Storage — 5 GB free, 50 GB with Plus
One meter for the whole account. What counts towards it, what happens when it is full, and why the figure is a little above the files you uploaded.
Your account has one storage figure, not one per feature. Mail, chat, the files inside them and Drive all draw on the same meter.
| Free | Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Storage for the whole account | 5 GB | 50 GB |
The app labels these in binary units the short way: the "5 GB" you see is 5 GiB, and "50 GB" is 50 GiB.
Where to find it
Open Settings → Storage. The screen shows the figure ("3.8 GB of 5 GB used"), a bar in three parts and a legend:
- Mail — every message this account holds
- Files in mail and chat — the attachments stored for it
- Drive — files in Private.Ki Drive
Below the bar, In Trash and Recently deleted tells you how much of the total you would get back by emptying the bin.
The same screen, same figures. Settings → Storage on a phone shows the bar stacked above the legend.
What counts
Everything stored for the account, at the size we hold it:
- Mail and chat, in every role — received, sent, drafts, notes — including anything in Trash
- The files inside those messages, one stored copy per recipient copy
- Drive files, including the ones in Recently deleted
Two consequences worth knowing. A chat counts for both people, because each side holds its own encrypted copy. A mail you send to several people inside Private.Ki counts once per stored copy, yours included.
What we store is the encrypted message, not your original. Encryption and armouring make a file somewhat larger than it was on your device, so the figure on this screen sits a little above the sizes your file manager shows. The screen says it plainly: "Sizes are what we hold, so they are a little above what you see on your device."
What happens when it is full
The meter shows a Full pill and one sentence: Mail keeps arriving. Sending files and Drive uploads wait until you free some room.
That is exactly what happens:
- Incoming mail is never refused. Mail addressed to you is delivered and stored whatever the meter says.
- The copy of a message somebody sends you inside Private.Ki is never refused either — you did not ask for it.
- Sending a file waits. Reserving an attachment or a Drive upload is refused with a message naming how much is used, how much the plan allows and how much the file needs.
- Nothing is ever deleted to make room. Not by us, not automatically, not from Trash.
There is also no warning before the meter is full — no percentage alert, no badge. The Storage screen is where you look.
An account that is already above its quota keeps every byte it holds and keeps receiving. It is only refused new files, until it is back under the line.
How to free room
- Empty Trash, in mail and in chat — the In Trash and Recently deleted line tells you what that is worth
- Empty Recently deleted in Drive
- Delete large attachments you no longer need
- On Free, press More room on the Storage screen
The Storage screen is never hidden, greyed or marked for Plus. There is one extra row, More room — "50 GB with Private.Ki Plus" — and pressing it opens the Plus window. Everything else on the screen works the same on both plans.
How the figure is kept
The count is maintained by the database itself as messages, attachments and Drive files are written and removed, so it moves the moment something changes. Once a day it is recounted from scratch and corrected if it has drifted. You do not have to refresh anything.
Cannot see
- What is inside any of it — every byte counted here is encrypted to your key
Can see
- How many bytes this account stores, split into mail, files and Drive
- The size of each stored object
Does mail I receive stop arriving when I am full?
No. Mail keeps arriving and is stored. Only sending files and Drive uploads wait.
Will anything be deleted automatically to make room?
No. Nothing is ever deleted to make room — not old mail, not Trash, not Drive.
Why does the figure not match the files I uploaded?
Because it is the encrypted size we hold, which is a little above the plain file. The Storage screen states this under the bar.
Do items in Trash count?
Yes, in mail, chat and Drive. The In Trash and Recently deleted line shows how much emptying them would free.
Does a chat count twice?
It counts once for you and once for the other person, because each side stores its own encrypted copy.
I was over 5 GB when storage arrived. What happened?
Nothing was removed. You keep every byte and keep receiving mail; new files are refused until you are under the line again, or until the plan allows more.