How to Check and Understand SharePoint Online Storage Allocation
Question details
The user wants to understand how total and available SharePoint Online storage is allocated, as the reported organization storage is lower than the expected 25 TB.
- Product
- SharePoint Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Checking total organization cloud storage allocation in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
- Observed behavior
- The admin portal shows less total storage than the 25 TB expected, instead showing a calculation based on 1 TB plus 10 GB per licensed user.
Ensure you have global administrator or SharePoint administrator privileges in Microsoft 365 to view and manage organization-wide storage reports.
Calculate Your Expected Organization Storage Allocation
Understand the default Microsoft 365 formula used to determine your total SharePoint Online storage to verify if your current allocation is correct.
SharePoint Online does not provide a default 25 TB of storage for the entire organization. Instead, the total storage pool is dynamically calculated based on your active licenses.
The 25 TB figure often cited in Microsoft documentation refers to the maximum storage capacity that can be assigned to a single SharePoint site, not the default organization-wide allocation.
Every Microsoft 365 organization automatically receives a base allocation of 1 TB of SharePoint Online storage.
Add 10 GB of additional storage for every eligible licensed user in your tenant (such as Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Office 365 E3 users).
Remember that personal OneDrive for Business storage assigned to individual users is tracked separately and does not count toward your shared SharePoint storage pool.
Review Current Storage Usage in the Admin Center
Check exactly how your allocated space is being used across different sites to identify large files or unnecessary data.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Microsoft documentation say SharePoint supports 25 TB of storage?
The 25 TB limit refers to the maximum storage size supported for a single individual SharePoint site collection. It is not the default starting storage space allocated to your entire organization.
Does deleting users decrease my total SharePoint storage?
Yes. Because total storage is calculated as 1 TB plus 10 GB per licensed user, removing active Microsoft 365 licenses from your tenant will dynamically reduce your organization's total available SharePoint storage.
Are OneDrive files counted against my SharePoint storage limits?
No. OneDrive for Business provides separate storage allocations (typically 1 TB or more) for individual users. Only files stored in shared SharePoint team sites and communication sites consume your organization's shared SharePoint storage pool.
