What changed?
Starting November 13, 2024, all users need to use a Cloud project to access the Earth Engine platform. If you use Earth Engine noncommercially, you can continue using the platform for free — you'll just need to set up a Cloud project to do so.
In order to access your Earth Engine data (assets, Apps) or run computations, you'll need to use a Cloud project. If you don't configure a Cloud project, your data will continue to be stored in Earth Engine in accordance with our terms, but you'll need to use a Cloud project to access them.
What is individual access without a Cloud project?
All Earth Engine users prior to 2022 signed up for "individual" Earth Engine access (without a Cloud project) using the Earth Engine signup page. After Earth Engine became a Google Cloud API in 2022, users no longer needed to sign up for individual access and could configure access with a Cloud project.
What do I need to do?
All of your requests (as well as all requests from any service accounts listed on that page) need to be configured to specify a Cloud project. See how to transition your access.
If you're unable to use Cloud projects at your institution, you can request a temporary exception to keep using your non-Cloud access. See the section covering how to request this exception. If your account uses a Cloud project, then all of the Earth Engine use associated with that account is already going through Google Cloud, and you're not affected by this change. No further action is required.
Transition to use Cloud projects
Step 0: Ensure you're using the correct account
If you're accessing Earth Engine through a web browser, check that you're logged in using the account that you expect. To be most sure, you can open a new incognito window and sign in using the account that you expect to use with Earth Engine.
Step 1: Get a project
Follow the Earth Engine Cloud project setup guide to walk through the process of creating a new project or configuring one that you already have access to.
If you already have access to a Cloud project (one that a colleague or IT administrator has shared, for example), you only need to ensure that you have the correct roles and permissions.
If you don't already have access to a project, you can create one using the project registration page. You'll also have to accept the Google Cloud terms of service. When creating a Cloud project, make sure to use the same email as your individual access to ensure your assets and scripts transfer to the cloud project.
In order to access your legacy assets, you'll need to use an account which has permission (usually the same account that created them).
Step 2: Ensure that the Earth Engine API is enabled
Visit the Earth Engine API page in the Cloud console and, after making sure you have the right project selected in the top drop-down, click "Enable"
Step 3: Configure a billing account
For projects using Earth Engine noncommercially, you don't need to configure a billing account or a form of payment. If you add one, you won't incur any Earth Engine charges if you register your project (Step 4) as noncommercial, but you may incur charges from other Cloud products and services.
For projects using Earth Engine commercially, you will need to configure a billing account that's backed by a form of payment (usually a credit card). This billing account will be charged for Earth Engine use as well as for the use of any other Cloud products and services.
Step 4: Register the project
Before you can use a project to call Earth Engine, you'll also need to register each project with on the registration page. During registration, you can select a paid or unpaid project configuration depending on your use case. See the Earth Engine noncommercial page for more details about what kinds of projects qualify for free quota.
Step 5: Select a subscription
Commercial users will need to select a subscription during registration if there's not one already present on the billing account. Note that you may not have permission to see your project's billing configuration (for example, if you're using someone else's project).
If your billing account doesn't have a subscription for Earth Engine, it will be charged for use based on the Limited plan.
Step 6: Use that project when calling Earth Engine
The Earth Engine Cloud projects documentation covers how to use projects across all Earth Engine surfaces. Ensure that you have the right project selected.
What happens if I do nothing?
If you don't configure a Cloud project, your Earth Engine data (assets and EE Apps) will continue to be stored in Earth Engine in accordance with the Terms of Service, but you'll need to use a Cloud project to send any requests to Earth Engine. Because scripts are tied to users, they will continue to be accessible and editable from the underlying Git repository at earthengine.googlesource.com.
If you'd like to delete your Earth Engine data without configuring a Cloud project, send us a data deletion request and we'll get back to you within 10 business days.
How to request an exception
If you're unable to configure a Cloud project to use with Earth Engine, we may grant you more time to continue using your individual access without a Cloud project. This exception process requires manual review, so it may take several weeks and exceptions are not guaranteed. To request a temporary exception, see the access guide and submit an application.
Getting help
For questions, concerns, or comments, reach out to Earth Engine registration support.
FAQ
Context
Q: What's happening with Earth Engine and Cloud projects?
A: Earth Engine changed to require Cloud projects to access the platform.
This change affect all users, including those who use Earth Engine
noncommercially. This change happened on November 13, 2024.
Q: What happens if I do nothing?
A: We answered that earlier!
Setup and configuration
Q: What's the easiest way to get started?
A: Visit the project registration
page to create or configure a
project.
Q: I'm teaching a class that uses Earth Engine. How can my trainees (or
students) get access?
A: There're a couple of ways to do this.
Each individual human that interacts directly with Earth Engine (e.g., using the Code Editor or a Colab notebook) needs to have a Google identity, since each user needs to accept the Google Cloud and Earth Engine terms of service. Typically, individuals use a Google identity directly, signing into an @gmail.com account or using an institution's Google Workspace account. More complex configurations are also possible, including federating identities from Microsoft Azure to Google Cloud, but these require additional configuration.
If you plan to host a training in which attendees use Earth Engine directly, you'll need to ensure that every trainee has a Google Account and access to Earth Engine. Typical configurations are:
- Host-driven access: As the event host, you create a Cloud project and register it for Earth Engine use. You can then add each trainee's account to your Cloud project with the required roles.
- Direct access: As the event host, you guide each user to get their own, direct access to Earth Engine. This should ideally be done several weeks before the event, since some organizations restrict users' ability to access the Earth Engine API.
- Hybrid access: As the event host, you provide access to people who need it
using your Cloud project, but others are free to use their individual access
as necessary.
Q: When should I enable the Earth Engine API?
A: Enable the Earth Engine API before registering your projects for Earth
Engine.
Pricing
Q: Do I need to pay for Earth Engine?
A: It depends on the kind of work that you're doing. See the Earth Engine
Noncommercial page for guidance.
Q: I should be using Earth Engine as a commercial user, but I'm not. What
should I do?
A: See our guide to transitioning to commercial
use.
Noncommercial
Q: Is Earth Engine free for noncommercial use?
A: Earth Engine remains free of charge for certain use cases, as defined on
the Earth Engine Noncommercial
page.
Q: Do I need a credit card?
A: You don't need any form of payment to use Earth Engine noncommercially.
Q: Do I need to submit paperwork to verify my noncommercial status?
A: No, but the Earth Engine team may reach out to your project owners to
verify your noncommercial status.
Q: How do I ensure that I don't incur any charges?
A: Projects registered for noncommercial won't incur charges for Earth
Engine compute or storage, but they can incur charges for other Cloud services.
The simplest way to avoid any charges is to use a project that has no associated
billing account. If your project has a billing account configured, you can
ensure that you don't incur charges by disabling other Cloud services.
Commercial
Q: I'm at a startup or small business - what's the right Earth Engine plan for
me?
A: See the Earth Engine pricing
page for options
focused on individuals and SMB (small/medium businesses).
Resources
Legacy assets
Q: Will I have access to my legacy "user" assets?
A: Yes, as long as you use a Cloud project when accessing Earth Engine.
Q: Will I have access to my legacy "project" assets?
A: Yes, as long as you use a Cloud project when accessing Earth Engine.
Q: I have an uplifted storage quota for a legacy user account - will that be
applied to my Cloud projects?
A: Uplift isn't automatically transferred to Cloud projects. Reach out to
earth-engine-uplift-support@google.com if you'd like your higher quota limits
transitioned to a project.
Q: I plan to reference legacy assets in a paper I'm about to submit for
publishing - is this reasonable?
A: Yes, it's safe to reference legacy assets. We can't promise that they'll
be supported forever, but we have no intention to change legacy asset
configuration at this time. We recommend using assets stored in a Cloud project
whenever possible.
Q: What's the best way to migrate my data from a legacy asset into a Cloud
project?
A: There's no requirement to move any of your data to a Cloud project, but,
if you'd like to do so, you can use the command line
tool to copy your assets (with the cp
command).
Code Editor scripts and configuration
Q: What happens to my scripts and assets if I don't migrate to a Cloud
project?
A: Your scripts and assets will persist as described in the Terms of
Service, but you'll need to use a registered Cloud project in
order to access the EE platform. Your scripts will continue to be accessible
from the underlying Git repository at
earthengine.googlesource.com.
Q: Does my choice of project affect which scripts I can access?
A: Your Code Editor scripts are unaffected by your selection of a Cloud
project. You'll continue to see the same scripts regardless of which Cloud
project you have selected.
Earth Engine Apps
Q: What about my legacy Earth Engine Apps that are not owned by a Cloud
project. Can I still edit them, and can people still view them?
A: This change doesn't affect Earth Engine Apps.
Quota changes
Q: Does using a Cloud project give me more storage or compute resources?
A: Not usually - the default quotas are the same for individual users.
Q: How do I get more Earth Engine resources on my Cloud project?
A: See the quota documentation for guidance
related to uplifts.
Q: I have a service account with increased request quota (e.g., on the High
Volume API). Can I transition that to a Cloud project?
A: As long as you initialize your requests to Earth Engine using a Cloud
project, you don't need to take any further action.
Troubleshooting
Q: I can't create a project in my organization - what should I do?
A: If your organization doesn't grant you permission to create a Cloud
project, you have a few options:
- Have your organization grant you the required permissions (the ideal case).
- Have your organization create a project on your behalf and grant you the permissions required to use it.
- Use a project created in a different organization (or with a personal account).
- Request a legacy access exception. Note that these are only temporary and
are infrequently granted.
Q: My app stopped working! What should I do?
A: Earth Engine Apps are unaffected by the transition to Cloud projects.
Visit the Help page for
additional resources.