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How to Manage OneDrive Storage After Reaching the 2 TB Limit
Question details
The user wants to know how to get additional OneDrive storage space after hitting the 2 TB maximum limit on their Microsoft 365 account.
- Product
- OneDrive
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to purchase or acquire more cloud storage after reaching the maximum 2 TB capacity allowed on a standard Microsoft 365 subscription.
- Observed behavior
- Microsoft restricts Personal and Family accounts to a hard limit of 2 TB, preventing the purchase of any additional storage beyond this cap.
Before proceeding, log in to your Microsoft account online and navigate to your storage settings to identify exactly which files or backups are consuming the most space.
Free Up Existing OneDrive Space
Since Microsoft 365 Personal and Family plans have a strict maximum limit of 2 TB (1 TB included plus up to 1 TB purchased), you cannot buy more. The best immediate solution is to delete large or unnecessary files.
Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions provide 1 TB of base storage with the option to purchase a maximum of 1 TB additional storage. Once you reach 2 TB, no further upgrades are available for these consumer accounts.
Log in to the OneDrive website with your Microsoft account, click on the Settings gear icon in the top right corner, and select 'Options' followed by 'Manage storage'.
Click on 'What's taking up space?' to view a list of your files sorted automatically by size, making it easy to spot large videos or zip archives.
Select the files you no longer need and click 'Delete'. Remember to also empty the OneDrive Recycle Bin, as items there still count against your overall storage quota.
Upgrade to a Business or Enterprise Plan
If 2 TB is insufficient for your data needs, you will need to switch from a consumer plan to a Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise plan that offers higher or unlimited storage limits.
Need a Flexible Office Suite Built for Multi-Cloud Efficiency?
If you are struggling with single-service storage limits, consider switching to WPS Office. It is a powerful, free, and lightweight alternative to Microsoft Office that allows you to easily link multiple third-party cloud drives like Google Drive and Dropbox, giving you total flexibility over where you save your files without losing format compatibility.
- 1. Download the Installer: Visit the official WPS Office website and click the Free Download button for your operating system.
- 2. Install WPS Office: Run the downloaded installer file and follow the on-screen prompts to set up the software on your device.
- 3. Connect Your Cloud: Open WPS Office, navigate to the cloud storage settings, and link your preferred cloud services to start saving files effortlessly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy more than 2 TB of storage on a Personal Microsoft account?
No. Microsoft limits Personal and Family accounts to a maximum of 2 TB. This consists of the 1 TB included with the subscription and a maximum of 1 TB in purchased add-on storage.
What happens if my OneDrive is full and I exceed my limit?
If you exceed your storage limit, you will not be able to upload, edit, or sync new files to OneDrive. Your existing files will remain intact but in a read-only state until you delete enough files to get back under the limit.
Can I merge multiple Personal OneDrive accounts to get more storage?
Microsoft does not allow merging storage across different accounts. You can create a second Microsoft account to get additional free storage, but you will have to manage the accounts and file locations separately.
Do files shared with me count against my 2 TB OneDrive storage limit?
No, files that other users share with you do not count against your personal OneDrive storage limit. They only count against the storage quota of the person who owns the files.
