Google Storage FAQs

1. Log into your BU Google account.
   • You can verify you are logged into your BU Google account by selecting the circular Profile Image in the upper right corner of your screen
   • A dropdown menu will expand. Your BU email address and the phrase Managed by bu.edu will appear above your Profile Image if you are logged into your BU Google account. 
     
2. Once you have confirmed you are logged into your BU Google account, visit your BU Google Storage page
3. Once on the BU Google Storage page, you will be able to view the total amount of BU Google Storage your account is currently utilizing on the top line of information under the heading Storage, followed by a breakdown of how your storage is allocated across BU Google platforms.
   

To check how much storage your Shared Drive is using against your quota: 

1. Visit https://drive.google.com
2. Sign in with your BU account
3. Click on Shared Drives and then select your drive
4. Click the “i” / information icon in the top-right corner of the screen
   
   
5. A sidebar will appear from the right side of the screen. There is a storage used counter that shows total drive size against quota applied.
   
   

To check how much storage your My Drive is using against your quota: 

1. Visit https://drive.google.com
2. Sign in with your BU account
3. At the bottom of the left-hand navigation menu there is a counter that shows quota used against total quota.
   
   

There are several cloud storage options available to ensure that your data is backed up and secure.  Visit our Digital Storage Options for Students page to learn more about BU provided and personal (non-BU) storage options such as Google One, Microsoft OneDrive and Dropbox.

Students may also request a BU Dropbox account, available on a limited basis, and are best for group projects, classroom collaboration, and research.  Email ITHelp@bu.edu to inquire about how to receive a BU Dropbox account.

This recent CNET article with a comparison chart and recommendations may help with your research for personal cloud storage options.

Visit the TechWeb Storage Options page to learn more about storage available to faculty and staff.

Additional Google Storage

Additional Google Storage is available for faculty and staff to purchase through IS&T.

Cost

Google storage will be charged at a prorated yearly price amount based upon the following prices based on a July 1st renewal schedule. 

The annual cost for additional storage is based on a 12-month period starting from July 1^st of each fiscal year. Additional storage purchased during the year will be prorated to align with the July 1^st renewal date.

Ordering Additional Storage

To order additional storage, email ithelp@bu.edu with the subject line: Additional Google Storage. Be sure to include your Google Account or Shared Drive name, and the amount of storage you need.

Upon submission of your service request, you will be contacted by a member of the Systems Operations team via Service Ticket with further details about your purchase of additional storage.

Please note this is the preferred method for downloading your local data to a hard drive

Please be sure that your local disk or attached Hard Drive has enough space to accommodate that amount of data you’re downloading.

First check your local Hard Drive space:

1. Open Windows explorer (Yellow folder icon or Windows key + E). Navigate to This PC.
   Set your view to Details.
   
   
2. Check the amount of data you have on Google Drive. Be sure that the icon in the upper right corner has the BU logo.
   
3. Once you have confirmed you have sufficient space to accommodate all of the files, go to the Google Takeout page.
   • On the Google Takeout page, choose Deselect all.
   • Select Drive and Google Photos. For most users, these two options are the most commonly used data categories.Please Note: Depending on how you use your Google storage, there may be other categories relevant to you. Please check off additional categories if you have stored data there.
     
     
4. Scroll to the bottom and click Next Step.
5. Leave the defaults and click Create export.
   
6. Google will send an email to your BU Gmail account once the data has been prepared to be exported.Once you have been notified that your data has been prepared, click the included link in your email to download your zip file(s).  

Please be sure that your local disk or attached Hard Drive has enough space to accommodate that amount of data you’re downloading. 

Begin by checking your local Hard Drive space:

1. Select the Apple menu   > System Settings, then select the  General   in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
2. Select Storage on the right then select All Volumes.
3. Move the cursor over a color to see the amount of space each category uses. Light gray space represents free storage space.
4. Check the amount of data you have on Google Drive. Be sure that the icon in the upper right corner has the BU logo.
   
5. Once you have confirmed you have sufficient space to accommodate all of the files, go to the Google Takeout page.
   • On the Google Takeout page, choose Deselect all.
   • Select Drive and Google Photos. For most users, these two options are the most commonly used data categories.Please Note: Depending on how you use your Google storage, there may be other categories relevant to you. Please check off additional categories if you have stored data there.
     
     
6. Scroll to the bottom and click Next Step.
7. Leave the defaults and click Create export.
   
8. Google will send an email to your BU Gmail account once the data has been prepared to be exported.Once you have been notified that your data has been prepared, click the included link in your email to download your zip file(s).  

Visit our our step-by-step data migration guide for clear instructions on transferring your data from a personal Google Drive to a Google Shared Drive.

Visit our our step-by-step data migration guide for clear instructions on transferring your data from a personal Google Drive to a BU Network Storage.