How to Keep Your free 15 GB of OneDrive Storage (2024)

FAQs

How to Keep Your free 15 GB of OneDrive Storage? ›

Click the OneDrive taskbar/menu bar icon and open OneDrive > Settings > Account > Choose folders to make sure you don't sync any unwanted files to your computer. Empty the OneDrive Recycle bin.

As mentioned earlier, when you sign up for OneDrive, 15 GB will be offered to you and this can be increased in many ways. For instance, Microsoft might provide you with some free space when you subscribe or download one of their products or services, or simply by utilizing the features of OneDrive.

One of the fastest ways to free up OneDrive space is to remove large files you don't need. Find these files by opening your OneDrive folder and sorting by size. Oust some old files. If you want to see which files you use least, sort your OneDrive folder by Date modified in ascending order.

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.

How do I get back under my storage quota? You'll need to delete some files or buy more storage. Your files will be read-only, but you can download or delete files to get back under your storage limit. Select the Storage used link in the lower left corner of the screen.

Does OneDrive Have Unlimited Storage? Yes, OneDrive has an unlimited storage option, but you must subscribe to their plan. It gives the new users 5GB of free storage for each account. OneDrive has only one plan, which is unlimited storage, while other services are limited to a few GBs.

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

Click the OneDrive taskbar/menubar icon and open OneDrive > Settings > Account > Choose folders to make sure you don't sync any unwanted to your computer. Once the sync is complete, right-click the files and folders you want to be online only and choose Clear space to remove the files from your computer.

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.

You also get 100 GB of free cloud storage for your email attachments, files and photos in OneDrive. You can check your storage usage and quotas by checking the Microsoft storage area of your account dashboard. Tip: To increase your cloud storage quota, switch to a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription.

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.

If you explicitly delete a subscription, it skips the Expired and Disabled statuses and SharePoint Online data and content, including OneDrive, is immediately deleted.

If you work with large amounts of data, Google Drive can offer more space for free. However, OneDrive's pricing structure may be more favorable for Microsoft 365 users. You should also consider the platform you're running on and what devices you use, as both platforms support different operating systems.

Files On-Demand gives you easy access to your OneDrive files without taking up storage space on your computer. But, if you view and edit a lot of files in OneDrive, those files can take up extra space. You may no longer need to store files that were downloaded when you opened them.

If you go over your OneDrive limit, you will receive a warning and you will have read-only access to OneDrive. When this happens, you will not be able to upload any new files to your OneDrive. If you go over your Outlook limit, you won't be able to send or receive emails in Outlook.

Every Google Account comes with 15 GB of cloud storage at no charge, which is shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. When you upgrade to a paid Google One monthly subscription, your total storage increases to 100 GB or more, depending on the plan you choose.

OneDrive: 5GB free (1TB for students), 1TB-6TB 'free' for Microsoft 365 subscribers.