Storage on self-hosting
By default, Foundry VTT is a self-hosted program, and will store files on a computer’s local hard drive. All your world data, asset data, system data, and module data will be kept on your local hard drive. The limit of your Foundry data storage is the limit of your hard drive, and how much of it you are willing to use toward Foundry content.
Storage on The Forge
On The Forge, we store content differently. Thanks to the strong optimization of The Forge, we are able to offer much of the content users access for free, without counting against any data quota. This means that most modules, systems, and worlds that are downloadable from our Bazaar service is hosted for free- without counting against user storage.
For the rest, we do impose quotas- server storage isn’t free! The total storage available to a user is dependent on their subscription level. For more details on this, please see our Plans and Pricing page.
- The Data Library is for storing data from user worlds and other non-asset content. Custom modules, systems, and worlds are stored here. Most assets are not. Fortunately, most users will never have to worry about exceeding their Data Quota.
- The Asset Library is for storing all assets- basically any audio, video, or image file uploaded by the user. This content is automatically optimized and distributed throughout the world, meaning that users will almost always have the best possible loading time for their content. A more detailed explanation of the Asset Library can be found here.
If more storage is needed, The Forge offers options to upgrade individual storage quotas, whether by add-on to your subscription, or by increasing the level of your subscription- again, see our Plans and Pricing page.
How to view/manage your data storage on The Forge
To see a brief preview of your available data storage on The Forge, you can hover over your account name on the top right side of The Forge’s website to view the storage that is used, and is available: 
Managing your Asset Library
You can view your Asset Library data in more detail by navigating to your Assets page, linked on the top navigation bar of The Forge website when you are logged in.
Here, you can navigate to and select different media files, move them, and see how much space is being consumed by each folder. You can also delete files by hovering over the file and selecting the red trash can icon, or by selecting the checkbox that appears when hovering over an file, and selecting as many files/folders for deletion as you choose.
Please be careful when moving/deleting Asset Library files- moving them will not change the media links in your Foundry VTT games, and could result in irreparable harm to your ongoing campaigns.
That said, if you need to free up Asset Library storage, you can do so by deleting media files contained here.
Managing your Data Library
You can view your game data storage in more detail by navigating to your My Foundry page, linked on the top navigation bar of The Forge website when you are logged in. Once there, select the dark yellow “View Data Storage” button. This will allow you to view the items consuming your Data Library storage, view how much storage is being consumed by each item, and delete items of your choosing by selecting the trash can icon.
Please be very careful when deleting items in your Data Library. Deleting an item is irreversible, and they can only be restored if:
- They are an existing package that can be re-downloaded/installed
- You have a backup of the content being deleted.
We recommend backing up all personal content (custom modules, compendiums, and worlds) whenever deleting content on The Forge. We have a guide to doing so here.
How modules/packages use Data Library Storage
Packages (systems, modules, or other content you can download for Foundry VTT) can sometimes use your data library. Free modules and other such packages are hosted for free where possible on The Forge, but we have to use user storage for compendiums for various reasons. This means that sometimes, a free module or system will end up using the user’s data library.
This data usage is usually minimal, though systems with a large amount of free content often consumes more storage.
For transparency, we have a table to illustrate when we have to use your data library for storage:
| How modules/packages use your data | Game Data | Asset Data |
|---|---|---|
| Free and public Foundry VTT packages | No, except for compendiums. Compendiums use storage. | No. |
| Premium packages through Foundry Gaming | Yes. | Yes. |
| Premium Patreon content through Foundry Gaming | Yes. | Yes. |
| D&D Beyond Imports | Yes. | Yes. |
| Bazaar Purchases | No, except for compendiums. Compendiums use storage. | No. |
| Bazaar Patreon Content | No, except for compendiums. Compendiums use storage. | No. |
| Custom Foundry VTT packages | Yes. | Yes. |