An unofficial blog that watches Google's attempts to move your operating system online since 2005. Not affiliated with Google.

Send your tips to gostips@gmail.com.

January 1, 2007

Gmail's Storage Capacity Stops Increasing


If you sign out of Gmail, you'll notice that the storage doesn't increase. It used to increase with about 0.33 MB a day, but the Gmail team forgot to add the code that manages the quota increase after 31st December 2006.

On April 1st 2005, Gmail space increased from 1 GB to 2 GB and started to grow every day. They called this: "Infinity+1 storage plan".

"Storage is an important part of email, but that doesn't mean you should have to worry about it. To celebrate our one-year birthday, we're giving everyone one more gigabyte. But why stop the party there? Our plan is to continue growing your storage beyond 2GBs by giving you more space as we are able."

Update (January 3rd): Everything is back to normal. On April 1st 2007 we'll have 2835 MB.

76 comments:

  1. increased from 1 GB to 2 GB you mean :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. It really did stop increasing. I'm using 92% of my google mail space.. Hope it will keep on growing..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Here's what they promised in 2005:

    ReplyDelete
  4. In my browser the gmail home page still says:

    " Oh, and you still have over 2798.457042 megabytes (and counting) of free storage."

    Don't know if it will stop by 2800 MB.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I just don't understand... Am I the only one that deletes emails after I read them? I have never seen my gmail account exceed 5 megabytes! I was on vacation and someone sent me videos. Otherwise my average is 1. And people wonder why they miss emails? LOL! Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  6. "I just don't understand... Am I the only one that deletes emails after I read them? I have never seen my gmail account exceed 5 megabytes! I was on vacation and someone sent me videos. Otherwise my average is 1. And people wonder why they miss emails? LOL! Happy New Year!"

    You're missing the point of Gmail. The whole concept is that you don't have to trash any of your email...you can save it all and just search for it if you ever need it again!

    ReplyDelete
  7. google has turned me into a packrat with email or something, I love being able to archive everything, and now two and a half years+ later.. I can go back and see what I was like that long ago, I can see who I was friends with, see pictures and other stuff that I sent out to others.. Its a great database of my past couple years, seeing I use my email for almost everything

    ReplyDelete
  8. I just don't understand... Am I the only one that deletes emails after I read them? I have never seen my gmail account exceed 5 megabytes! I was on vacation and someone sent me videos. Otherwise my average is 1. And people wonder why they miss emails? LOL! Happy New Year!"

    Hey, don't worry, I delete emails too. I know that you never should have to delete any, but please, there's some that there's just no reason to keep in the archives. I don't feel like that's defeating the purpose of Gmail...it just feels cleaner!

    ReplyDelete
  9. As a professional photographer, I regularly use Gmail to transmit images to my clients immediately after assignments. Gmail's high storage capacity is really helpful in the sense that I don't have to spend any time keeping my archives clean. I can just keep everything and use Gmail as a sort of "sent image archive." It's very handy.

    ReplyDelete
  10. So these would be copyrighted images ? Just asking, as I am sure that you are aware that all your email is scanned by Google, and if you send pictures, who knows but they are probably all available to the world by now !! Unless that is what you want !! As I am sure Google offers this storage so they can create the world's largest online archived database of anything and everything. Maybe Google is trying to be the next "Great Library".

    ReplyDelete
  11. It wouldn't surprise me if anyone could search and find emails that anybody else sent. Who Knows !

    ReplyDelete
  12. That's interesting. Google forgot to update something... Ha ha. I hope I get another megabyte by 01/03...

    ReplyDelete
  13. You're missing the point of Gmail. The whole concept is that you don't have to trash any of your email...you can save it all and just search for it if you ever need it again!...
    But maybe we're all missing the point. Why would anyone NOT want to delete their most private messages? One day... You'll forget and not log out, or one day some overlord government agency will demand access to all those emails. I understand Googles concept just fine... I just don't understand the packrat-like human condition. Then you all will complain that Google turned over your information when you were the one too lazy to delete it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the government already has access to all your emails

      Delete
  14. I love my gmail, but i dont hold anything there for long times, or at all if its personal, reason is Google may not turn over things now, but what happens when their foreced to hand over records and stuff, and those Google Ads on the page, notice that they match what is said in your email, soon you'll login with your gmail email somewhere and see ads from stuff you had in your email (talk about food in ur email, personlized ad for food comes up on another page) because they use your info or sold your info.

    till that happens though, ill keep my gmail. i never use more than 3mbs (i use mine for txting with my gf on her phone with me onthe comp, so some times it passes that, but never more than 4.)

    ReplyDelete
  15. why are we so sure google "forgot"
    maybe they aren't increasing the storage space anymore

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've used GMail account for 18 months now (more or less), and it never exceeded 200 MBs, even though I subscribe some mailing lists (including attachement-intensive ones) and never - I mean it, never - deleted anything. I even still have this very first e-mail that GMail puts in your account upon registration. So what's the big deal with no more than 2,8 GB? That's still more candy that you usually get for free (well, there are those text ads, but doesn't your mind just skip them? Mine does). And no, I'm not some sort of Google worshipper.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I use my gmail for lots of things, paticularly backups. I'm using around 1GB of my account right now. Believe me, it's useful.

    ReplyDelete
  18. But maybe we're all missing the point. Why would anyone NOT want to delete their most private messages? One day... You'll forget and not log out, or one day some overlord government agency will demand access to all those emails. I understand Googles concept just fine... I just don't understand the packrat-like human condition. Then you all will complain that Google turned over your information when you were the one too lazy to delete it.

    Eh... If you're worried about you're mails getting in the hands of government I don't think you would be using gmail. haha

    ReplyDelete
  19. I use gmail to backup my files. Its really nice to have that extra *free* space to throw my pictures and stuff. I have flash drives as well, but if one gets lost, I have my stuff right on Gmail. I currently am only using about 1 gb of the allotted 2.8, but another gb would be pretty sweet. If they surpass 5gb though, that's really insane. I wonder if google would be a good web host? hmm... very interesting indeed... Well, thanks google. You are teh champion. ~Steve.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Then you all will complain that Google turned over your information when you were the one too lazy to delete it.

    Lol, you think that deleting your emails will keep them out of the government's reach, that's ignorance.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Lol, you think that deleting your emails will keep them out of the government's reach, that's ignorance.

    Exactly as I wanted to say.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Interesting... it shows 2757.272164 in the page source but shows 2800 on the actual page.

    ReplyDelete
  23. It's a hardcoded value, replaced by the JavaScript code. You'll also see it if you disable JavaScript in your browser.

    ReplyDelete
  24. :) Deleting your email may not keep it from the government, but it will keep it from a far more dangerous enemy. Your ex-wife.

    ReplyDelete
  25. are we all forgetting basic logic here? gmail has been open to the public for a little while now. if you need more storage space, get another account. maybe less convenient, but still functional. and if google chose to do this instead of "forgetting" about it, i respect their choice. not much in this world is infinite, and providing 2.8 gigs of free server space for anyone who asks is no easy task.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I just checked and they seem to have fixed the problem because by 9:12 (EST) I had greater that 2800 MB- I love gmail...

    ReplyDelete
  27. Some accounts now have 15360 MB! Perhaps 1 in 30. For most accounts, now at 2806.0000130 MB, the counter appears to be moving more quickly than before the new year, going up 4-5 per tick rather than 3-4! I wonder if all accounts will soon have the 15+ GB.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Lol ive got 3 gmail accounts, i use them for back upping stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  29. how do u back up on gmail....i have been trying to figure it out.
    thanks
    al

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hi i m using Gmail since it has been started. Now i m not able to send/receive any mails. Error message shows that Memory full. whether i need to delete sum mails or some other techical problem. in fact i checked gmail opening in other systems also. Already i deleted some of my mails.can u pls help me out??????

    ReplyDelete
  31. Mines well above 2800, here take a look,
    Over 2875.741817 megabytes (and counting) of free storage so you'll never need to delete another message.
    well and its still growing like a child.

    I love gmail,because the OTHER email, hotmail always copy what others do, now they have increased to 2GB with some live thing.

    ReplyDelete
  32. does anyone have the problem of overlooking emails within a conversation? sometimes when they come in more than one at a time, i not only overlook them, but i get the feeling that gmail doesn't send them where they belong. they might not go to the inbox, or when you open them they might move straight past an email in a conversation.

    has anyone had that problem? and how do you prevent missed emails?

    ReplyDelete
  33. Google, in a race with rivals like Microsoft and Yahoo to keep eyeballs focused on its properties, has increased the storage of its GMail service to about 4 GB.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Over 5091.282427 megabytes (and counting)!! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  35. Over 5517.734777 megabytes (and counting)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Over 6301.519529 megabytes (and counting)

    ReplyDelete
  37. how do they add just a little bit at a time?

    ReplyDelete
  38. 6628.828195 megabytes (and counting)

    ReplyDelete
  39. How does it keep growing?

    ReplyDelete
  40. 6979.123201 megabytes (and counting) of free storage so you'll never need to delete another message.

    ReplyDelete
  41. unless you work on googles development team, you'll never know what happens to your emails even after you delete them. they already cache a ridiculous amount of websites.

    ReplyDelete
  42. I wonder what is meant by Private mails.
    Why are you so scared of the government?
    What the hell is there in those emails?
    Are you all terrorists or child molesters?
    Gmail is a great concept and we all should thank Google for it.

    ReplyDelete
  43. google has dynamic memory allocation.
    They increase the space dynamically.
    Also they have allocated a huge amount of space every month and they use count on every second depending on the number of users signed up.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Just because some of you don't value your privacy, or don't believe anything truly is private, that is YOUR choice;

    The rest of us on the other hand still live in a world that doesn't tolerate police states, illegal wire-tapping, and has charters of rights and freedoms such as the US Bill of Rights.

    Only I, as the creator or possessor of any information have the right to choose what I want to disseminate or otherwise make public; it is also my choice if I wish my personal information to be used as a source of information for future marketing directed at me.

    Until such time as I cam feel certain that privacy will not be invaded or illegal circumvented, I choose to not store my e-mail or other personal information online. Online e-mail if a great tool, and coupled with tools like IMAP it makes it possible to take that information from online storage to a much more secure medium.

    Is that a guarantee? Can't google just parse the e-mail on the fly? Sure, they can... but if they want to stick their nose in my business they'll have to work for it, and then if they do, I'll have an avenue of defense since that is a clear invasion, just as the US Gov't and Comcast each, separately, learned the hard way.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Gmail Rocks!
    Over 7304.069579 megabytes (and counting) !!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Over 7305.454859 megabytes (and counting)

    ReplyDelete
  47. how does the gmail email limit keep rising?
    is the data just stored on multiple mainframes/servers, hence the dynamic memory allocation
    please could someone explain to me?
    thamks

    ReplyDelete
  48. The funny thing is that, when you just opens the gmail.com main page, the storage is not the 7300 MB, but it states somewhere arround the 2,7 MB and then flips (very fast) to the 7+ GB. Who has noticed it as well and who can explain that?!?

    ReplyDelete
  49. How does gmail keep on increasing its capacity?
    The megabites go up the longer you have it. How? What will it increase up to?

    ReplyDelete
  50. Lots of space
    Over 7338.782792 megabytes (and counting)!

    ReplyDelete
  51. 77368.782698 megabytes (and counting)!

    ReplyDelete
  52. How big are their hard disks??

    ReplyDelete
  53. Over 7370.276091 megabytes (and counting) of free storage so you'll never need to delete another message.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Over 7394.322782 megabytes (and counting) of free storage

    ReplyDelete
  55. Over 7406.625418 megabytes (and counting) of free storage

    ReplyDelete
  56. Could somebody explain how does this storage space keeps on changing?

    ReplyDelete
  57. I received this message from gmail: You have run out of space for your Gmail account. You will not be able to send or receive any emails until you delete some items. You are currently using 7455 MB (99%) of your 7455 MB.

    Does anyone know how I can add more storage without buying it?

    I have deleted everything I saved in my email storage but still the capacity did not change at all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Did you check your other Google services, i.e. Picasa, Google Docs, etc.?

      Delete
  58. 7457.184306 megabytes (and counting) of free storage.

    I Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  59. No I have the same problem, I deleted thousands of emails, and empties the trash, and still my storage did not change at all.

    ReplyDelete
  60. 7518.165362 megabytes (and counting) of free storage

    ReplyDelete
  61. Over 7524.852609 megabytes (and counting) of free storage.

    ReplyDelete
  62. 7540.696868 megabytes (and counting) of free storage.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Over 7561.111239 megabytes (and counting) of free storage.
    :)
    Oh great!

    ReplyDelete
  64. Over 7571.072930 megabytes (and counting) of free storage.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Lots of space
    Over 7626.355589 megabytes (and counting) of free storage.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Over 7663.602435 megabytes (and counting) of free storage.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Lots of space

    Over 7663.990404 megabytes (and counting) of free storage.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Does anyone know where I could find the official data regarding Lots of space since the beginning of the reporting?
    I would like to compare it to the Dow Jones!

    ReplyDelete
  69. I FILLED MY G-MAIL

    2007 to 2011

    Never Deleted anything

    I pay $5 a year for 25G

    ReplyDelete
  70. 10255.723714 megabytes (and counting)

    ReplyDelete
  71. 10272.625596 megabytes (and counting)

    ReplyDelete
  72. 15000 megabytes (and done, probably)

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.