Google Earth lets you import your own datasets (KML, GeoJSON) as powerful, cloud-hosted layers directly within your Earth projects. This enables visualization of large datasets.
User-imported layers are subject to storage quotas based on your Google Earth plan.
Understand your storage quotas
Imported data layers consume storage space, which counts against your account's quota. You can only import layers into projects that you own.
Storage capacity and file size limits are tiered based on your Google Earth plan:
| Feature | Standard | Professional | Professional Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total storage | 1 GB | 10 GB | 20 GB |
| Maximum single file size | 250 MB | 500 MB | 500 MB |
| Supported file formats | KML, GeoJSON | ||
Monitor your storage usage
To keep track of your storage consumption:
- View total usage: You can see your current storage usage against your total quota in the Storage widget at the bottom left of the Google Earth home screen.
- Project sizes: The total size of each project, calculated from the sum of its data assets, is displayed on the Google Earth home screen to help identify which projects are using the storage.
Free up storage space
If you need to free up storage space to stay within your quota, you can do the following:
- Delete layers: Remove specific imported layers from within a project. This action can be performed by the project owner or any collaborator with Editor permissions on the project.
- Delete projects: Deleting an entire Google Earth project will also delete any embedded layers contained within it, thus freeing up the storage space they consumed.
What happens you exceed your quota
Google Earth uses the following approach for quota enforcement:
- Starting an import: You can initiate a new data import as long as your account has not already exceeded its total storage quota.
- "Over Quota" state: If your total storage use exceeds your plan's limit,
you enter an "Over Quota" state:
- You will be blocked from starting any new data imports across your account.
- All your existing projects and previously imported layers will remain fully accessible and functional. You won't lose access to your data.
- Resolving over quota status: To resume importing data, you must get back
under your quota limit by:
- Deleting data: Freeing up space by deleting layers or projects as described above.
- Upgrading your plan: If you are on a Standard or Professional plan, you can upgrade to a higher tier with more storage.
Share layers
Because imported layers are embedded within Google Earth projects, they are shared automatically when you share the project. The layer's visibility and management permissions are inherited from the project's sharing settings:
- Collaborators with Editor access to the project can view, restyle, and delete the embedded layers within that project.
- Collaborators with Viewer access can only view and interact with the layers.