Google apparently set a file limit on its Google Drive service without previous notice, affecting both Google Workspace and Google One users.
Users who exceeded the limit were no longer allowed to upload new files because they were had to erase 2 million files in order to reclaim access to their accounts after the adjustment.
Users have been having trouble with this unanticipated modification since it began in February, according to Ars Technica.
Files Limit on Google Drive
Users are limited to a total of 5 million files under the new file restriction, whether they have been deleted or not.
Users of Google Drive are outraged since there is no documentation of the 5 million file limit and it was imposed without warning.
Those who have purchased storage through Google Workspace corporate accounts and consumer-level Google One storage plans will be greatly impacted by this move.
While Google Workspace’s Enterprise package guarantees “as much storage as you need,” Google One’s storage plans go up to 30TB and cost an outrageous $120 per month.
Nonetheless, this veiled 5 million file restriction applies to both consumer and business account types.
The new restriction originally perplexed users, who thought it was a bug. Despite their cries for a remedy, Google hasn’t given a statement in the media.
A Google spokesperson confirmed to Ars Technica that the 5 million file cap is not a bug, but rather “a safeguard to prevent misuse of our system in a way that might impact the stability and safety of the system.”
They added that the limit applies to “how many items one user can create in any Drive,” and emphasized that the number of impacted users is “vanishingly small”.
Yet, a lot of people are dissatisfied with Google’s lack of transparency and information around this file limit.
Paying customers are trying to adapt how they use Google Drive as a result of this unexpected move, and many are wondering how the business will handle such substantial changes to its services.
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