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Home Interviews What are IndexedDB's storage limits across different browsers/platforms? – MindStick
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ICSM Computer
ICSM Computer 18 Jul 2025
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IndexedDB storage limits vary by browser, platform (desktop vs mobile), and usage context (e.g., secure context, quota management). They are usually quota-based, often tied to available disk space.

Estimated Storage Limits (2024)

Browser Desktop Limit (approx.) Mobile Limit (approx.) Notes
Chrome 60% of free disk space 6–10% of free disk (usually < 100MB) Per origin; subject to user disk space
Firefox 2GB per origin 50MB–100MB (prompt at higher usage) Uses a “Group” quota per site
Safari 1GB (macOS), 50MB (iOS, strict) 50MB–100MB (may auto-clear or block silently) Private mode has 0 quota
Edge (Chromium) Same as Chrome Same as Chrome Inherits Chromium behavior
Opera Same as Chrome Same as Chrome Chromium-based

Private/incognito mode: Many browsers disable or severely limit IndexedDB (e.g., 0 quota in Safari private).

How to Detect Storage Limits or Quota Warnings

There is no direct API to get the exact quota or usage in all browsers, but the most reliable methods are:

1. Use navigator.storage.estimate() (Chrome, Edge, Firefox)

if ('storage' in navigator && 'estimate' in navigator.storage) {
  const { quota, usage } = await navigator.storage.estimate();
  console.log(`Usage: ${(usage / 1024 / 1024).toFixed(2)} MB`);
  console.log(`Quota: ${(quota / 1024 / 1024).toFixed(2)} MB`);
}
  • Works in Chromium & Firefox
  • Safari does not support it
  • Helps you approximate remaining space

2. Catch QuotaExceededError During Writes

try {
  await db.table('myTable').add(largeData);
} catch (err) {
  if (err.name === 'QuotaExceededError') {
    alert('Storage quota exceeded');
  }
}
  • Works reliably in all browsers
  • Not proactive; only tells you after failure

3. Proactive Write Size Check (Custom Strategy)

You can test how much you can write with binary data:

async function findLimit(db) {
  let size = 1024 * 1024; // Start with 1MB
  let max = 0;

  try {
    while (true) {
      const buffer = new ArrayBuffer(size);
      await db.table('test').put(buffer, size);
      max = size;
      size *= 2;
    }
  } catch (e) {
    console.log(`Max storable chunk: ${max / (1024 * 1024)} MB`);
  }
}

Use this in a dev/test environment only, not production.

Considerations

  • Storage can be evicted by the browser (especially on mobile)
  • Use navigator.storage.persist() to request persistent storage (won’t be cleared by the browser):
const granted = await navigator.storage.persist();
console.log(granted ? "Persistent storage granted" : "Not granted");

Recommendations

  • Regularly monitor storage usage via navigator.storage.estimate()
  • Request persistent storage if your app needs offline reliability
  • Prepare for QuotaExceededError gracefully
  • Limit user data usage with smart pruning, compression, and batching
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