Even paid accounts get a file limit: Facts about Google Drive
Delhi : Google Drive is a helpful tool for storing data in the cloud, but a recent change may cause issues for some users. A new file limit for the overall number of files you can keep on an account is now being enforced by Google Drive.
A notification stating that the account has hit its "creation limit" and won't accept any new files until current ones are removed has lately appeared on the accounts of some Google Drive users. The problem, which ArsTechnica brought to light first, seems to apply to both open profiles as well as those with Google Workspace and Google One subscriptions.
Users on Reddit and Google's Issue Tracker reported the problem, which seems to have started around mid-February.
Five million files can be saved in Google Drive at any given time thanks to the current storage limit. This restriction simply counts the number of files in your online storage container, regardless of file format or size. This also applies to garbage can contents. (which is automatically emptied every 30 days). The following message appears on Google Drive when that cap is met (or if the user has already gone over it).
Prior to the restriction being implemented, one user claims to have had seven million items in their account, and since then, their account has been unable to upload any additional files. The files stored are now in "read-only" state, effectively locking out that person and anyone else in a similar circumstance.
Google hasn't openly addressed the restriction, but it appears to have informed some users of it via support. Both Drive and Google's vast collection of help sites contain no documentation. It appears that Google did not notify users who had already hit or exceeded the limit. There has never been a storage limit set by Google, but there is an overall file limit (400,000) for images that can be shared through Google Drive. Another online storage service, Dropbox, specifies a soft limit of 300,000 files for syncing to a computer, but that number does not represent the account's overall file limit.
The problem doesn't seem to be the restriction itself, which would make sense on free accounts or with adequate notice, as Ron Amadeo of Ars correctly notes. (or if it only applied to new accounts). It is preferable that this restriction, which is applicable to current accounts that already pay for and actively use storage, hasn't been addressed in any formal capacity. Five million files at a size of 4kb each could easily cover Google Drive's 100GB of storage, which is available in storage options beginning at $2 per month. In actuality, that would only require 20GB of capacity. If you're a company, like the millions who pay for storage on Drive through Google Workspace, it would be much simpler to reach that maximum.
