License & Subscription Issues

Does Office Home and Student License Increase OneDrive Storage?

Maira Mehtab Sep 27, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to know if purchasing a one-time Microsoft Office Home and Student license will automatically increase their available OneDrive cloud storage capacity.

Product: Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Evaluating Microsoft Office license benefits and managing cloud storage limitations.
Observed behavior: The perpetual Office license only includes the basic 5 GB of free OneDrive storage and does not add any extra cloud capacity.

Before you start

Check your current Microsoft account storage usage to determine exactly how much extra cloud space you need for your documents and files.

Solution 1Recommended

Purchase a Separate OneDrive Storage Plan

Since the Office Home & Student perpetual license does not include extra cloud storage, you must upgrade your OneDrive capacity independently through a separate subscription.

Microsoft structures its perpetual licenses (like Office Home and Student 2021) differently from its subscription services. While Microsoft 365 subscriptions include 1 TB of cloud storage, the one-time purchase version relies on the standard 5 GB of free space.

Visit the OneDrive plans page

Navigate to the official Microsoft 365 OneDrive comparison page in your web browser.

Review available storage tiers

Microsoft offers fixed storage tiers. Look for standalone options like the 100 GB basic plan, noting that custom intermediate tiers (like 250 GB or 300 GB) are not provided.

Select and purchase

Click the buy or subscribe button for the standalone storage plan, sign in with the Microsoft account linked to your Office license, and complete the transaction to instantly increase your storage.

Storage Allocation: Any storage you purchase will be immediately added to your Microsoft account and can be used to sync files across all your devices running Office Home and Student.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Switch to WPS Office for Built-in Cloud Storage

If you are tired of confusing licensing and separate storage plans, WPS Office is a free, lightweight alternative to Microsoft Office. It comes with built-in WPS Cloud storage, seamless format compatibility, and a familiar user interface that makes switching effortless.

1. Download and install: Get the free WPS Office suite from the official website and install it on your device.
2. Sign in for cloud storage: Create a free account or log in to instantly activate your included WPS Cloud storage space.
3. Open existing files: Drag and drop your Microsoft Office files directly into WPS Office to edit them seamlessly.

Includes free built-in WPS Cloud storage to easily sync documents across your devices.Fully compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint file formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx).Lightweight installation with low system resource requirements.All-in-one suite combining documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDFs in a single tabbed app.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Microsoft 365 include more OneDrive storage than Office Home & Student?

Yes, Microsoft 365 subscriptions (such as Personal or Family) include 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage per user, whereas the one-time purchase Office Home & Student license only includes the standard 5 GB of free space.

Can I buy exactly 250 GB or 300 GB of OneDrive storage?

No, Microsoft offers fixed storage tiers. You can typically purchase a standalone 100 GB plan or upgrade to a Microsoft 365 subscription for 1 TB. Intermediate options like 250 GB or 300 GB are not available.

Will my Office Home & Student license expire if I don't buy extra OneDrive storage?

No, Office Home & Student is a perpetual, one-time purchase. Your desktop applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) will never expire, even if your OneDrive storage is full or if you choose not to upgrade it.

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