A Guide to Disk Use Management

Disk usage is another name for storage in your hosting plan. It refers to all the space your website and email files take up on the server. Managing it effectively can reduce the amount of storage you require and help you get the most value from your hosting plan.

In this guide, we explore what takes up the most storage space, how to prevent overuse, how to fix storage issues, and when it’s a good idea to speak with your web host.

What is Disk Usage?

Everything on your website and email account is made up of files that need to be stored somewhere. A hosting plan is essentially an agreement about where your files are stored and how much space you are allocated. This space may be referred to as storage or disk usage.

What Uses Storage

The code that makes up your website

• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript

CMS files & plugins that make managing your website easier

Databases connected your website

• Website contact submissions
• Membership data in membership systems
• Products & orders on eCommerce websites

Website content

• Images
• Videos
• Audio files
• Blog posts

Emails and their attachments

• Sent
• Inbox
• Deleted
• Spam/Junk

Common Causes of Disk Overuse

Website Files

Disk usage from website files can generally be grouped into content and backend files.

Images, videos, and audio files are examples of content that consume significant storage space – especially when they are unoptimised or have built up into a large media library over time.

On the backend, disk usage often increases due to storing multiple copies of your website and retaining outdated themes and plugins.

• Old staging environments – also known as development versions of your site – can take up as much space as your live website.
• Website backups are compressed and use less space than the live site, but they accumulate over time.
• Themes and plugins within a CMS can become outdated or inactive, yet their files remain on the server unless removed.

Email Storage

Email stored on the server is often the number one cause of disk overuse. While most individual emails are relatively small, the volume of messages sent and received over time adds up quickly. When you include emails with large attachments, storage usage can increase significantly.

Folders that are rarely checked – such as Spam, Junk, and Deleted – are also common contributors to excessive disk usage.

How to Manage and Prevent Overuse

Monitoring how much storage you’re using – and where it’s being used – allows you to make informed decisions about managing your disk usage effectively.

General tips for disk use management:

• Optimise images, videos, audio files, and documents before uploading them.
• Choose the appropriate file type for each upload.
• Implement a regular process to delete old emails and clear out trash folders.
• Regularly review plugins and themes to ensure they are still needed and functioning correctly – and remove any that aren’t.
• Periodically check your website databases and remove unnecessary entries.

Ensuring your hosting provider offers scalable plans also helps prevent disruption if your storage needs increase beyond your original allocation.

How to Fix Running Out of Storage

Because of the consequences of reaching full storage capacity, it’s important to address the issue quickly. The fastest way to resolve it is to delete the largest unnecessary files. Reviewing what is consuming the most space will help you prioritise your efforts.

1. Delete old emails you no longer need and export important messages that don’t need to remain on the server.
2. Remove outdated or unused website files.
3. Optimise existing media files.
4. Upgrade your hosting plan if necessary.

To keep your website and email functioning, our process is to upgrade your hosting plan once you reach 95% capacity. You can downgrade your plan if you reduce your storage usage to 80% of your previous allocation.

When to Talk to Your Hosting Partner

Your hosting provider can assist at any stage, but it’s critical to contact them immediately if your website or email stops working. They can upgrade your plan to restore functionality and provide insight into what is consuming the most storage.

After completing a clean-up, speak with them again to confirm whether your storage usage is now within acceptable limits or if further action is required.

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Storage refers to all the files associated with your website and email that are stored on the server. Your hosting plan determines how much space you have available, and the limits are manageable when you select the appropriate plan and monitor usage regularly.

Removing outdated files and optimising those that remain is key to preventing storage issues.

If you’re unsure how much storage your hosting plan includes – or how much you’re currently using – contact your hosting provider.

If you would like a Web Ideas Hosted Solution, contact us today to discuss the hosting plan that best suits your needs.