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How to Purchase Additional OneDrive Storage for Microsoft 365 Education
Question details
Users need to know how to acquire additional OneDrive or pooled cloud storage for a Microsoft 365 Education environment.
- Product
- Microsoft 365 Education (OneDrive, SharePoint, Exchange)
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- A school or its students/staff members are running out of allocated OneDrive storage space and need to expand their capacity.
- Observed behavior
- The current Microsoft 365 Education plan's pooled storage capacity is exhausted, preventing users from saving new files to OneDrive.
Before proceeding, note that individual students or teachers cannot purchase additional storage directly. Only the school's Microsoft 365 IT administrator has the permissions required to review and modify storage allocations or purchase add-ons.
Contact Your School Administrator to Buy Incremental Storage
The primary method to increase OneDrive storage in an educational environment is through your institution's Microsoft 365 admin center.
Microsoft 365 Education uses a pooled storage model, meaning storage is shared across OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange for the entire institution. To get more space, the IT department must purchase additional incremental storage for the tenant.
Locate your school's IT helpdesk or the designated Microsoft 365 administrator who manages school accounts.
Ask the administrator to log into the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and review the current pooled storage usage across OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange.
If eligible, the administrator can navigate to Billing > Purchase Services in the admin center to buy additional incremental storage for the education tenant.
Evaluate Azure Storage Options for the Institution
If incremental Microsoft 365 storage is not cost-effective, administrators can explore Azure storage for large-scale data archiving.
Try WPS Office for Education and Enjoy Built-in Cloud Storage
If storage limits and subscription costs in Microsoft 365 are becoming a hurdle for your school projects, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible alternative with its own free integrated cloud storage, allowing students and educators to save and share documents effortlessly.
- 1. Download and Install WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free software for your Windows, Mac, or Linux device.
- 2. Sign in for Free Cloud Storage: Create a free WPS account to instantly unlock your dedicated WPS Cloud storage space.
- 3. Open Your Existing Files: Easily open your existing Microsoft Office documents and continue your academic work without formatting issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy more OneDrive storage as a student?
No, students and teachers using Microsoft 365 Education accounts cannot purchase additional storage individually. All storage is pooled and managed at the institutional level by the school's IT admin.
What is pooled storage in Microsoft 365 Education?
Pooled storage means that the total storage capacity is shared across the entire institution, encompassing OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange limits combined, rather than being strictly divided per user.
How does the IT admin check our school's current storage usage?
Administrators can view the storage usage by logging into the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, navigating to Reports, and checking the Usage section for OneDrive and SharePoint storage metrics.
