You may have received an email that the storage space used by your home directory (H: drive) has exceeded the soft limit and is nearing the hard limit. If the hard limit is reached, additional files cannot be added or modified.
You can check your current data usage and view a list of your directories on the Storage Web Tools Dashboard page.
VPN connection required, if off-campus
To use the Storage Web Tools dashboard from off-campus, a VPN connection is required.
Logging into the Storage Web Tools dashboard
Check current usage and space limit
- Go to the Storage Web Tools Dashboard page and log in with your Michigan Tech account name and password.
- Under the Self Service menu, select Check My Data Usage Quota
- Select the Run Command button.
- The message Please Wait... will display while the tool is executing the command. Note that the number of files within your home directory will directly affect how long it takes to display the results. If you receive a message that the system is busy, wait a few minutes, then try again.
- When the command is finished, your data usage information will be displayed.
- Disk Used: This is the current usage of your home directory.
- Hard Disk Limit: This is your space limit. If you reach your space limit or higher, additional files cannot be added or modified.
- Soft Disk Limit: You will need to stay under your Soft Disk Limit to stop the notifications.
List home directory sizes
- On the Storage Web Tools Dashboard page, under the Self Service menu, select List Directories By Size.
- Select the Run Command button.
- The message Please Wait... will display while the tool is executing the command. Note that the number of files within your home directory will directly affect how long it takes to display the results. If you receive a message that the system is busy, wait a few minutes, then try again.
- When the command is finished, your directories, or folders, within your home directory will be listed in order of size from largest to smallest. Each line lists your current usage and the path to the top level of your home directory (H: drive).You can use this information to focus your efforts in reducing space usage.
Disallowed Key Characters
If you receive an error of Disallowed Key Characters, please clear your browser cache and use an incognito/private window.
Login profile
Faculty, staff, and graduate students have login profiles that load when you log in to a campus Windows computer. This is stored separately from your home directory and contains your settings and cache for various programs that you use. We recommend that you keep your login profile at or below 500MB for a quicker login load time.
View your login profile
- Log in to a campus Windows desktop, such as an office desktop or lab computer, with a name similar to computername.ad.
- Open File Explorer.
- Select View, then select the checkbox for Hidden items.
- Enter \\profiles.mtu.edu\profile$\
- Open the profile folder named similarly to username.V6 for your Windows 10 login profile.
- Contact IT for assistance on managing your login profile as there are system settings in there that you will need to be careful with before deleting.
Tips for reducing space usage
- Focus your efforts on the directories that are taking up the most space.
- Remove files or folders that you recognize, such as those located in H:\Documents. There are certain directories, such as Library or Application Data, that may contain system settings you need for programs to function properly. Be cautious when removing any files from those locations manually.
- Check your Downloads for any files or folders you no longer need.
- Clear out your browser cache and other application data/cache, if applicable, using the application's tool.
- Upload files or folders to Google Drive or save files to a personal external storage device or to an appropriate M: drive share to which you have access.
- Empty your Recycle bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac or Linux) once you have deleted unneeded files and before logging off a campus computer.
- Check your current usage again after removing files and emptying your recycle bin or trash.
If you need help reducing space usage or to request a limit increase, please contact Michigan Tech IT at it-help@mtu.edu or 906-487-1111.