Overall Attachment Storage Capacity and Monitoring in ServiceNow

[aaksubraman]

Hi Team,

We understand that the maximum attachment size in our ServiceNow instance is 20 MB per attachment.

Our customer is expecting to receive a high volume of requests with attachments and would like to understand the overall attachment storage capacity.

Could you please help clarify the following:

Is there an overall storage limit for attachments in a ServiceNow instance?
Does ServiceNow impose any restriction on the cumulative size or number of attachments?
How can we monitor the attachment storage usage within the instance?
Are there any recommended best practices or retention policies for managing attachment storage?
Any official documentation or guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Ankur Bawiskar]

@aaksubraman 

my thoughts

-> there is a configurable per-attachment size limit in ServiceNow, but ServiceNow does not document a fixed overall cumulative attachment storage cap for an instance in the same way it documents the per-file limit.

check this

Manage Attachment Data Growth 

💡 If my response helped, please mark it as correct ✅ and close the thread 🔒— this helps future readers find the solution faster! 🙏

[Tanushree Maiti]

Hi @aaksubraman 

Refer KB: KB0718101 How to change the maximum attachment size for records 

Resolution

To change the maximum attachment file size:

1. Log in to the instance with an admin account.
2. Go to System Properties > Security.
3. Locate the Maximum file attachment size in megabytes property.
4. Enter the desired maximum size in MB.
5. Select Save.

The change takes effect immediately.

Note: If the field is left blank, the system uses the default limit of 1024 MB (1 GB).

Also check: Maximum allowed attachment size 

[aaksubraman]

Hi Team,

Thank you for the previous responses regarding the configurable maximum attachment size.

However, our customer's question is about the overall attachment storage capacity of a ServiceNow instance rather than the per-attachment size.

For example, if our instance continues to receive a high volume of requests with attachments over time.

1. Is there any documented overall storage capacity limit for attachments in a ServiceNow instance?
2. Is the attachment storage unlimited, or is it governed by the subscribed database/storage capacity?
3. If there is no fixed limit, how does ServiceNow manage attachment growth, and are there any thresholds customers should monitor?

We have reviewed the "Manage Attachment Data Growth" documentation, but it focuses on best practices and retention policies rather than stating whether there is a maximum overall storage capacity.

Could someone please clarify this?

Thank you.