Box Storage Overview

Supporting Sustainable Box Storage Through Responsible Data Stewardship

WashU is working to ensure Box storage remains sustainable while continuing to support collaboration, research, and business needs. This page provides the current storage guidance, upcoming milestones, available resources and support options.

Current Storage Guidelines

• WashU Box provides 1 TB of storage at no cost for each user.
• Users with less than 1 TB of total storage are not subject to billing and do not need to request an exception.
• Users with more than 1 TB of total storage should review their data, remove unnecessary files (such as backups and duplicate content), and work with their leadership to determine the appropriate long-term storage solution.
• Beginning July 1, 2027, accounts with more than 1 TB of total storage that also contain inactive data (files not accessed in more than three years) may be subject to cost center billing unless an approved exception is in place. Certain types of data, such as backups, may also be subject to billing.
• An exceptions process is available for data that must remain in Box to support legitimate business, research, or regulatory requirements.

Why This Matters

Our Current Focus

WashU is committed to being a responsible steward of university data by reducing unnecessary storage and aligning with Box vendor storage policies. This initiative encourages users to remove unneeded files, store data in the most appropriate location, and reserve Box for active collaboration and business use. Thoughtful data management helps control long-term storage costs while ensuring critical business, research, and regulatory information remains available through approved exceptions.

How We Got Here

This webinar, originally hosted on November 14, 2025 explains the vendor’s renewed enforcement of storage requirements, why WashU needed to respond, and how those actions shaped the current storage initiative. View the slide deck that goes with the webinar (PDF).

Next Steps

(info to come)

Resources

Alternative Storage Options

• Research Infrastructure Services (RIS) Data Storage Platform.
  • Active storage: every researcher gets 5TB of storage free.
  • Archive storage: available for inactive research data.
• WashU-supported File Shares & Storage options.
• Storage Comparison Matrix and Annual Cost Calculator
  • Compare available storage options and enter your estimated storage needs to generate an annual cost estimate.

Learn More

• The Box FAQs KBA contains answers on how to:
  • View your current Box or OneDrive storage usage.
  • Understand what counts toward your storage quota.
  • …and much more!
    • Scroll to the Box FAQ: Storage Quota section.
    • Knowledge Base may require WashU Key login.
• Best practices for minimizing your data storage footprint.
• Appropriate Use Guidelines for storing data in Box.
• Request additional storage by completing this Box request form.