SharePoint Document Issues

How to Fix the SharePoint Site Is Out of Storage Space Error

John Wilson Oct 15, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user receives an 'out of storage space' error on a SharePoint site, which persists even after emptying the site's standard Recycle Bin.

How to Fix the SharePoint Site Is Out of Storage Space Error

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to upload new files, edit documents, or free up space on a SharePoint site that has reached its storage capacity.
Observed behavior: The SharePoint site continues to report that it is completely out of storage space, ignoring the fact that the user has already emptied the first-stage Recycle Bin.

Before you start

Ensure you have the necessary site owner or site collection administrator permissions, as accessing the second-stage Recycle Bin requires elevated privileges.

Solution 1Recommended

Empty the Second-Stage Recycle Bin

Permanently remove deleted items from the site collection recycle bin that are still counting against your site's storage quota.

When users delete files and empty the standard (first-stage) Recycle Bin, the items are actually moved to the second-stage Recycle Bin. These items remain there as a safety net for administrators but continue to consume your allocated site storage space until they are permanently deleted.

Log in with admin permissions

Access Site Settings

Click the Gear icon (Settings) in the top right corner, select 'Site information', and then click on 'View all site settings' at the bottom of the panel.

Open the Recycle Bin

Under the 'Site Collection Administration' section, click on the 'Recycle bin' link.

Navigate to the Second-stage Recycle Bin

Scroll to the bottom of the Recycle Bin page and click the link labeled 'Second-stage recycle bin'.

Empty the bin

Click the 'Empty recycle bin' command at the top of the list, or select specific large files and choose 'Delete' to permanently purge them and free up storage space.

Storage Update Delay: After emptying the second-stage Recycle Bin, it may take a short period (up to 24 hours in some cases) for SharePoint's backend storage metrics to update and clear the error.

Solution 2

Request a Site Storage Limit Increase

If the recycle bins are completely empty and the site is genuinely full, your administrator must allocate more storage space to the site.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does SharePoint still say it's full after I deleted files?

When you delete files in SharePoint, they are moved to the Recycle Bin. If you empty that bin, the files move to a second-stage Recycle Bin. While in either bin, they still count against your site's total storage quota until they are permanently purged.

Who can access the second-stage Recycle Bin in SharePoint?

Only users with elevated permissions, such as Site Collection Administrators or Site Owners, can view and empty the second-stage Recycle Bin.

How do I check what is taking up so much space in SharePoint?

You can view detailed usage by navigating to Site Settings > Site Collection Administration > Storage Metrics. This page breaks down the storage used by each document library, folder, and file.

Can a regular user increase the SharePoint site storage limit?

No. Increasing the storage limit requires access to the centralized SharePoint Admin Center, which is restricted to Microsoft 365 or SharePoint administrators.

Document & File Issues