How to Check Your OneDrive Storage and Free Up Space

This guide is for anyone who has started seeing sync errors, a “storage almost full” warning, or simply wants to know how much room is left before uploading more files. Whether you use a free Microsoft account or pay for Microsoft 365, you’ll learn how to check OneDrive storage on the web, in Windows, on a Mac, and on mobile, plus the fastest ways to clear space when you’re running low.

Before you start

• Know which Microsoft account you use with OneDrive, since personal and work/school accounts show storage differently.
• Have a web browser handy — the OneDrive website gives the most complete storage breakdown.
• On Windows, make sure the OneDrive desktop app is signed in and syncing before checking local folder properties.
• Back up anything important before deleting files, since permanently removing items from the OneDrive Recycle Bin cannot be undone after 30 days (and some file types, like Designer projects, have no recycle bin at all).

How to check your OneDrive storage

On the OneDrive website (personal account)

1. Go to onedrive.live.com in a web browser and sign in with your Microsoft account.
2. Click the gear (Settings) icon in the top-right corner.
3. Select Options or Storage from the menu, or go directly to onedrive.live.com/managestorage.
4. Review your total space, used space, and free space, along with a breakdown by files, photos, and documents.

In Windows File Explorer

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Click OneDrive in the left-hand navigation.
   

   

3. Right-click the OneDrive folder and select Properties to see the size of your local sync folder.

Keep in mind that File Explorer only shows the size of files synced to your device, not your total cloud storage, so use the website for an accurate cloud quota.

In the Windows OneDrive app

1. Click the blue OneDrive icon in the Windows notification area.
2. Select the OneDrive Help and Settings icon, then choose Settings.
   

   

   

3. Select Manage storage.
   

   

On a Mac

1. Open the OneDrive menu bar icon and go to the account tab.
2. Check how much storage each connected account has used.
3. Select the link to Manage your Cloud storage for full details online.

On iPhone or iPad

1. Open the OneDrive app.
2. Tap the circle with your photo or initials in the upper-left corner.
3. Look at the Storage Space line for your total storage and remaining space.

On Android

1. Open the OneDrive app.
2. Tap the Me icon at the bottom of the screen.
3. View your total storage and space available near the top of the Me view.

Work or school account

1. Sign in to OneDrive on the web.
2. Select the Storage used link in the lower-left corner (on mobile, open the expand menu icon first to reveal the navigation pane).
3. Review the largest files listed to see what’s using the most space.

What counts toward your quota

Your OneDrive quota covers files and photos you upload or sync, including Office documents, camera roll photos, screenshots, and anything in your synced Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders. Items sitting in your OneDrive Recycle Bin also count against your total, which is a common reason storage looks fuller than expected.

Without a Microsoft 365 subscription, you get 15 GB of free Outlook.com mailbox storage and 5 GB of free OneDrive cloud storage. As of October 8, 2026, new and upgraded Microsoft 365 Family and Premium subscriptions include 2 TB of shared OneDrive storage, and Microsoft 365 Pro includes 5 TB; existing Family and Premium subscribers switch at their first renewal on or after May 2, 2027. Eligible subscribers can also buy extra storage, up to 10 TB in total. We cover the change in detail in our report on the OneDrive storage cut.

How to free up OneDrive storage

1. Go to onedrive.live.com/managestorage and sign in with your Microsoft account.
2. Select What’s taking up space to see your largest files and photos.
3. Delete large files, ZIP archives, or old backups you no longer need. Downloaded installers and setup files are usually safe to remove since you can get them again from the original source.
4. Go to your OneDrive Recycle Bin online and select Empty recycle bin. This is a separate step from emptying your computer’s Recycle Bin or Trash, which does not touch your OneDrive quota at all.
5. On iPhone, tap the Me icon, select your account, tap Recycle Bin, choose the files to remove, and tap Delete.
6. On Android, open the Recycle Bin and tap Delete All in the upper right to clear it in one step.
7. Wait up to 24 hours for your storage quota to update after deleting files.

One file type worth checking specifically is Outlook .pst data files — Microsoft doesn’t recommend storing them in OneDrive because the app keeps them open, which can block syncing and slow down your computer.

Freeing up space on your device vs. your cloud storage

If your computer’s hard drive is full rather than your OneDrive quota, the fix is different. Windows’ Files On-Demand feature, enabled by default since OneDrive build 23.066, lets you access cloud files without storing them locally. Right-click any synced file or folder and choose Free up space to remove the local copy while keeping it available in the cloud (or choose Always keep on this device to do the opposite). This frees up your computer’s disk space, not your OneDrive cloud quota, so use it alongside — not instead of — the cloud cleanup steps above.

If it still doesn’t work

• Give it time: storage changes, including newly purchased space, can take up to 24 hours to appear, and sometimes up to 48 hours.
• If your quota still hasn’t updated after 48 hours, contact Microsoft support directly.
• On mobile, force a refresh by tapping your profile avatar, selecting Settings, and under Storage selecting your subscription type.
• If you share a Microsoft 365 Family, Premium, or Pro plan, remember the storage pool is shared — someone else on the plan, or a folder shared with you, could be what’s pushing your account over quota.
• Check whether a subscription expired or a renewal failed, since that can silently shrink your storage quota back down.
• For work or school accounts, delete more files or contact your IT admin about increasing the quota; while over quota, files remain read-only but can still be downloaded or deleted.

FAQ

Why is my OneDrive still full after I deleted files?

You likely emptied your computer’s Recycle Bin instead of your OneDrive Recycle Bin online — only the OneDrive one affects your cloud quota. It can also take up to 24 hours for the quota to refresh after a genuine cleanup.

What happens if I go over my OneDrive storage limit?

You won’t be able to upload, edit, or sync new files, and existing files become read-only. If your OneDrive and Outlook.com storage are linked to the same quota, you may also stop sending or receiving email, and Microsoft Teams can block messages with attachments.

How much free OneDrive storage do I get without paying?

A Microsoft account without a Microsoft 365 subscription includes 5 GB of free OneDrive cloud storage, separate from the 15 GB of free Outlook.com mailbox storage.

Can I recover files after I empty the OneDrive Recycle Bin?

Deleted files normally stay in the OneDrive Recycle Bin for up to 30 days and can be restored during that window. Once you empty the Recycle Bin, they’re gone permanently, and some tools, like Designer projects, never go to a recycle bin at all.

If you split your files between an iPhone and OneDrive, freeing up iCloud storage follows a similar logic of finding large files and emptying a separate recycle-style folder before your quota actually drops.

Source: Microsoft Support