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GitHub Codespaces storage is billed over time, so a stopped workspace can keep using storage and prebuilds can add usage even when you do not see an active codespace. To find the source, check Codespaces storage in your GitHub billing view, then review prebuilds and stopped spaces. Delete resources you no longer need to slow future accumulation; deletion does not erase storage already accrued in the current billing month.
What GitHub Codespaces counts as storage
Codespaces has two metered categories: active compute and storage. Storage is measured in GB-hours: it reflects how much data occupies storage and for how long a codespace or prebuild exists. It can include cloned repositories, configuration and other data you add, extensions, prebuilds, and custom dev-container contents. The default Linux image is excluded from the storage volume; a custom base image is included. See GitHub’s Codespaces billing documentation.
This means two environments with similar repositories can have different storage use if one has larger extensions, cached data, prebuild snapshots, or a custom image. Storage is not simply the size of the workspace currently open on your screen.
Where did my monthly storage go?
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Open your GitHub billing view and inspect Codespaces storage. Expand the usage details to check how much storage came from prebuilds. GitHub describes this troubleshooting path in its Codespaces usage guide.
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For repository-level attribution, generate a usage report and filter for Codespaces entries. This can help identify which repositories or resources are contributing to usage.
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Check repository Codespaces settings for prebuild configurations. Review their branches, dev-container configurations, and regions; snapshots can consume storage even when no codespace for that repository appears in your list.
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Review stopped codespaces. Stopping a codespace pauses compute, not storage use, while the codespace remains stored.
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GitHub’s usage figure accumulates through the billing month. Deleting a codespace or prebuild reduces future accumulation, but it does not subtract storage usage already accrued in that cycle.
Prebuilds: useful snapshots with an ongoing storage footprint
Prebuilds prepare a repository environment in advance to make codespace creation faster. Their generated snapshots consume storage, whether included in an account’s allowance or billed. For organizations, prebuild storage is charged at the same rate as codespace storage; GitHub also notes that prebuild workflows can use GitHub Actions minutes. See GitHub’s prebuild documentation and its organization cost-management guide.
Keep configurations for repositories, branches, and regions where faster startup is valuable and actually used. Remove configurations that are no longer needed, and avoid covering more regions than your team requires. A repository larger than 32 GB cannot use 2-core or 4-core machine prebuilds because those prebuild machines have a 32 GB storage limit; this is a prebuild constraint, not a general Codespaces storage quota.
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Delete finished codespaces and adjust retention
Delete a codespace when you are finished with it and do not expect to reuse its environment. GitHub’s included-usage guidance states a default retention period of 30 days for stopped codespaces. A codespace explicitly kept can persist indefinitely until you delete it, so retaining it continues to add storage usage. You can adjust retention so abandoned stopped environments are removed sooner if that suits your workflow. See GitHub’s included-usage guidance and automatic deletion settings.
Measure extension storage
Extensions can occupy meaningful space. In a codespace terminal, measure the remote extension directory with:
du -h -s ~/.vscode-remote/extensionsUse the result to decide whether you can remove extensions you no longer use; avoid removing tools required by your development workflow.
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Rebuild only when clearing cached data is worth it
A full rebuild clears cached Docker containers, images, and volumes, then recreates the environment. It can help when repeated base-image changes or iterative builds have left a large cache, but setup runs again and the rebuild can take longer. Do not confuse rebuilding with deleting the repository workspace: the persistent repository under /workspaces survives a rebuild.
Protect files before rebuilding
The repository is mounted in /workspaces, which persists through both stop/start and rebuild. Most changes outside that directory survive stop/start but are removed by a rebuild; /tmp is an exception. Before rebuilding, move important files into the workspace or otherwise preserve them there. If a setting or configuration outside /workspaces must persist, GitHub documents using a symlink to a directory stored in the persistent workspace. Details are in GitHub’s dev-container persistence guide and container rebuild documentation.
| Action | What happens to work and storage |
|---|---|
| Stop and restart | Saved work persists; the stopped codespace continues to occupy storage. |
| Rebuild container | The /workspaces repository persists; most changes outside it are removed, and cached containers, images, and volumes are cleared. |
| Delete codespace | The codespace is removed, reducing future storage accumulation; prior usage in the current billing cycle remains counted. |
Personal allowances and storage price
On the GitHub billing page accessed October 7, 2026, GitHub listed Codespaces storage at $0.07 per GB-month. The same page listed 15 GB-month per month of included storage for personal GitHub Free accounts and 20 GB-month per month for personal GitHub Pro accounts. These are storage allowances, distinct from compute allowances. For comparison, the page listed 120 compute hours per month for Free and 180 for Pro; compute hours are not storage. See GitHub’s billing rates and included usage.
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Those figures apply to the personal-account allowances described on that page, not organization or enterprise plans. Prices, quotas, eligibility, and billing rules can change; consult the current GitHub billing documentation for your account before estimating a charge.
Organization controls for recurring usage
Organization owners and billing managers can reduce surprise usage by confirming who pays for codespaces and setting an appropriate spending limit. Depending on plan eligibility and billing setup, organization controls include limiting the number of organization-billed codespaces, restricting machine types, setting a maximum idle timeout, restricting stopped-codespace retention, and narrowing prebuild regions. Review GitHub’s organization cost-management documentation before applying policy changes.
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