License & Subscription Issues

How to Increase Microsoft OneDrive Storage Beyond 1 TB

Ayan Masood Oct 7, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users need to know if and how they can expand their Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage limit beyond the standard 1 TB restriction.

How to Increase Microsoft OneDrive Storage Beyond 1 TB

Product: Microsoft OneDrive
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: An organization is running out of cloud storage space on a Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Premium plan and requires several terabytes of capacity per user.
Observed behavior: Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Premium plans are capped at 1 TB per user, leaving users unable to add more storage to their existing accounts without changing to a different subscription tier.

Before you start

Verify your current Microsoft 365 subscription plan and check your existing OneDrive storage usage to determine if a full enterprise upgrade is necessary for your organization.

Solution 1Recommended

Upgrade to a Microsoft 365 Enterprise Plan (E3 or E5)

To unlock 5 TB or more of OneDrive storage, organizations must transition from Business plans to eligible Enterprise-level plans.

Microsoft strictly caps OneDrive storage for Business Standard and Business Premium users at 1 TB. There is no paid add-on to simply increase this limit on a Business plan. Organizations requiring several terabytes per user must upgrade to Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 plans, which allow administrators to increase the limit up to 5 TB (and potentially unlimited storage under specific conditions).

Access the Admin Center

Navigate to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and log in using your global administrator credentials.

Explore Purchase Services

In the left-hand navigation menu, expand 'Billing' and click on 'Purchase services' to browse available subscription tiers.

Select an Enterprise Plan

Locate either the Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 plan, click on 'Details', and follow the prompts to purchase or upgrade your current licenses.

Assign New Licenses

Once purchased, go to 'Users' > 'Active users', select the employees who need more storage, and assign the new Enterprise licenses to their accounts.

Upgrade to a Microsoft 365 Enterprise Plan (E3 or E5)

Administrator Privileges Required: Only organizational administrators can view, purchase, and assign new Microsoft 365 enterprise licenses. Standard users must request this upgrade through their IT department.

Solution 2

Manually Configure the 5 TB Limit in SharePoint Admin Center

After upgrading to an E3 or E5 plan, administrators must manually adjust the organization's default OneDrive storage limit to 5 TB.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I buy extra OneDrive storage for a Microsoft 365 Business Premium account?

No. Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Business Premium plans are strictly capped at 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user. There is no separate paid add-on to increase this limit on Business plans; upgrading to an Enterprise plan is required.

Is it possible to get unlimited OneDrive storage?

Yes, but with caveats. If you subscribe to a Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 plan with five or more users, the limit can be increased to 5 TB. Once a user fills at least 90% of their 5 TB capacity, an administrator can contact Microsoft Support to request an increase up to 25 TB.

How do I check my current OneDrive storage usage?

Log in to OneDrive on the web, click the gear icon (Settings) in the top right, and select 'OneDrive settings'. From there, click on 'More Settings' and choose 'Storage Metrics' to view exactly how much capacity you have used and how much is available.

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