How to Export a Storage Usage Report (Admin Console)

To manage pooled storage, identify accounts that violate internal data policies, and prevent sudden domain suspensions, administrators must periodically audit storage consumption. The Google Admin Console provides native reporting engines that allow you to generate and export complete CSV and Google Sheets spreadsheets detailing storage consumption across individual user accounts, Organizational Units, and Shared Drives.

Quick Answer

In the Google Admin Console, go to Storage > View users (or navigate to Reporting > Reports > User accounts). Customize your visible table columns to include Drive, Gmail, Photos, and Total storage, then click the Download / Export icon in the top right to download a CSV or open the data in Google Sheets.

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Method 1: Exporting User Storage via the Storage Dashboard

The dedicated Storage tool in the Admin Console is the fastest way to view and export a direct list of users ranked by disk consumption.

1. Sign in to the Google Admin Console.
2. On the main navigation panel, click Storage.
3. Under the Users section, click View all users (or Manage storage limits).
4. The screen displays a paginated list of accounts showing their Organizational Unit, Total Storage Used, and Storage Limit.
5. In the top right corner of the table, click the Export icon (a tray with an arrow pointing down).
6. In the export dialog box:
   • Select your preferred format: Google Sheets or Comma-separated values (.csv).
7. Click Export.
8. Once the background process completes, click the notification bell in the top Admin Console toolbar or open your Google Drive to access the generated report.

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Method 2: Comprehensive Audit via the Reporting Center

If you need deeper historical context—such as the date of last user login, account status (active vs. suspended), or a breakdown across Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos—export your report through the Reporting section.

1. In the Admin Console left menu, navigate to Reporting > Reports.
2. Under User reports, select Accounts.
3. Click the Manage Columns (gear icon) on the right side of the screen.
4. Ensure the following metrics are checked:
   • Total storage used (MB or GB)
   • Drive storage used
   • Gmail storage used
   • Google Photos storage used
   • Storage limit
   • Last login time
   • Account status
5. Click Save.
6. Click the Export button at the top of the table.
7. Choose Export as CSV or Export to Google Sheets.

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Method 3: Exporting Shared Drive Storage Data

Shared Drive data does not appear in user-level exports because Shared Drives belong to the organization rather than individual identities. To audit Shared Drive storage:

1. Go to Storage in the Admin Console.
2. In the Shared drives card, click View all Shared drives.
3. Click the column header for Storage used to sort the drives from largest to smallest.
4. Click the Export icon in the table header.
5. Download the CSV.

This export provides the Shared Drive ID, drive name, storage used, item count, and the date the drive was created. To analyze high-consumption Shared Drives further, follow How to find the “Storage hog” in a Shared Drive.

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Method 4: High-Scale Auditing via GAM (Google Apps Manager)

For large domains with more than 10,000 users, exporting through the web UI can run into browser timeouts or line-item export caps. Administrators can generate a complete raw CSV in minutes using GAM from the command line:

gam redirect csv ./domain_storage_audit.csv print users fields primaryEmail,orgUnitPath,driveUsage,gmailUsage,photosUsage,totalStorageUsage

This query bypasses the Admin Console interface and queries the Google Workspace Admin SDK directly, producing a clean, machine-readable spreadsheet suitable for ingestion into BigQuery, PowerBI, or internal database systems.

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Key Patterns to Look For in Your Storage Report

Once your export opens in Google Sheets or Excel, apply filters to flag high-risk accounts:

• High Total with Recent Date = Inactive: Filter for accounts where Last Login Time is older than 180 days, but Total Storage Used exceeds 20 GB. These are typically departed employees or withdrawn students whose data should be archived and purged.
• Disproportionate Google Photos Consumption: Sort by Google Photos storage used. Personal photo backups should generally be disabled in commercial and educational environments.
• Accounts Approaching OU Caps: Create a formula column calculating (Total Storage Used / Storage Limit) * 100. Flag any user currently above 90% to intervene before they hit an upload block.

Handling Data Discrepancies

If the exported report shows lower storage usage than what an individual user sees inside their personal Google Drive screen, keep these diagnostic factors in mind:

• Reporting Latency: Data in the Admin Console reports can lag real-time activity by 24 to 48 hours. Recent bulk deletions will not immediately show up in the exported metrics. See Resolving the 24-Hour Latency in Storage Reporting.
• Admin vs. Personal Meter Differences: The user’s personal view reflects their real-time quota consumption, whereas admin exports draw from periodic warehouse snapshots. For a deeper explanation of this variance, review Troubleshooting Admin Console vs. Personal Storage Mismatch.
• To run a complete domain health check across all services, follow The Google Workspace Storage Audit Checklist.