Unowned Google Drive Files Will Soon Appear As “To Be Deleted”

(CTN News) – As part of Case Western Reserve University’s efforts to meet Google’s file storage limits, University Technology ([U]Tech) will soon begin steps to remove files owned by individuals with suspended CWRU Google Workspace accounts, or files within a Shared Drive that is scheduled for deletion, in order to comply with Google’s requirements.

In the event that an individual leaves the university, including an alumni, their accounts will be suspended and then deleted after 180 days.

The result of this is that their files, including Shared Drives that they manage, will also be deleted.

We will begin applying the label “To Be Deleted” to all files in Google Workspace that are scheduled for deletion starting today (Sept. 12). There may be a delay in the appearance of the label on affected files for a few days.

As of Feb. 1, 2024, all Google accounts of those who haven’t been affiliated with the university for more than six months as of that date will be deleted.

Therefore, all of the files owned by those accounts will also be permanently deleted as a result of this action. In addition to this, on Feb. 1, 2024, all Shared Drives that have not had an active CWRU manager for more than one year will also be deleted.

As of February 1, 2024, any Google Workspace accounts that have been suspended for 180 days and any Shared Drives without an active CWRU manager for a period of over one year will be automatically deleted by Google Workspace.

To ensure that you have continued access to necessary files, all faculty, staff, and students are urged to review the files scheduled to be deleted so you can ensure that they are still accessible.

In the Google Files Shared By Suspended Users page, you can follow the steps to find and safeguard these files so that they are not accidentally deleted.

You can contact the University Technology Service Desk at help@case.edu, 216.368.HELP (4357) or visit help.case.edu if you need assistance with any technology product or service at Case Western Reserve University.

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