Your platform's storage usage is the total size of the files IntelligenceBank stores for you across every module, not just the assets in your Resources library. This article explains what counts towards it, what does not, how deleted items are treated, and why the number can differ from the total size of your assets.
Table of Contents
Where to See Your Storage Usage
Main Administrators can see storage usage under Admin > Settings. The Storage Capacity line at the top of the page shows the storage currently used and your storage allowance, both in megabytes (MB).
Your storage allowance is set by IntelligenceBank as part of your subscription. It cannot be changed from within the platform.
What Counts Towards Storage
Storage usage counts the original files uploaded to your platform, from every module. If the exact same file is uploaded more than once, it is stored and counted once.
| Area | What Counts |
|---|---|
| Assets | The original file of every asset, plus the file of every previous version. Previous versions keep counting until they are deleted. |
| Video | The original video file, plus the streaming versions created for playback in the platform. |
| Databases | Files uploaded to upload fields and files attached to records, including briefs and forms. This includes files you run compliance reviews on. |
| Workflows and Approvals | Files uploaded during a review, such as each new revision submitted for approval. |
| Creative Templates | Templates, drafts, and the files generated from them in the Creative Editor. |
| News | Images and files uploaded through the text editor in a News article. |
| Custom Pages (HTML pages) | Images and files uploaded through the text editor in the page. |
| Custom Pages (Drag and Drop pages) | Images, documents, and videos on these pages come from your asset library. They are counted once, as assets, and are not stored a second time for the page. |
| Surveys | Files uploaded by respondents as part of a survey response. |
| Branding and settings | Logos, watermark images, and custom icons uploaded to the platform. |
| Recently deleted items | Files of deleted items for a period after deletion. See Deleted Items and the Recycle Bin. |
What Does Not Count
The following are not currently included in your storage usage:
- Thumbnails and previews - the images, video previews, and document previews IntelligenceBank generates so you can view files in the platform.
- Converted and transformed files - resized images, converted formats, and watermarked copies created when files are downloaded or shared.
- AI-generated data - captions, transcripts, video insights, and auto-tagging data.
- Information stored as data rather than files - asset metadata, database records and their field values, News articles, Custom Pages, dashboards, comments, annotations, and approval history.
- Files sent for compliance review through the API - these are deleted as soon as the review is complete.
- Activity logs and reports - usage history, audit trails, and exported reports.
Deleted Items and the Recycle Bin
Deleting an item does not reduce your storage usage straight away. Deleted items go to the Recycle Bin, where they can be restored for 30 days.
| Time Since Deletion | Effect on Storage Usage |
|---|---|
| Up to about 14 days | The files of deleted assets and deleted asset versions still count towards storage usage. |
| After about 14 days | The files no longer count towards storage usage. The items can still be restored from the Recycle Bin until the 30-day window ends. |
| If an item is restored | If its files had already stopped counting, they count again from the next daily recalculation. |
Files attached to deleted database records stop counting within the same 14 days, and sometimes sooner. There is no option to empty the Recycle Bin manually to free up storage sooner.
Why Storage Usage Differs from Your Asset Total
The size shown on an asset is the size of its current file only. Adding up those sizes across your library rarely matches your storage usage, and the difference can be large on established platforms.
Storage usage is usually higher than your asset total because it also includes:
- Previous versions of assets. On assets that are updated often, such as brochures or product imagery, these can add up to more than the current files.
- Streaming versions of videos.
- Files in other modules: database attachments, approval revisions, Creative Templates, survey uploads, and files uploaded into News articles and HTML pages.
- Assets deleted in roughly the last 14 days.
Storage usage can also be lower in some respects:
- The same file uploaded as several assets is counted once.
- Aliases point to an existing asset and add no storage.
Reaching Your Storage Allowance
When your storage usage reaches 90% of your allowance, IntelligenceBank emails your platform's main administrator. The email is sent at most once every 14 days.
When your storage usage reaches 100% of your allowance:
- Users cannot upload new files or new versions. The upload shows the message "Maximum storage usage limit reached".
- Users can still search, view, share, and download existing content.
To increase your storage allowance, contact your Customer Success Manager.
Reducing Your Storage Usage
If you are close to your allowance, these steps have the most effect:
- Delete previous versions you no longer need, starting with large files that have many versions, such as videos and print-ready artwork.
- Delete assets that are out of date or no longer needed. Use the file size filter to find the largest files first. Deleting an asset whose file is also used by another asset does not free any storage, because the file is only stored once.
- Remove database attachments and records that are no longer needed.
Allow around two weeks for deletions to show in your storage usage.
Frequently Asked Questions
| I deleted a large number of assets but my storage usage has not dropped | Deleted files keep counting for about 14 days after deletion. After that, the figure drops at the next daily recalculation. |
| I uploaded files today but my storage usage has not changed | Storage usage is recalculated once a day, overnight. New uploads are included from the next recalculation. |
| Do News articles, dashboards or database records use storage? | The content itself does not. Only files uploaded into them count, such as a record attachment or an image uploaded into a News article. |
| Do thumbnails and previews use storage? | No. They are not currently included in your storage usage. |
| Can I get a breakdown of my storage usage by module? | A breakdown is not available in the platform. Contact your Customer Success Manager if you need help understanding where your storage is being used. |
*Note that the name given to modules, features and information items may vary in your platform as they can be customized by Main Admin users.
Need Help?
If you have questions about your storage usage or allowance, our support team is here to assist.
Contact SupportWas this article helpful?
That’s Great!
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry! We couldn't be helpful
Thank you for your feedback
Feedback sent
We appreciate your effort and will try to fix the article