About storage | Storage quotas | Storage FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to buy more storage?
No, not necessarily. Whether you need more storage depends on your subscription and current usage.
Free users without a Microsoft 365 subscription
You get 5 GB of free cloud storage with your Microsoft account, shared across your files and photos in OneDrive, attachments in Outlook.com, and Microsoft 365 apps. You also get 15 GB of free Outlook.com email storage, which is separate from your Microsoft cloud storage.
You only need to buy more storage if you want to use more than the free storage allocation.
Microsoft 365 subscribers
If you're already a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium, or Pro subscriber, you can add more file storage to the 1 TB or 2 TB included with your Microsoft 365 subscription. Only the subscription account holder can extend their storage. Extend your OneDrive.
You only need to buy more storage if you want to use more than the included storage allocation.
Note
Starting October 8, 2026, all new Microsoft 365 Family and Premium subscribers, including those who repurchase an expired subscription, get 2 TB of shared OneDrive cloud storage. New Microsoft 365 Pro subscribers get 5 TB of shared OneDrive cloud storage. From May 2, 2027, existing Microsoft 365 Family and Premium subscribers get 2 TB of shared OneDrive cloud storage when their subscription renews. Shared storage means the cloud storage allowance is shared across all members of a shared subscription. Each person's mailbox, files, and folders remain private. All subscription types can be extended up to 10 TB to give everyone even more OneDrive storage.
Consumer mailboxes are limited to 100 GB. If you need more mailbox space, see our Enterprise plans.
Should purchased storage appear immediately?
No. It can take up to 24 hours for purchased storage to appear. If you can't see the extra storage, follow these steps:
- Go to Manage storage, refresh the page, and check whether the extra storage is visible. You might need to wait 24 hours for the changes to your storage to appear.
- If your quota hasn’t updated after 48 hours, contact support.
Can I share my storage?
Yes. If you have a Microsoft 365 Family, Premium, or Pro subscription, its storage is shared among its members.
You can't share storage from a Microsoft 365 Basic or Microsoft 365 Personal subscription.
Starting October 8, 2026, all new Microsoft 365 Family and Premium subscribers, including those who repurchase an expired subscription, get 2 TB of shared OneDrive cloud storage. New Microsoft 365 Pro subscribers get 5 TB of shared OneDrive cloud storage. From May 2, 2027, existing Microsoft 365 Family and Premium subscribers get 2 TB of shared OneDrive cloud storage when their subscription renews. Shared storage means the cloud storage allowance is shared across all members of a shared subscription. Each person's mailbox, files, and folders remain private. All subscription types can be extended up to 10 TB to give everyone even more OneDrive storage.
Can I reduce my cloud storage usage?
Yes. Read How to reduce your cloud storage for steps to clean up your email, remove files, and reduce your storage usage.
Does canceling my subscription reduce my cloud storage allowance?
Yes. If you cancel a Microsoft 365 Basic or Microsoft 365 Personal subscription, your cloud storage allowance reverts to 5 GB, which covers your OneDrive files and Outlook.com attachments. You also get 15 GB of Outlook.com storage. If you cancel a shared Microsoft 365 subscription, the storage allowances for the people you shared it with are also reduced.
If you or anyone you shared your subscription with has used more than the free allowances, you can't upload, edit, or sync new files (such as Camera Roll) to your OneDrive, and you can't send or receive email in Outlook.com.
Was the OneDrive 100 GB plan replaced by Microsoft 365 Basic?
Yes. OneDrive 100 GB plans were upgraded to a Microsoft 365 Basic subscription.
This subscription gives you an ad-free mailbox and access to support experts at no extra charge. It lasts for the same period as your existing OneDrive subscription.
Learn more about Microsoft 365 Basic.
Can exceeding my storage allowance freeze my OneDrive account?
Yes. You might see an "Account frozen" message or "Error code 0x8004def7" if you exceed your storage allowance or don't sign in for a long time. Your files remain in OneDrive, but you need to get back under your Microsoft storage quota to access them again. Learn how to unfreeze your OneDrive account.
Does Microsoft storage include files, photos, and app content?
Yes. Microsoft storage includes the following cloud and mailbox content:
Cloud storage
Your Microsoft storage quota applies to your personal Microsoft account and includes:
- OneDrive files and photos, including files you store, upload, or sync from your computer or mobile device, such as photos from your mobile camera roll and screenshots.
- Items in your OneDrive Recycle Bin.
- Outlook.com attachments and email in-line images.
- Microsoft Teams message attachments and recordings.
- Loop meeting notes and ideas files.
- Images that are part of your Designer projects.
Mailbox storage
Your Outlook.com email storage quota includes the following:
- Emails associated with your Microsoft account (Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, or MSN).
- Outlook.com attachments and email in-line images.
- Calendar items.
- Contacts.
- Deleted messages.
Do Outlook.com attachments count toward both cloud and mailbox storage?
Yes. Microsoft storage includes all your documents, files, photos, and videos stored across free Microsoft 365 apps and services, including Outlook.com attachments.
Outlook.com users keep their existing free 15 GB email storage limit for use in Outlook.com only. Microsoft didn't reduce that limit.
To minimize disruption to existing Outlook.com customers, Microsoft kept the storage limit the same. Microsoft Storage provides a simple way for people to see how they're using storage across all the growing apps and experiences included in Microsoft 365.
Are emails delivered to me while I'm over quota?
No. If you're over quota, the message is returned to the sender. After you free up storage space or buy more storage, the sender needs to resend the email.
Does "Microsoft Unified Storage is full" mean that I exceeded my cloud storage quota?
Yes. This message means that you exceeded your cloud storage quota.
If you exceed your Microsoft storage:
- You can't upload, edit, or sync new files (such as Camera Roll) to your OneDrive. Your existing files remain but are read-only.
- You can't send or receive email in Outlook.com, even if you didn't exceed your email storage quota.
- You can't send or receive any Microsoft Teams messages that contain attachments.
- After six months, Microsoft might delete your OneDrive and all files in it. You can't recover the files after they're deleted.
If you exceed your email storage:
You can't send or receive email in Outlook.com.
Note
Any emails sent to you are returned to the sender. When you get back under your storage quota, the sender needs to resend the email.
To get back under your storage quota:
If you're a free user, you can buy a subscription.
If you're a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium, or Pro subscriber, you can add more file storage to the storage included with your subscription. Only the subscription account holder can extend the storage.
Consumer mailboxes are limited to 100 GB. To get back under your storage quota, you need to free up storage space. If you need a mailbox larger than 100 GB, see our Enterprise plans.