[Microsoft 365] How many GB does OneDrive storage have? How to check capacity?

The use of cloud storage (online storage), which stores files online, has become a part of our lives.

In the past, there was a time when the use of on-premises servers was recommended for businesses due to concerns about the security of cloud storage, but today, high-security cloud services for businesses have also appeared.

When using OneDrive instead of a file server for business , the upper limit of capacity is worrisome .

This article explains the OneDrive capacity limit and what to do when it runs out.

We hope that it will be helpful for considering plans and managing files.

[By plan] Microsoft 365 OneDrive capacity

Let’s take a look at the OneDrive capacity included in Skype. However, very interesting alternatives have emerged to the well-known Microsoft 365 plans.

home plan

The home plan comes with 1TB of personal OneDrive storage.

Since Microsoft 365 Family can be used by up to 6 people with 1 license , it can be used up to 1 TB x 6 = 6 TB .

Corporate plan

Business plans include OneDrive for Business storage for businesses.

You can use up to 1TB per person .

In addition, storage is not aggregated for the entire organization and is managed individually .

There is a maximum capacity for each user, and it is not possible to share the free space of others .

Enterprise plan

The storage provided in the enterprise plan is 1TB per person with OneDrive for Business .

With the “E3” and “E5” plans, if the number of users is 5 or more, each person can use up to 5 TB .

Field personnel plan

The plan for on-site personnel is based on the premise of using a shared computer, and Office is also provided only as a web application.

OneDrive for Business storage is set to 2GB per person , as it is basically intended for usage that does not store large amounts of data .

When you run out of space in Microsoft 365

Even if there is 1 TB capacity per person, some people may be full in no time depending on how they use it.

If the capacity exceeds the upper limit, the file cannot be saved , so it is necessary to always secure free space.

In this chapter, we will introduce what to do when OneDrive runs out of space.

Check free space

If you can’t save files, first check the free space on OneDrive .

If possible, it is a good idea to regularly check the free space on a regular basis and organize the files before the capacity is exceeded.

How to check on the desktop app

You can check the free space of OneDrive from the desktop application .

You can’t see details such as the capacity of each folder, but you can open it with a simple procedure, so it’s a good idea to check here first.

1. Click Settings on the OneDrive desktop app.
2. You can check the storage limit allocated to you and the storage currently used in the Account tab.

How to check in a browser

You can also check the free space from your browser .

The configuration of the setting screen differs between personal use (OneDrive) and corporate use (OneDrive for Business) , so please refer to your license.

▼For personal use

1. Open OneDrive in your web browser and click Settings.
2. Click Options.
3. Click Manage Storage to view current usage.
4. Click “Files taking up space” to identify large files.

▼For corporate use

1. Open OneDrive in your web browser and click Settings.
2. Click OneDrive Settings.
3. Click “Other settings“.
4. Click Storage Criteria.
5. Check the capacity on the “Storage Metrics” screen. “Documents” are files saved in your own area.

Clean up unnecessary files

Delete unnecessary files first to free up space.

OneDrive also counts the Recycle Bin as storage .

Items in the Recycle Bin remain for 30 days and can be conveniently restored even if deleted by mistake, but they occupy storage for 30 days unless manually deleted.

If you can’t save the file because it’s over capacity, it’s a good idea to delete the file and empty the Recycle Bin .

Synchronize less area

Local folders are usually not very conscious of their capacity, so they tend to store files.

Therefore, if you automatically back up the local folder to OneDrive, the capacity may become full before you know it.

If you want to save space, instead of backing up everything to OneDrive just because it’s convenient, sync only what you need.

Take advantage of enterprise plans

In “E3” and “E5”, which are the upper plans of Microsoft 365 for large enterprises, the capacity limit per person is expanded to 5TB when the number of users is 5 or more.

If you want to make full use of the cloud, you can use the “Microsoft 365 E3” and “Microsoft 365 E5” plans with 5 or more people without worrying about the capacity.

buy extended storage

If you cannot secure sufficient space even after reviewing the file arrangement and backup area, or if you do not want to delete the files, you can purchase additional storage for a fee .

You can add OneDrive extended storage to your Microsoft 365 subscription from 200GB up to 1TB.

Article Summary

We introduced the OneDrive capacity included in the Microsoft 365 plan and what to do when it runs out.

Here’s a summary of the capacities for each plan:

• Plans for homes and corporations: 1TB
• Plan for large companies: (5 people or less) 1TB / (5 people or more) 5TB
• Field personnel plan: 2GB

With the spread of telework, cloud storage has become indispensable in business.

If you want to use OneDrive for Business, which has a large capacity and high security, we recommend Microsoft 365, which can be used as a set with Office apps.

Please feel free to contact us for a proposal for a plan that suits your usage or for a quote.