Cloud Storage Planner — How Much Space Do You Need?
A cloud storage planner converts your photo, video, document and backup totals into the plan size you should buy — instead of guessing between the 200 GB and 2 TB tiers.
Quick answer: Add up what you will actually sync: a typical phone library (30,000 HEIC photos ≈ 54 GB) plus videos (200 clips ≈ 120 GB) plus documents (5 GB) is about 180 GB — which fits a 200 GB tier with little room, so a 2 TB plan is the comfortable choice.
Enter the advertised size or the size your device reports
Use the average size from your own files for a sharper estimate
| Capacity | How many photos |
|---|---|
| 32 GB | 17,777 |
| 64 GB | 35,555 |
| 128 GB | 71,111 |
| 256 GB | 142,222 |
| 512 GB | 284,444 |
| 1 TB | 555,555 |
| 2 TB | 1,111,111 |
| 4 TB | 2,222,222 |
| Common tiers | iCloud+ 50 GB / 200 GB / 2 TB · Google One 100 GB / 200 GB / 2 TB · Dropbox 2 TB |
|---|---|
| Typical phone library | 30,000 HEIC photos ≈ 54 GB · 200 videos ≈ 120 GB |
| Desktop backup | Documents + projects typically 50–500 GB; system images 40–100 GB each |
| Double-count risk | Photos synced twice (phone + computer folder) consume quota twice |
Count what syncs, not what exists
Cloud quota is consumed by files the client uploads, not by files you own. If a photo library syncs from both a phone app and a computer folder, every photo counts twice — a common cause of “I have 200 GB and my library is 150 GB, why is it full?” Audit the synced folders first, then size the plan.
Growth is the deciding factor
A plan that just fits today will be full within a year for most phone users: 12 MP HEIC photos at 1.8 MB plus 4K video at 11 GB per hour add up quickly. A simple projection — current usage plus last year's growth — usually pushes the decision one tier up, from 200 GB to 2 TB, and that gap is where most people end up anyway.
Versioning and trash use real space
Cloud drives keep deleted files in trash for 30 days and retain version history, so quota is consumed by data you cannot see. If you are near a limit, empty trash and check version history settings before assuming the plan is too small.
When to use this calculator
- Choosing between a 200 GB and 2 TB plan for a phone and laptop.
- Checking whether a photo library fits a free tier before paying.
- Planning cloud storage for a small business's documents and backups.
- Auditing double-synced folders that consume quota twice.
- Estimating how long the current plan will last.