Wondering how long your Google Photo storage will last? Here’s a handy tool to help

Google Photos will no longer support free uploads from June 1, 2021. For those wondering when they will run out of space on their account, Google has a handy new tool to get an estimate

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Wondering when you will run out of storage on Google Account once the free option for Photos stops? Google has a handy tool for that. (Image created by Gargi Singh)

Last week Google announced that Google Photos will no longer support unlimited and free high-quality storage policy. The change will come into effect from June 1, 2021. Basically from this date, all high-quality photos and videos you upload to Google Photos will count against your Google Drive Storage, which is a departure from the earlier policy. Keep in mind that photos and videos uploaded at original resolution were already counted against the storage; the free policy was for high-quality and express quality photos and videos.

For many Google Photos users, this news definitely comes as a disappointment, given the service had become the default option to store photos online without worrying about space. With the free storage option going away, if you were wondering how long your Google Storage will last, the company has announced a handy new tool as well. David Lieb, Product Lead for Google Photos, tweeted about the tool, which will give users an estimate regarding their storage quota.

Check out the tweet below

We’ve built a tool that estimates the time until you reach your storage quota, based on your personal upload rates: https://t.co/mY3wbnqZvH

— David Lieb ✊🏻🇺🇸 (@dflieb) November 11, 2020

Users can access the tool at photos.google.com/storage. In our case, it shows that the storage will last more than four years, but this is a paid account. Remember this estimate is based how often you back photos and videos, and how many devices are linked to the Google account where photos and videos are being uploaded. If you are constantly uploading photos and videos and still on the free Google account, you will likely run out of space quickly and might need to upgrade to the paid option.

Currently Google offers customers 15GB of data storage free, which counts towards Google Drive and Gmail and Photos and videos, which are uploaded to the user’s accounts. For those who want more storage, you have to apply to the Google One service and pay for extra storage.

Google Photos: What happens to photos and videos backed up so far?

Google says they will not count against your Google Account storage. Remember this new change applies to high-quality and express quality photos and videos. If you were uploading at original quality, then they were already counting towards the Google Account storage.

Users with a Pixel device will continue to get free unlimited storage for photos and videos backed up from their phone.Google also says that most users will not reach a limit for years, and they will issue a reminder if a user needs to take action after June 1, 2021.

Google Photos storage estimate tool not working?

The page also explains that in some cases this tool might not show an estimate if

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1. The user has not consistently uploaded content over the past few months.

2. The user is already close to the storage quota limit or is already out of storage.

3. For accounts provided via work, school, family, or other group.

Google’s new storage management tool is coming

Lieb had also tweeted that Google “will be launching some new tools that make it easier to identify and delete content that you don’t want to store.” The tool will presumably help identify dark, blurry photos, long videos, and more so that the user can delete them.

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Google says the tool will likely be available in June 2021 and will help users manage their storage better.

What happens when you cross the storage space after June 1, 2021?

If you run out of storage space on your Google Account, you will not be able to back up any additional photos and videos after June 1, 2021. Google says if you are over quota for 24 months, your content may be impacted.