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Spring Cleaning Your Cloud Storage!

Resources and tips on freeing up space for the future

Spring is here, and it's time to tidy up your cloud storage so that you'll be able to be more organized and work more efficiently.


Cleaning up Your Email

Your UMBC Gmail account is directly linked to your cloud storage, meaning any emails, files, or attachments you receive can take up even the smallest amount of your cloud storage space. 

Consider deleting old emails and threads or any emails with large attachments. Also, consider unsubscribing from any unwanted mailing lists. These will help with both freeing up your storage space as well as declutter your inbox.

Remove/Relocate Unnecessary Files 

You may have a lot of old files on your Google Drive that have not been accessed in over a year. Consider sorting your files by date and removing old files you no longer have a use for. If the files are important but not accessed often, consider archiving them on another storage device. 

You can also sort your files by size on Google Drive. You can use this to see what is taking up the most space and remove any large files that are no longer needed. 

Remember, the UMBC Cloud Storage platforms should be used for UMBC-related files and documents, including but not limited to classwork and research. 

Empty your Trash Bin

Once you have gone through and cleared any files and or emails, be sure to empty your trash bin, as files are not fully removed, meaning you won't get back any storage until that bin is emptied. 


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Posted: March 30, 2026, 9:51 AM

Read Original Post in myUMBC
A black, Maryland flag patterned background with a yellow cloud icon in the middle. In the cloud is black text reading "Cloud Storage Spring Cleaning"

Semesterly Cloud Storage Clean Up Reminder!

Resources on freeing up space for the future

It's that time of the semester, you're finishing finals, wrapping things up, and getting ready for break – BUT WAIT! Before you go, you should clean up your cloud storage space so you will be set for when you come back. 


During the semester, you probably created and used a bunch of documents for your classes that probably won't see the light of day again. Now is a good time to assess whether those documents are worth keeping or trashing to make room for the documents you'll use next semester. 


Check your Google Storage

To see how much storage you're using, click here:

Check my Google Storage Usage


Here are some FAQs and Resources to help free up your cloud storage


Tips and Best Practices for Managing your Cloud Storage


Take Control of Your Google Drive: A Guide to Freeing Up Space


Declutter Your Inbox: A Guide to Cleaning Up Your Email


Cloud Storage Quotas & Changes - UMBC FAQs 


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Posted: December 10, 2025, 10:33 AM

Read Original Post in myUMBC
A black, Maryland flag patterned background with a Yellow cloud in front of it with text reading "Cloud Storage Cleanup"

Graduating Students' Access to UMBC Cloud Storage Services

A guide for new alumni on their cloud storage access

Congratulations on making it this far in your academic career! You've put a lot of hard work into getting this far, and it's almost time to graduate, but before you move on to the next chapter of your career, make sure you take the next steps to ensure you keep any important records from UMBC!


Once you become an alumnus of UMBC, there will be changes to what services you can have access to, primarily Google Suite, Microsoft Suite, and Box. With Microsoft Suite and Box, your access to these services expires 30-90 days after graduation. This means any documents or files you had stored in OneDrive, Office 365, and Box will be deleted if they are not copied or moved to another storage device. 


To maintain access to your UMBC Google Suite, which includes your Google Drive and UMBC Gmail, you will need to sign into your myUMBC account at least once every 12 months.


Note: We strongly recommend that you migrate any important data and have your UMBC mail forwarded to a personal account.


  • Storage: Your Google storage will be restricted to a total of 5GB os space. Please review the resources below to help cut down on you storage usage and assess what should stay on the UMBC cloud before your account is adjusted to the alumni quota limit

  • Migration: For long-term accessibility and data security, please migrate any critical files a personal cloud or storage space


To see how much storage you're using, click here:

Check my Google Storage Usage


Below you will find many resources on how to cut down on cloud storage and manage your files going forward. 


Your Digital Transition: UMBC Alumni Tech Guide


Tips and Best Practices for Managing Your Cloud Storage


Take Control of Your Google Drive: A Guide to Freeing Up Space


Declutter Your Inbox: A Guide to Cleaning Up Your Email


Cloud Storage Quotas & Changes - UMBC FAQs   

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Posted: November 17, 2025, 10:37 AM

Read Original Post in myUMBC
A yellow, Maryland flag patterned background with black and grey lines near the bottom left and top right corners. Descending diagonally are words reading "Notice for Graduating Students"

Tips and Best Practices for Managing your Cloud Storage

Learn ways to better manage space on your cloud!

Want to learn how to manage your Google Drive storage better? We have 5 steps for you! These tips can generally be applied to other cloud services such as Box and OneDrive.

What are the benefits of managing your storage?

  • Better security by reducing data breaches and minimizing the number of files that contain sensitive information
  • Freeing up your storage so that you don't have a bunch of old, unnecessary files taking up space
  • Decluttering your storage so it's easier to find files
  • Makes transitions easier if you leave the university (graduate, new job, etc.)

5 Steps for Cloud Storage Management


Below are some steps you can implement to help manage your cloud storage usage over time.


1. Yearly or monthly clean-ups 

  • Look through your files on your UMBC Drive and look at the last time that file was accessed. If the file was last accessed over a year ago, consider deleting it. If you believe that you may need the file at some point down the line, consider transferring it to a flash drive or somewhere not on UMBC cloud services while considering the sensitivity of the data and protecting it appropriately.
  • If you want to hold onto work from previous semesters, consider consolidating them into a compressed folder and downloading them to your hard drive or an external drive.

2. What should be prioritized on your UMBC Google Drive

  • Your UMBC Google Drive and other cloud storage options provided by the university should be prioritized for storing UMBC files.
UMBC Cloud Storage
  • Documents, spreadsheets, and presentations for classes, UMBC work
  • UMBC-related documents
  • UMBC Research documents
  • Collaborative Files
Personal Cloud Storage, Hard Drive, External Drive
  • Personal documents
  • Personal photos and videos
  • Personal Computer Backups
  • Personal projects
  • Long-term files not used regularly

3. Remember to empty the Trash bin!

  • After deleting any files, clear out your trash bin so that storage space is freed up on your drive

4. Create a folder structure or naming convention for files

  • Having your files organized in a consistent system of folders and names that you understand can make your life easier in the long run. When it comes to finding files and when you may need to delete those files later
  • Consider asking Google Gemini for help creating a folder structure

5. File as you go

  • Organize your files once you create or download them. Making this a habit will make it so you don't have to worry about a backlog of unsorted files later


Do you want to learn more? 

Here are some helpful links and resources

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Posted: September 24, 2025, 10:31 AM

Read Original Post in myUMBC
A graphic of the UMBC shield in front of a black Maryland flag pattern with yellow graphics in the corners. The icons include a cloud upload icon (top left), stacked storage bins (top right), a folder (bottom left), and a trash can (bottom right).

Take Control of Your Google Drive: A Guide to Freeing Up Space

Declutter your cloud storage and make room for new projects

Is your Google Drive running out of space? Don't worry, you're not alone. With a few simple steps, you can free up valuable storage and get organized for future documents and projects. These tips can also be applied to other UMBC cloud services like Box and OneDrive.

Check your Google Storage
To see how much storage you’re using, click here:

1. Find and Delete Your Largest Files

The fastest way to free up space is to target the largest files.
  • In Google Drive, click on the Storage tab in the left-hand menu. Your files will automatically be sorted by size, from largest to smallest.
  • Review this list and delete any files you no longer need. This is where you'll find space-consuming files like video files (.MP4, .MOV), large presentations, and audio recordings (.WAV). 
A screenshot taken from Google Drive of the left side tabs, including “Home”, “Activity”, “Workspace”, “MyDrive”, “Shared Drives”, “Recent”, “Starred”, “Spam”, “Trash”, and “Storage” with “Storage” being highlighted.

2. Clean Up Files You No Longer Need

If you're not sure which files to delete, consider looking at their last accessed date.
  • Use Google Drive's advanced search feature to find old files. Click the slider icon at the end of the search bar to open advanced search options.
  • You can search for files by type, owner, and date. For example, search for "Last modified: Before [Date]" to find all files you haven't touched in over a year.
A screenshot taken from Google Drive of a slider icon, which has text below it reading “Advanced search”

Advanced Search can be accessed by clicking the slider icon at the end of the search bar


3. Address Shared and Duplicate Files

  • Remove yourself from shared folders no longer in use: Removing yourself from a shared folder doesn't reclaim your storage space (the files still belong to the owner), but it's an excellent way to reduce clutter in your drive.
  • Identify and delete duplicate files: It's easy to create unnecessary copies of documents. Regularly search for and delete duplicate files to free up space.

4. Empty the Trash

This is the most critical step! When you delete a file, it's sent to the trash bin and continues to count toward your storage limit for 30 days. To immediately reclaim that space, you must manually empty your trash.
  • Navigate to the Trash tab in the left-hand menu.
  • Review the contents and click Empty Trash to permanently delete the files and free up your storage.

5. Consider Archiving Old Projects

For files you want to keep but don't need daily access to, consider archiving them.
  • Download them to a hard drive or an external storage device.
  • You can also compress multiple files into a single .zip folder for easier downloading and storage.

Do you want to learn more? 


Here are some Frequently Asked Questions and Resources

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Posted: September 10, 2025, 10:38 AM

Read Original Post in myUMBC
A graphic of the Google Drive logo in front of a black Maryland flag pattern with yellow graphics in the corners. The icons include a copied document icon (top left), a trash can (top right), a computer monitor (bottom left), and a shared folder icon (bottom right)