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It’s time for a digital spring clean!

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Declutter your digital workspace and reduce our carbon emissions

In 2024, UCD's Google Workspace storage generated over 12 metric tonnes of CO₂e emissions, the equivalent of driving more than 52,000km in an average passenger car. 

Check your storage use and spring clean your Google Workspace in 3 quick steps:

  1. Delete old files from your Google Drive
    Find and delete large or unnecessary files by going to (opens in a new window)Drive Storage.
    Use these (opens in a new window)tips to optimise your storage from Google. 

  2. Tidy up your unit/project Shared Drives
    Check your Shared Drive storage use by clicking the ‘i’ icon on the top right of your Google Drive. (opens in a new window)See more tips from Google.   

  3. Delete old emails and attachments.
    Remember to (opens in a new window)unsubscribe from unnecessary newsletters and (opens in a new window)report unsolicited emails as spam. 

By decluttering, you will help UCD's sustainability efforts and save on storage costs. Remember, 1 gigabyte is the equivalent of a room of documents. Every little bit helps!

Find other tips for managing your Google Workspace storage in the (opens in a new window)IT Support Hub. 

Need some inspiration to get started?

  • Start with files you haven't opened in over a year. If you haven't needed them in that time, it's likely you won't need them in the future.

  • Look for files from old projects or events. Once a project is finished, the associated files might not be necessary anymore.

  • Identify large files that are taking up significant space. Videos, high-resolution images, and presentations can be quite large.

  • If you have multiple versions of a file, keep only the most recent one. Older versions can often be safely deleted.

  • Find and delete duplicate files. This can free up a lot of space.

UCD IT Services

Computer Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Contact us via the UCD IT Support Hub: www.ucd.ie/ithelp