SharePoint Document Issues

Should You Migrate SharePoint Content to OneDrive to Increase Storage?

Maira Mehtab Sep 21, 2026 869 views

Question details

An organization has exceeded its included SharePoint storage quota and is wondering if migrating shared team content into individual OneDrive accounts is a viable solution to avoid purchasing additional storage.

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: A company with 230 Microsoft 365 E3 licenses has maxed out its SharePoint storage capacity and wants to utilize unused OneDrive storage quotas instead.
Observed behavior: The administrator is considering transferring shared collaboration files from the central SharePoint repository to individual users' OneDrive accounts to reduce tenant storage costs.

Before you start

Check your current Microsoft 365 tenant storage usage in the SharePoint admin center to determine exactly what files are consuming your space before moving any documents.

Solution 1Recommended

Keep Shared Content in SharePoint and Purchase Additional Storage

Organizational files should remain in SharePoint to preserve team collaboration, permissions, and compliance.

SharePoint is specifically designed for team access, complex permission management, and enterprise-wide collaboration. OneDrive, while offering generous storage limits (often 1 TB to 5 TB per user), is intended strictly for personal work files.

Moving organizational files into individual OneDrive accounts can lead to severe data governance issues, such as lost access when an employee leaves the company, fragmented version control, and compliance violations.

Calculate your default storage quota

For 230 Microsoft 365 E3 licenses, your included SharePoint storage is 1 TB plus 10 GB per licensed user (approximately 3.25 TB). Calculate this limit to confirm if you have truly exceeded your organizational baseline.

Review active usage

Navigate to the SharePoint admin center, click on 'Active sites', and sort by 'Storage used' to identify which sites are consuming the most capacity.

Purchase extra storage

If genuine shared files are causing the overage, go to the Microsoft 365 admin center, navigate to Billing > Purchase services, and buy the 'Office 365 Extra File Storage' add-on to legitimately increase your SharePoint pool.

Important Security Risk: Storing department-level data in a single user's OneDrive makes that individual the sole owner of the data. If their account is deactivated, the entire team loses access to those critical files.

Solution 2

Relocate Only Personal Drafts to OneDrive

Free up SharePoint capacity by ensuring users are storing their individual, non-shared files in their personal OneDrive rather than central team sites.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Manage your documents effectively with WPS Office

While managing enterprise cloud storage limits requires proper Microsoft 365 administration, utilizing a lightweight and highly compatible suite like WPS Office can help streamline your daily document workflows. WPS Office offers an intuitive interface, seamless format compatibility, and flexible cloud options without hefty enterprise licensing costs.

1. Download the installer: Visit the official WPS website and download the free installer for your operating system.
2. Install the software: Run the installation file and follow the quick setup wizard to complete the process.
3. Open existing files: Open WPS Office and drag-and-drop your existing Microsoft Office documents into the workspace to continue editing seamlessly.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formatsFamiliar, tabbed user interface for seamless and quick migrationLightweight installation that doesn't consume excessive system resourcesBuilt-in robust PDF editing and conversion toolsCost-effective solution with powerful offline and cloud features

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the default SharePoint storage limit for an organization?

For most enterprise plans like Microsoft 365 E3, the baseline SharePoint storage is 1 TB per tenant, plus an additional 10 GB for every licensed user. For example, 230 users provide roughly 3.25 TB of total shared storage.

Can I increase my tenant's shared SharePoint storage by increasing user OneDrive quotas?

No. While some licenses allow you to increase individual OneDrive storage to 5 TB per user, this capacity is strictly for personal OneDrive accounts and does not pool into or increase the organization's shared SharePoint storage limit.

Why shouldn't I use OneDrive for team collaboration files?

OneDrive is designed for individual ownership. Moving shared organizational files to OneDrive creates severe risks for data ownership, access control, and compliance. If the employee hosting the files leaves the organization, the team risks losing access to all collaborative documents.

Document & File Issues