Share via

how to get account space back

Laurence Roberts 0 Reputation points
2026-06-11T19:27:00.4033333+00:00

happened 4 days ago accidentally. Now there is not enough space for outlook and onedrive on my family drive account

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Manoel Barros 19,275 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-06-11T23:09:26.57+00:00

    Hi!

    Outlook relies solely on OneDrive. Google Drive is not included.

    Go to https://onedrive.live.com/ > Log in with your Microsoft email > In the bottom left corner, under Storage, check if it's actually full.

    • If it's full, click on Photos in the top left corner > Delete the photos you no longer want.
    • Click on Files, next to Photos > My Files > If you have folders like Desktop, Documents, and Pictures, go into them and delete the files you don't want. Remember that these files are synchronized with one of your computers, so deleting files from these folders will also delete them from your computer.
    • Another option is to purchase more storage.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments

  2. AI answer

    2026-06-11T19:27:27.3666667+00:00

    To get space back so Outlook and OneDrive work again, reduce used storage or buy more storage. For a Microsoft 365 Family account, both Outlook.com email and OneDrive files count toward the same Microsoft cloud storage quota.

    Follow these steps:

    1. Check what is using storage
      • Go to Manage your OneDrive storage (from OneDrive on the web or account storage page) to see what is taking up space and what plans or offers are available.
      • Make sure to sign in with the same family account that shows as full.
    2. Free up OneDrive space
      • In OneDrive on the web, open Storage used or Manage your OneDrive storage.
      • Delete large files and folders that are no longer needed.
      • Empty the OneDrive Recycle Bin – items there still count toward the quota.
      • After deleting, it can take up to a few hours for the new usage to show.
    3. Free up Outlook.com email space
      • If Outlook.com is also contributing to the unified storage, delete old or large emails (especially with big attachments) from Inbox, Junk, and Deleted folders.
      • Empty Deleted Items and Junk so they no longer count toward storage.
    4. Wait for quota to update
      • After freeing space or purchasing storage, it can take up to 24 hours (and in some cases up to 48 hours) for the updated quota to apply across Outlook.com and OneDrive.
    5. Buy more storage if needed
      • If more space is required, use Upgrades or the storage/plan page to:
        • Buy a Microsoft 365 subscription if using a free account, or
        • Add additional OneDrive storage on top of the 1 TB included with Microsoft 365 Personal or Family. Only the subscription holder can extend storage.

    What happens if storage stays over quota:

    • OneDrive: cannot upload, edit, or sync new files; existing files become read‑only.
    • Outlook.com: cannot send or receive email if Microsoft cloud storage is exceeded, even if email storage alone is not full.
    • If storage remains over quota for 6 months, OneDrive content may be deleted and is not recoverable.

    If storage is clearly below the limit but the account still shows as full after 24–48 hours, try unlinking and relinking OneDrive on the PC and check again. If the problem persists after that delay, contact support from the storage or OneDrive help pages.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.