Storage plans are usually sold in big round numbers, which is not much use if you have no idea how big your files really are. A quick estimate can stop you from over-buying or running out at a bad moment.
Rough file sizes
- A typical office document: well under 1 MB to a few MB
- A scanned multi-page PDF: a few MB to tens of MB
- A smartphone photo: a few MB
- Print-ready artwork: tens to hundreds of MB
- A minute of HD video: often 100 MB or more
These are only ballpark figures, and your files may differ, but they show how video and design files quickly outweigh everything else.
Measure rather than guess
Right-click the folders you intend to move and check their total size. Add room for growth, perhaps a year's worth, and allow for deleted files, which may still count towards your allowance while they sit in a recovery folder.
As a guide
- Documents only: a few GB can last a small team a long time.
- Documents plus photos: around 100 GB is comfortable for many small firms.
- Marketing or design work: 250 to 500 GB gives you more room.
- Regular video: consider 1 TB, and keep an eye on it.
Clean up before you move
Migration is the best chance you will get to delete duplicates and old files. You will pay for less, and your team will find things more easily.