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Google Workspace and Storage – Update on amends to current limits

Trinity uses Google Workspace to provide email accounts, and a digital storage option for alumni and students. In 2021/22 Google introduced substantial fees, on what had previously been a free service, for use of its Workspace offering.

We are happy to confirm that if you commenced your studies in Trinity prior to October 2023 and are a graduate of the University, you will continue to have free access to your @tcd email account. Trinity will continue to cover the cost of this email service.

Unfortunately, due to significant costs associated with data storage, the unlimited storage capacity will no longer feature as part of this service. As a result, storage on all alumni TCD email accounts will be set to a maximum quota of 5GB.  

To achieve this limit, Google Drive and Google Photos are no longer available as part of your email account.  

Access to Google Drive has now been removed. Google Photo applications continue to use a substantial amount of storage and we strongly advise that you review and back up photos to alternative storage platforms as a matter of urgency. Once this is done you will need to delete all photos from your @tcd.ie account. Please note if this is not done, access to your email account will be suspended and your account will be marked for deletion.

We have also introduced Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to enhance the safety of your email service.

If you have yet to action reducing your photo storage, or using MFA, we have compiled a number of useful guides below. We have also engaged a company called CTS to provide support, and CTS can be contacted via their portal at Trinity CTS Portal.

In all circumstances, access to your Trinity email is a privilege granted by the University and not an automatic right. The University, retains, at its sole discretion, the right to withdraw email privileges. 

While the ongoing provision of this benefit will be subject to cost considerations, we are delighted that at this time Trinity is able to continue to provide you access to a @tcd email account. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What changes are happening to my @tcd.ie email account?

If you commenced your studies in Trinity prior to October 2023 and are a graduate of the university, you will continue to have free access to your @tcd.ie email account and Trinity will cover the cost of this service. Unfortunately, the additional benefit offered by Google of unlimited storage has now been removed and unlimited storage will no longer feature as part of this service. As a result, storage on all alumni @tcd.ie email accounts will be set to a maximum quota of 5GB. To achieve this limit Google apps including Google Drive and Google Photos will no longer be available as part of your email account. This will require you to remove your data from these services.Your account will remain available but it’s use will be limited to email.

What is the new limit of storage that I may have on my account?

Storage on all alumni @tcd.ie email accounts will be set to a maximum quota of 5GB. If your current mail usage is greater than 5GB you must delete old emails to remain within your quota. If your mailbox is over quota, you will not be able to send or receive email.

Why is my @tcd.ie email storage set to 5GB?

Google have imposed charges on Trinity which is based on the amount of space used per account. In order for Trinity to maintain this benefit to alumni, a limit of 5GB has been set per user.

What support can I avail of to help with reducing my storage?

To assist alumni to adapt to these changes to their email account, Trinity has engaged a third party company, CTS, to provide support. You can log onto their portal at Trinity College Dublin (cts.co). There are a number of guides to assist in this transition, and you can register on the portal for guidance on specific queries.

How can I check my current storage usage linked to my @tcd.ie email account?

On your TCD email page, scroll to the bottom, then find the current online storage usage on the left toward the bottom.

What counts towards my storage quota?

Your storage quota is shared across Google Drive, Google Photos, and emails. Emails, including all attachments, are counted towards this quota.

How can I reduce my current storage?

You can reduce your storage by deleting emails, especially those with large attachments. You may also want to delete or download and then remove emails in the "Spam" and "Trash" folders.

Can I pay Trinity to retain my current storage?

It is not possible to retain storage by using a purchasing subscription via Trinity. The files in Google Drive and Google Photos must be removed. Your data can be transferred to a personal Google account.

How do I delete large attachments or emails?

You can use the search filter in your email account to find large emails (e.g., by searching "size:10MB" to find emails larger than 10MB) and then delete them.

Can I just delete attachments and keep the email?

No, attachments are part of the email, so deleting the attachment requires deleting the email. However, you can download the attachment to your device and then delete the email if you want to retain a copy.

What happens if I exceed my storage quota?

If you exceed your storage limit, you won't be able to send or receive emails, and you may need to delete content to free up space.

Is there a way to automatically manage storage?

Regularly checking your storage and managing large emails and attachments can prevent unexpected issues.

Are there other Google Apps that will be deleted?

The Google apps that will be available will be Gmail, Contacts and Calendar. All other Google apps will not be available.

Are emails in the ‘Trash’ folder counted towards my storage quota?

Yes, until they are permanently deleted. Items in the ‘Trash’ folder are typically automatically deleted after 30 days, but you can manually empty the folder to free up space immediately.

I’ve deleted all photos from the Google Photo App but my account is still showing as using space in the App?

In Google Photos, go to Manage Storage and check the file Unsupported Videos. Often there are videos of photos which may have been corrupted which are still stored here and need to be deleted. If you are still unable to bring storage to zero, please contact our managed service provider CTS.

I want to install MFA on my account but am getting an error message that says my phone network is not supported by Google

Certain phone networks are not supported by Google. In this case you should download the Google Authenticator App from the App store and use this instead of a mobile phone number.

Even though I have done some courses in Trinity I never actually graduated from there. What happens to my @tcd.ie account now?

Access to a TCD email account is a benefit available to graduates of Trinity College Dublin only. If you have a TCD email account but are not a graduate of the university, this account will be closed.

Please also note for students who did not graduate from Trinity College Dublin

It is not possible to pay or subscribe to retain the @tcd.ie account.
It is unfortunately not possible to retain the @tcd.ie email address and use it on another service.
If you have used your TCD mail address to set up accounts on other services you must change the mail address used on those other services.
Time extensions are not possible. The university is at high risk of incurring significant costs if the data is not removed.
There is no possibility of retaining photos in your TCD account. The data must be removed.
There is no possibility of retaining files in your TCD Google Drive. The data must be removed.
After an account is closed mail sent to the account will not be received and the sender will receive a non-delivery report stating that the account is not known on the TCD mail service.
Mail forwarding is not possible. Trinity cannot forward your mail to another account.
Your data can be transferred to a personal Google account as follows

If you already have a personal Google account, you can transfer your data to that account.
It is possible to buy a personal Google account. This account will have no connection whatsoever with your TCD account. See the pricing plans available here: https://one.google.com/about/plans
If you already have a personal Google account or if you buy a Google account, the email address will be of the form username@gmail.com. There is no possibility of using your current TCD address.
You can use a Google data transfer feature called “takeout” to transfer your data to the personal Google account.
If you want to download your data and load it onto another service, Google provides instructions on how to download your data here: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3024190?hl=en
See the Guides our support company CTS provides at: https://tcd.cts.co/hc/en-gb/sections/15372634519442-Recommended-Guides

Guides

Terms and Conditions for Alumni Access to a Tcd.ie Email Account

The benefit

All students who commenced their studies in Trinity College Dublin before October 2023 will be able to continue to use their @tcd.ie email account upon graduation. Alumni email accounts are provided by Google. However as Google have imposed significant charges on space, accounts will be limited to email only with a space limit applied to each user of 5GB. There is no access to other Google Apps, including Google Drive and Photo.

This is currently a free benefit from Trinity. Trinity will engage with a third party supplier to provide password retrieval and reset support to alumni, the cost of which will be covered by the university.

Eligibility

This benefit is currently available to graduates of Trinity College Dublin who commenced their studies before October 2023 and who graduated from 2007 on.

This limitation is due to current cost considerations. Trinity will continue to explore the possibility of extending this benefit beyond this cohort of alumni.

Purpose of use

The provision of this benefit is strictly for personal use only. The Trinity email should not be used for any business purposes or to represent Trinity in any way, such as a current student or current staff member. Any abuse of this purpose shall result in a review of the content and Trinity will take action, including limiting or terminating a user’s access to the Trinity email account.

Policies for use

Trinity needs to curb abuses that may threaten our ability to continue to provide these services, and we ask that all alumni abide by the policies below to help us achieve this goal. After we are notified of a potential policy violation, we may review the content and take action, including limiting or terminating a user’s access to their email account.

These policies will be updated from time to time.

Storage limit

We will take action on accounts that go above storage quota limits, this will include prohibiting the sending or receiving of messages if you exceed your storage quota. We may also delete content from your account if you fail to reduce your storage.

Account inactivity

You must use the services in order for them to remain active. Activity includes accessing your email account at least every 2 years. Email accounts that are inactive for 2 years will be disabled. If, after the account has been disabled, the alumni does not contact the managed service provider within 6 months, the account will be marked for deletion.

Report abuse

Make sure to read the policies below to understand how we define abusive behaviour. Trinity may disable accounts that are found to be in violation of our policies. If your account is disabled, and you believe it was a mistake, please email alumni@tcd.ie.

Spam and bulk mail

Please do not use your Trinity email to distribute spam or unsolicited commercial mail.

You are not allowed to use your Trinity email account to send email in violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Regulation 13 of the ePrivacy Regulations 2011 or other anti-spam laws; to send unauthorized email via open, third-party servers; or to distribute the email addresses of any person without their consent.

You are not allowed to automate the Trinity email interface, whether to send, delete, or filter emails, in a manner that misleads or deceives users.

Please keep in mind that your definition of “unsolicited” or “unwanted” mail may differ from your email recipients’ perception. Exercise judgment when sending email to a large number of recipients, even if the recipients elected to receive emails from you in the past. When Gmail users mark emails as spam, it increases the likelihood that future messages you send will also be classified as spam by our anti-abuse systems.

You’re also not allowed to buy, sell or trade Trinity email accounts to others.

Malware

Do not use your Trinity email to transmit viruses, malware, worms, defects, Trojan horses, corrupted files, or any other items of a destructive or deceptive nature. In addition, do not distribute content that harms or interferes with the operation of networks, servers, or other infrastructure belonging to Trinity or others.

Fraud, phishing, and other deceptive practices

You may not access another user’s Trinity account without their explicit permission.

Do not use your Trinity email for phishing.

Refrain from soliciting or collecting sensitive data, including but not limited to passwords, financial details, and Social Security numbers.

Do not send messages to trick, mislead, or deceive other users into sharing information under false pretences. This includes impersonating another person, company, or entity with the intent to deceive or mislead.

Child Safety

Trinity and Google have a zero-tolerance policy against child sexual abuse imagery. If we become aware of such content, we will report it to An Garda Siochana as required by law. We will also terminate the email accounts of those involved.

Trinity prohibits the grooming of children using a Trinity email which is defined as a set of actions aimed at establishing a connection with a child to lower the child's inhibitions in preparation for sexual abuse, trafficking, or other exploitation.

If you believe a child is in danger of or has been subject to abuse, exploitation, or been trafficked, contact An Garda Siochana or your local Garda or Police Station immediately.

Copyright

Please respect copyright laws.

Do not infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, including patent, trademark, trade secret, or other proprietary rights.

You are also not allowed to encourage or induce others to violate intellectual property rights.

Harassment

Do not use your Trinity email account to harass, intimidate or threaten others. Anyone found to be using their account for these purposes will have their account disabled.

Illegal Activity

Do not use your Trinity email account to promote, organize, or engage in unlawful activities.

In all circumstances access to your Trinity email is a privilege granted by Trinity and not an automatic right. Trinity, retains, at its sole discretion, the right to withdraw email privileges.

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