How to Add More Cloud Storage to a Microsoft 365 Account

Running out of OneDrive space disrupts your workflow, preventing file syncs, email deliveries, and crucial device backups. When you hit your capacity limit, simply deleting old files is rarely a sustainable strategy for professionals or families with growing digital archives. Understanding exactly adding More Cloud Storage to a Microsoft 365 Account ensures your data remains secure and accessible without migrating your entire workflow to a new ecosystem. The process involves either purchasing incremental storage add-ons or upgrading your base subscription tier, depending on your current plan.

Purchasing Incremental Space: Add More Cloud Storage to a Microsoft 365 Account

If you already have a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription, you start with 1TB of OneDrive space. Microsoft allows you to purchase additional storage in 200GB increments, up to an extra 1TB, bringing your total possible capacity to 2TB per user. This is the most direct method while working on adding More Cloud Storage to a Microsoft 365 Account without altering your software licensing.

Follow these steps to expand your existing capacity:

• Step 1: Open your web browser, navigate to OneDrive.com, and log in with the specific Microsoft account tied to your active Microsoft 365 subscription.
• Step 2: Click the Gear icon (Settings) located in the top-right corner of the dashboard, then select Options from the drop-down menu.
• Step 3: In the left-hand navigation pane, click on Manage Storage. This page displays a bar graph of your current data usage.
• Step 4: Scroll down below the storage summary graph and click the link labeled Add more storage.
• Step 5: A new page will display the available storage plans (e.g., +200GB, +400GB, up to +1TB). Select the tier that fits your needs and click Buy now.
• Step 6: Review your billing cycle. The storage add-on will be billed monthly. Click Subscribe and enter your payment details to finalize the transaction.

Once the payment processes, refresh your OneDrive page. The storage summary graph will immediately reflect your new total capacity, and paused file syncs on your desktop will automatically resume.

Upgrading Your Subscription to Add More Cloud Storage to a Microsoft 365 Account

If you are currently using the free version of OneDrive (5GB) or the Microsoft 365 Basic plan (100GB), the option to buy incremental storage add-ons will not appear in your account settings. In this scenario, working to add more cloud storage to a Microsoft 365 account requires upgrading your base subscription tier to a Personal or Family plan, which instantly grants you 1TB of space.

Follow these steps to upgrade your base tier:

• Step 1: Navigate to the Microsoft Account Services & Subscriptions page (account.microsoft.com/services) and sign in.
• Step 2: Locate your current plan (e.g., Microsoft 365 Basic) under the "Subscriptions" tab and click Manage.
• Step 3: Click the Upgrade button located next to your billing information.
• Step 4: Select Microsoft 365 Personal (for 1TB of storage for one user) or Microsoft 365 Family (for 1TB per user, up to 6 users).
• Step 5: Choose whether to pay monthly or annually, verify your payment method, and click Confirm upgrade.

Your account will immediately transition to the new tier. To verify, open the OneDrive application on your Windows taskbar or Mac menu bar, click the Help & Settings icon, and check the storage quota displayed at the bottom of the flyout menu. It should now read "out of 1,024 GB".

Alternative: Archiving Data Before You Add More Cloud Storage to a Microsoft 365 Account

If you prefer not to increase your monthly subscription costs, you must reclaim space by permanently deleting unnecessary large files. Because Microsoft 365 storage is shared across OneDrive, Outlook attachments, and SharePoint, cleaning up a single service can lower your overall usage.

• Step 1: Go to Outlook.com, click the Gear icon, select General, and click Storage. Click Empty next to the "Deleted Items" folder to instantly purge old emails.
• Step 2: Navigate to OneDrive.com and click My files. Sort your directory by File size by clicking the column header.
• Step 3: Select large video files or outdated ZIP archives you no longer need, and click Delete on the top ribbon.
• Step 4: Crucially, click Recycle bin on the left sidebar, then click Empty recycle bin. Microsoft counts items in the recycle bin against your total storage quota until they are permanently erased.

Using WPS Office When You Cannot Add More Cloud Storage to a Microsoft 365 Account

WPS Office cannot change your Microsoft-side account settings, subscription tiers, or OneDrive storage limits. However, if your cloud drive is cluttered with massive, unoptimized files and you do not want to pay for a Microsoft storage add-on, you can use WPS Office to aggressively shrink your document sizes before uploading them. Reducing file size is a practical workaround when figuring out adding More Cloud Storage to a Microsoft 365 Account isn't financially viable.

Use the built-in PDF compression tool in WPS Office to reduce storage footprints:

• Step 1: Launch the WPS Office desktop application and open your large PDF document.
• Step 2: Click the Tools tab on the top ribbon menu.
• Step 3: Select the Compress PDF tool. A dialog box will appear displaying your current file size.
• Step 4: Choose your preferred compression level: HD (minimal reduction, keeps high quality), Standard, or Normal (maximum size reduction). The tool will display an estimated output size.
• Step 5: Click Compress. The software will process the document and prompt you to save the new, smaller file over the original.

By replacing a 50MB presentation export with a compressed 5MB PDF, you instantly free up space in your synced OneDrive folder. Additionally, users looking to diversify their storage can utilize WPS Cloud, which offers its own independent storage space for documents created within the WPS ecosystem, reducing your reliance on Microsoft's servers entirely.

FAQs

Can I add more than 2TB of total storage to a single account?

No. Microsoft currently caps the total allowable OneDrive storage at 2TB per individual account. This consists of the 1TB included in your Microsoft 365 Personal or Family base subscription, plus a maximum of 1TB purchased through the monthly storage add-on plans. If you require more than 2TB, you will need to utilize external physical hard drives or contract a separate enterprise-grade cloud storage provider.

Why isn't the "Add more storage" option visible in my OneDrive settings?

The option to purchase incremental storage add-ons is exclusively available to users who already hold an active Microsoft 365 Personal or Microsoft 365 Family subscription. If you are using a free Microsoft account, a Microsoft 365 Basic plan, or a corporate/school account managed by an IT administrator, this option will be hidden. You must first upgrade your base subscription to Personal or Family to unlock the add-on feature.

Does buying extra storage on a Family plan increase the capacity for everyone?

No, storage add-ons are strictly tied to the individual Microsoft account that makes the purchase. If the primary account holder of a Microsoft 365 Family plan buys an extra 500GB, only their specific OneDrive account increases to 1.5TB. The other five users on the Family plan will remain at their standard 1TB limit unless they log into their own accounts and purchase their own individual add-ons.

How long does it take for new storage to appear after completing the purchase?

Newly purchased cloud storage typically applies to your Microsoft 365 account immediately, but server synchronization can sometimes take up to 4 hours. If your desktop OneDrive application still shows that your account is full after purchasing, right-click the OneDrive cloud icon in your system tray, select the Gear icon, click "Pause syncing", and then immediately click "Resume syncing". This forces the application to ping Microsoft's servers and update your local storage quota interface.