customers have already been benefiting from pooled storage for years, and it’s now time for legacy users to follow suit.

While Google asserts that the overall storage capacity won’t shrink, the way it is allocated will now depend on the admin’s discretion. Users won’t be able to opt out of this transition, meaning they will lose their dedicated storage and must now share the total storage space with other users under the same account.

 

How Will This Impact Users?

Although the total storage allocation remains unchanged, this shift could lead to storage constraints for some users, especially in cases where multiple people rely on the same account. Admins will need to manually set storage limits for individual users to prevent certain members from consuming an unfair share of the pooled storage.

For those who find themselves running out of space, Google will offer discounted storage upgrades, starting at 100GB increments—which typically costs $15. However, Google hasn’t specified the exact discount amount, leaving many users wondering if this will be a significant cost-saving opportunity or just a minor price cut.

 

Déjà Vu: Google’s History of Changing Plans

This isn’t the first time Google has attempted to revamp or retire its legacy free offerings. In January 2022, the company initially announced that all G Suite legacy free edition users would need to switch to paid subscription plans. However, after significant backlash, Google decided to let users retain their free accounts for personal use—including storage benefits.

Now, with this latest shift, it appears Google is once again finding a way to push users toward its paid services.

 

The Admin’s Dilemma: More Work or More Benefits?

For account admins, this change adds an extra layer of work. Those who preferred the status quo now need to actively manage storage distribution to ensure fairness among users. However, for groups that didn’t fully utilize their individual storage allotments, this change could be an advantage, as unused storage can now be redistributed efficiently.

With May 1st approaching, legacy users must prepare for these changes and evaluate whether staying on the free plan is still feasible—or if it’s time to explore paid alternatives.