Free Up Space: How to Manage and Optimize Your Team's Storage
Running low on storage space in Zoho WorkDrive?
No need to worry! WorkDrive offers built-in tools and settings that make it easy to free up space, remove unused files, and manage your team’s storage effectively.
This guide will walk you through practical steps to:
- Automatically Clean Up Storage with a Data Retention Policy
- Turn On Auto-Deletion for File Versions
- Set a custom My Folders storage for your team members
- Monitor your team storage
- Expand Your Storage or Upgrade Your Subscription if Needed
- Encourage Users to Clean Up Their Own Files
1. Automatically Clean Up Storage with a Data Retention Policy
When files or folders are trashed in WorkDrive, they aren’t removed immediately; they’re moved to the Trash folder of the respective My Folders or Team Folders. While this safety net is useful, those trashed items still consume your team’s storage.
To keep your storage optimized, admins can configure a Data Retention Policy. This policy allows you to automatically delete items in the Trash after they’ve been there for a specific number of days (e.g., 7, 15, or 30 days).
This automation helps:
- Free up space without manual effort
- Prevent old, forgotten files from piling up
- Maintain a cleaner, more manageable file system
Example: If you set a retention policy for 30 days, any files that have remained in the Trash for more than 30 days will be deleted, freeing up valuable storage space.
2. Turn On Auto-Deletion for File Versions
WorkDrive stores multiple versions of a file to help track changes and maintain a version history. However, these older versions can take up significant space over time.
To avoid manual cleanup, you can automate version management:
- Go to Admin Console > Settings > Storage
- Set a limit for how many file versions to keep (e.g., only retain the latest 5 versions)
- Once the limit is reached, older versions will be deleted automatically
This setting ensures your team retains essential version history while keeping storage usage in check without needing to manage it manually.
3. Set a custom My Folders storage for your team members
Zoho WorkDrive offers a single shared storage for your entire organization. This means no separate storage for My Folders, Team Folders, or users.
However, if you want to control how much storage your team members can use in their personal My Folders, WorkDrive lets you set custom storage limits.
You can configure limits at two levels:
- Team Level: Apply a default My Folders storage limit to all users in your team.
- User Level: Set personalized limits for specific users who may require more or less storage.
Setting custom limits helps prevent individual users from occupying too much space and ensures fair and efficient use of your team’s shared storage.
Access this guide to learn how to set My Folders storage limits for your team members.
4. Monitor your team storage
Staying aware of how your team’s storage is being used is key to avoiding surprises and managing space proactively.
You can view detailed storage stats by going to:
Admin Console > Dashboard
Here, you’ll see:
- Total storage used by your team
- Breakdown by users and Team Folders, showing how storage is distributed across your workspace
Use this insight to identify which folders or users are using the most space and make informed decisions on what to clean up, archive, or move.
5. Expand Your Storage or Upgrade Your Subscription if Needed
If you’ve cleaned up your files and optimized settings but still need more space, WorkDrive gives you flexible options to expand your storage:
- Purchase Storage Add-Ons: Easily increase your team’s storage capacity by purchasing an add-on. This is the fastest way to get more space without deleting any existing data.
- Upgrade to a Higher Plan: If you’re currently on the Starter or Team plan and need more storage or advanced features, consider upgrading to the Business plan. It offers higher storage limits and additional capabilities to support larger teams and heavier workloads. Learn more about WorkDrive plans and pricing
- Add New User Licenses: Every time you add a new user to your WorkDrive team, additional shared storage is automatically added. This is a smart solution if your team is growing and requires more storage to support ongoing collaboration.
To manage your subscription or add storage:
Go to Admin Console > Dashboard
6. Encourage Users to Clean Up Their Own Files
While admins can take several actions to manage storage, empowering users to take responsibility for their own files can significantly help in freeing up space.
Admins can remind team members to:
- Review their My Folders and Team Folders regularly
- Delete outdated, duplicate, or unused files
- Empty their Trash to save up the storage space
- Clear out large or duplicate files they no longer use
Encouraging these habits can keep your team’s storage under control and reduce unnecessary clutter.
Tip: Consider sending periodic reminders or setting up a team policy to encourage regular cleanup habits.
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