How does Microsoft storage work? (2024)

Related topics
Storage quotas | What's included | Reduce your storage | Over quota? | Increase your quota | Storage FAQs

Your Microsoft cloud storage quota applies to your personal Microsoft account and includes OneDrive files & photos, Outlook.com attachments & email in-line images, and Microsoft Teams message attachments & recordings. See the full list.

Warning:If you exceed your Microsoft cloud storage, you will not be able to send or receive email.

If your cloud storage is full, you'll need to either reduce the amount or size of the files you do have or buy more storage.

Learn how to delete files to reduce your storage.

Outlook.com and cloud storage quotas

To learn more about Microsoft storage quotas, select the option below that matches your Microsoft 365 subscription.

Note:OneDrive 100 GB plans are nowMicrosoft 365 Basic.

If you don't have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you get 15 GB of free mailbox storage for your Outlook.com emails, contacts and calendar items. You also get 5 GB of free cloud storage for your email attachments,files and photos in OneDrive.

Storage quotas:
How does Microsoft storage work? (1)

You can check your storage usage and quotas by checking the Microsoft storage area of your account dashboard.

Open account dashboard

Tip:To increase your mailbox size and cloud storage quota, you can buy a Microsoft 365 subscription.

As a Microsoft 365 Basic subscriber, you get 50GB of free mailbox storage for your Outlook.com emails, contacts and calendar items. You also get 100GB of free cloud storage for your email attachments,files and photos in OneDrive.

Storage quotas:
How does Microsoft storage work? (2)

You can check your storage usage and quotas by checking the Microsoft storage area of your account dashboard.

Open account dashboard

Tip:To increase your cloud storage quota, switch to a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription.

As a Microsoft 365 Personalsubscriber, you get 50GB of free mailbox storage for your Outlook.com emails, contacts and calendar items. You also get 1 TBof free cloud storage for your email attachments,files and photos in OneDrive.

Storage quotas:
How does Microsoft storage work? (3)

You can check your storage usage and quotas by checking the Microsoft storage area of your account dashboard.

Open account dashboard

Tip:If you are already a Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscription holder, you can add up to 1 TB of additional file storage to the 1 TB already included with your Microsoft 365 subscription. Extend your OneDrive.

As a Microsoft 365 Family subscriber, you and up to five other people get 50GB of free mailbox storage for your Outlook.com emails, contacts and calendar items. You also each get 1 TBof free cloud storage for your email attachments,files and photos in OneDrive.

Storage quotas:
How does Microsoft storage work? (4)

You can check your storage usage and quotas by checking the Microsoft storage area of your account dashboard.

Open account dashboard

Tips:

How does Microsoft storage work? (2024)

FAQs

What is a disadvantage of using OneDrive? ›

The disadvantages of OneDrive are limited sharing options, limited file management, and limited desktop synchronisation settings. Limited Sharing Options: OneDrive's sharing options are limited compared to other cloud storage services, making sharing files with non-Microsoft users difficult.

Do I have to pay for Microsoft storage? ›

As a Microsoft 365 Basic subscriber, you get 50 GB of free mailbox storage for your Outlook.com emails, contacts and calendar items. You also get 100 GB of free cloud storage for your email attachments, files and photos in OneDrive.

How does OneDrive storage work? ›

OneDrive gives you one place to store, share, and sync your work or school files. As part of your organization's Microsoft 365 subscription, or SharePoint Server, you can save your files in OneDrive and then work with them from almost any device.

Why is Microsoft saying my storage is full? ›

If your cloud storage is full

Check your account to ensure a Microsoft 365 subscription or Samsung 100 GB Bonus hasn't expired. If it has expired, you'll need to renew to get the same amount of storage. Open Outlook.com and review each account folder.

What is the risk of using OneDrive? ›

Common Security Concerns in OneDrive
  • Encryption and privacy concerns. Lack of end-to-end encryption: A major concern with OneDrive is the absence of end-to-end encryption and a zero-knowledge policy. ...
  • Access and authentication risks. ...
  • Cybersecurity threats. ...
  • Data management and integrity. ...
  • Compliance and system vulnerabilities:
Feb 15, 2024

Which is better, Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive? ›

Storing, managing, and organizing files is a breezy experience on both platforms. If Google Drive is known for its clean and intuitive interface (common in Google's ecosystem), OneDrive is preferred for its straightforward file organization and synchronization with Windows File Explorer.

Is Microsoft storage and Google storage the same thing? ›

What is the difference between OneDrive and Google Drive? OneDrive is a Microsoft cloud storage solution, while Google Drive is (you guessed it) a Google cloud storage solution. The biggest difference between the two may be storage capacity—OneDrive has 5 GB of free storage plus 100 GB and 1 TB paid options.

Can I use both OneDrive and Google Drive? ›

As a matter of fact, you can use OneDrive and Google Drive simultaneously in an easy way. Compared to OneDrive and Google Drive, you might find that they both have highlights and advantages. For more details about similarities and differences please click OneDrive vs. Google Drive.

What happens if my OneDrive storage is full? ›

If you exceed your OneDrive storage quota: You won't be able to upload, edit, or sync new files to your OneDrive. Your existing files will remain but will be read-only.

Do I really need to buy cloud storage? ›

Cloud backups are vital in ensuring business continuity. They come in handy whenever you encounter IT-related issues, such as malware attacks and hardware failures, that can prevent you from accessing your data. In the past, we used to save data copies onto external hard drives, which is time-consuming and costly.

Why do most people store files in the cloud? ›

Benefits of storing files in the cloud. When you store your files in the cloud, you can: Access and update files from anywhere on any device. Share photos and files with others.

Can I receive emails if my Microsoft storage is full? ›

"If either your Outlook.com mailbox or your OneDrive storage is full, you cannot send or receive new emails. please check your OneDrive storage on the link below to see how much space you have." Your OneDrive storage is different from your email storage. I have attached a screenshot where you can look to.

How do I free up Microsoft storage? ›

One of the easiest ways to clean up files you no longer need is by using Disk Cleanup. Open Disk Cleanup by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Disk Cleanup, and then, in the list of results, select Disk Cleanup. If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then select OK.

Why is OneDrive still full after deleting files? ›

It's possible that you may have deleted files from your computer but they are still present in your OneDrive Recycle bin, which is taking up space. You can empty the Recycle bin by following step 4 above. It's also possible that you may have synced a large number of files to your OneDrive without realizing it.

Is it a good idea to use OneDrive? ›

Easy File Sharing

Sharing a file is simple with OneDrive. Users can share files simply by right-clicking on a file and specifying an email address to share with. It is a more secure and efficient form of sharing as compared with email attachments and is not restricted by the same size limitations, etc.

What is the issue with OneDrive? ›

OneDrive data storage limits are quite high, with most plans offering at least 1 Terabyte of storage. If your organization deals with large file sizes or has lots of duplicate files, it's possible to run out of space – or encounter performance issues.

What happens if I stop using OneDrive? ›

You won't lose files or data by uninstalling OneDrive from your computer. You can always access your files by signing in to OneDrive.com.

Do I really need OneDrive on my computer? ›

OneDrive is able to save your files and data, but it is not the necessary program on your computer. If you do not need it, you can choose to unlink or disable it. To keep data safe, you can choose other services or other software. What do I do if I don't use OneDrive?

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