Fix storage limits

Storage limits apply to ALLO-stored files in a workspace

Storage quota protects the workspace from growing beyond the file capacity included with its plan and add-ons. When a workspace is over quota, ALLO can show a storage warning, block or limit some uploads, and restrict preview or download access for older stored files until the workspace returns under quota.

Storage is workspace-scoped. A personal profile setting will not change it. A plan change, storage add-on, file cleanup, or admin action usually will.

Availability

What counts toward storage

ALLO storage counts files stored by ALLO for the workspace. This can include uploaded files, images, PDFs, videos, recordings, comment attachments, generated images, and canvas or page backgrounds when ALLO stores the file.

External resources usually do not count the same way. A Google Drive link, Dropbox link, web link, embed, or other externally hosted resource may appear inside ALLO without adding the full file size to ALLO storage.

If the same exact file is used many times in the same workspace, ALLO may count the stored file once for that workspace rather than once per placement. If the same file is uploaded into two different workspaces, each workspace has its own storage accounting. See Files, storage, and quota for the file-side view.

Usage can lag after uploads or cleanup

Storage totals are calculated from workspace file data and may take a few minutes to catch up. Uploading a large file, deleting many files, restoring files, or changing add-ons can leave the usage number briefly behind reality.

If you just cleaned up storage or bought an add-on, wait a few minutes and refresh before assuming the change failed. If ALLO labels usage as incomplete, partial, or still calculating, treat it as a temporary estimate rather than final evidence.

Check usage before choosing a recovery path

Check storage usage in Workspace Settings → Usage, Billing, or the storage recovery view shown from a quota warning. The usage summary is meant to answer:

• How much storage the workspace is using.
• How much quota the workspace has.
• Whether the workspace is over the limit.

It is not a complete file browser. Use the file list, canvas links, or Trash when you need to decide exactly what to remove.

Use the current usage number to choose the recovery path. If the workspace is only slightly over quota and there are obvious abandoned uploads, cleanup may be enough. If the workspace is far above quota or keeps growing because the team actively works with large files, buying storage or changing plan is usually cleaner than repeated emergency deletion.

Non-admins may be able to view usage without being able to buy capacity. If you are not an admin, copy the usage number, quota, warning text, and affected file link for the workspace admin.

What happens when storage is over quota

When the workspace is over quota, ALLO may show a banner and direct admins to storage recovery. Depending on the plan and current usage, old file previews or downloads can be restricted until capacity is fixed. New uploads may also fail or be blocked in places where the workspace would grow further over quota.

Over quota does not block cleanup:

• People with the right file permissions can still remove unneeded files from canvases.
• People with the right Trash permission can permanently delete those items from Trash when the team no longer needs recovery.
• Check current usage in Workspace Settings → Usage or storage recovery before and after cleanup.

See Files, storage, and quota and Remove a file from a canvas.

Over quota does not mean ALLO instantly deletes your files. It means the workspace needs to reduce stored usage or increase storage capacity. If files are missing, first check When work looks missing and Trash before assuming a quota deleted them.

Admin recovery options

If ALLO opens a storage picker, it may check current usage first and disable add-on sizes that are too small to cover the workspace's current stored files. Choose a tier that brings the workspace safely under quota, not the cheapest option that still leaves the warning active.

Non-admin recovery

If you are not an admin, you may be able to see storage usage but not buy capacity. Send an admin the warning text, workspace name, and a link to the file or page where the problem appeared.

If your work is blocked because an older file cannot preview or download, tell the admin which file is affected. The admin can decide whether to buy storage, upgrade, delete files, or contact support.

Free workspaces

A Free workspace admin may be routed to upgrade before storage add-ons are available. That is expected when the workspace has no paid subscription to attach recurring storage capacity to. If the workspace wants to stay Free, the practical recovery path is to delete stored files until usage is under quota.

Delete files safely

Deleting visible canvas objects is not always the same as freeing stored file capacity immediately. A file can be reused in several places, sit in Trash, or still be used by another workspace item. Storage calculation also may lag after cleanup.

To reduce usage:

1. Remove files that are no longer needed from the places where they appear.
2. Permanently delete those removed items from Trash when the team no longer needs recovery.
3. Refresh usage after cleanup, because storage calculation can lag.

Two details matter before you expect the number to drop:

• If a file is only linked from Google Drive, Dropbox, another website, or an embed, deleting the ALLO object may not change ALLO-stored usage much because the file may not be stored by ALLO in the first place.
• If the same stored file appears many times in one workspace, deleting one placement may not free the stored file until the remaining references are gone.

Before deleting, check whether the file is still needed by a project, canvas, dashboard resource, comment, or teammate. If the file belongs in long-term records, buy storage instead of turning cleanup into a future recovery problem.

Troubleshooting storage warnings

When to contact support

Contact support when a storage purchase completed but the warning remains after refresh, usage appears clearly wrong, a critical file remains restricted after the workspace is under quota, or the billing admin cannot access Billing. Include the workspace name, current usage shown, quota shown, affected file links, and the time you bought storage or deleted files.