Send & Receive Issues

Fix Outlook Showing Quota Exceeded After Updating OneDrive Storage

Amos Gikunda Oct 21, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to resolve an issue where Outlook continues to display a storage full or quota exceeded error despite having recently freed up or purchased additional OneDrive storage.

How to Fix Outlook Showing Quota Exceeded After Updating OneDrive Storage

Product: Microsoft Outlook
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to send or receive emails in Outlook after managing or upgrading Microsoft account storage.
Observed behavior: Outlook incorrectly blocks incoming and outgoing emails with a quota exceeded warning, as the recent OneDrive storage changes have not yet synchronized with the email service.

Before you start

Verify that you have actually cleared enough space across all shared Microsoft services (OneDrive files, Outlook attachments, and Teams content) and ensure you are signed into the correct Microsoft account.

Solution 1Recommended

Wait for Server Synchronization and Check Web Settings

Microsoft's unified storage updates can take up to 24 hours to sync across OneDrive and Outlook servers.

Because Microsoft combines your personal cloud storage across OneDrive, Outlook, and Microsoft Teams, changes made in one service do not immediately reflect in the others.

Allowing time for the background synchronization to complete is usually the only requirement to restore your email functionality.

Allow 24 hours for synchronization

Wait up to 24 hours from the time you deleted files or purchased additional storage for Microsoft's servers to fully update your account quota.

Log into Outlook on the web

Open your web browser, navigate to Outlook.com, and sign in with your affected Microsoft account credentials.

Navigate to Storage settings

Click the Gear icon in the top right corner to open Settings, then go to 'View all Outlook settings' > 'General' > 'Storage'.

Verify your updated quota

Check the storage bar to confirm that your recent OneDrive cleanup or storage upgrade is now recognized by Outlook.

Wait for Server Synchronization and Check Web Settings

Resending Failed Emails: Any messages sent to you while your mailbox was over quota were rejected and bounced back to the sender. You will need to ask your contacts to resend those emails once the sync completes.

Solution 2

Contact Microsoft Support for Stuck Accounts

If 24 hours have passed and Outlook still shows the incorrect storage quota, your account synchronization may be stuck and requires backend support.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Outlook share storage space with OneDrive?

Microsoft utilizes a unified personal cloud storage policy. This means your total storage limit is shared across OneDrive files, Outlook emails and attachments, and Microsoft Teams recordings.

Will I automatically receive the emails I missed while my quota was exceeded?

No. When your mailbox is full, incoming emails are rejected and bounced back to the sender. You must ask the senders to resend their messages once your storage space is updated.

Can I separate my Outlook storage from my OneDrive storage?

Currently, Microsoft does not allow personal account users to separate storage quotas between Outlook.com and OneDrive; they are permanently linked under your Microsoft account.

What counts towards my Microsoft email storage?

Email storage includes all messages in your inbox, sent items, and deleted items, but it is heavily impacted by large file attachments and high-resolution inline images.

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