Check Microsoft 365 Storage Use & Find Space Hogs

This guide shows you how to see how much of your Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) storage you’ve used across OneDrive, Outlook, and SharePoint, and then drill down to find exactly which files, folders, or emails are eating up the most space. You’ll need a web browser and your Microsoft 365 sign-in credentials.

What You’ll Need

• A Microsoft 365 work or school account (the steps differ slightly for personal Microsoft accounts).
• Access to the Microsoft 365 admin center (if you’re not an admin, you can still check your own storage, but not the org-wide view).
• A web browser (Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari).

Step-by-Step

Check Your Personal OneDrive Storage

1. Go to onedrive.com and sign in with your Microsoft 365 account.
2. In the left navigation pane, scroll to the bottom and click Settings (the gear icon), then select OneDrive settings.
3. Click the Storage tab at the top of the settings page. You’ll see a bar showing how much of your OneDrive quota you’ve used, and a breakdown by file type (documents, images, videos, etc.).
4. To see individual files, go back to your OneDrive files view. Click the View menu at the top, then choose Details – this adds a column showing file size next to each item.
5. Sort by the Size column by clicking its header. The largest files will appear at the top. You can also use the search box and filter by file type (e.g., size:>100MB) to find big files quickly.

Check Your Outlook / Exchange Online Mailbox Storage

1. Open Outlook on the web (outlook.office.com) and sign in.
2. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner, then scroll down and click View all Outlook settings.
3. In the settings pane, go to General > Storage. You’ll see a visual breakdown of your mailbox usage: mail, calendar, contacts, tasks, and archive.
4. To find the largest emails, go to your Inbox (or any folder). Click the filter icon (funnel) in the search bar, then select Size and choose Huge (over 5 MB) or Very Large (1–5 MB). This will list the biggest emails in that folder.
5. You can also use the search query size:>10MB to find emails over 10 MB across all folders.

Check SharePoint and Teams Storage (If You’re an Admin)

1. Go to admin.microsoft.com and sign in with an account that has admin permissions.
2. In the left navigation, expand Admin centers and select SharePoint.
3. Under Sites, click Active sites. You’ll see a list of all SharePoint sites (including Teams-connected sites). The Storage used column shows each site’s usage.
4. Click on a site name to see its storage limit and usage details. To find large files, click the site URL to open the document library, then add the Size column and sort by it.
5. For a full org-wide report, go to the Microsoft 365 admin center, then Reports > Usage > SharePoint. This shows storage trends across all sites.

Check Your Total Microsoft 365 Storage Pool

1. As an admin, go to admin.microsoft.com > Billing > Licenses (or under Settings > Org settings > Services > SharePoint).
2. Look for Storage used – this shows the combined usage of OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange across your entire organization.
3. If you’re not an admin, you won’t see this; you can only check your own OneDrive and mailbox as described above.

Common Mistakes

• Confusing personal and work accounts: Your personal Microsoft account (Outlook.com) has separate storage from your Microsoft 365 work/school account. Make sure you’re signed into the right one.
• Forgetting version history: OneDrive and SharePoint keep previous versions of files, which count toward your storage. Deleting a file doesn’t always free space if versions remain – you need to delete versions too.
• Ignoring archive mailboxes: If you have an archive mailbox enabled, items moved there still count toward your total mailbox storage quota.
• Only checking the Inbox: Large emails in Sent Items, Drafts, or subfolders also count. Use the search query across your entire mailbox.
• Deleting files from OneDrive sync folder: If you delete a file on your computer but it’s still in the OneDrive recycle bin, it still counts. You must permanently delete from the recycle bin.

Tips

• Use the Storage page in OneDrive settings to see which file types dominate – this helps you decide whether to clean up videos, images, or documents.
• In Outlook, sort by size in any folder to find the biggest emails. Look for emails with large attachments – you can often delete the attachment but keep the email.
• For SharePoint, use the Site usage report in the admin center to identify sites that are close to their quota.
• Consider setting up a retention policy to automatically delete old versions or expired documents.
• If you’re running low, use the OneDrive Files On-Demand feature to free up local disk space without deleting cloud files.

Troubleshooting

• Storage page shows 0 or wrong numbers: Refresh the page, wait a few minutes, and try again. Usage data can lag by up to 24 hours. If it persists, sign out and sign back in.
• Can’t see the Storage tab in OneDrive settings: This can happen if you’re not the site owner or if your admin has disabled storage reporting. Contact your IT admin.
• Search for large files returns no results: Search only searches the current folder or view. Make sure you’re in the correct location, and try using the filter icon instead of typing a query.
• Admin center doesn’t show SharePoint option: You need the SharePoint admin role or Global admin role. If you don’t have it, ask your IT department.
• Storage usage seems higher than expected: Check the recycle bin (both OneDrive and SharePoint). Also check if you have multiple versions of large files – you can delete old versions from the file’s version history.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much storage do I get with Microsoft 365?

Most Microsoft 365 plans give you 1 TB (1,024 GB) of OneDrive storage per user, plus a shared pool for SharePoint and Exchange. The exact amount depends on your plan – check your admin center for your specific quota.

Does deleting files from OneDrive free up space immediately?

No. Deleted files go to the recycle bin and still count toward your storage until you permanently delete them (by emptying the recycle bin). After that, it may take a few hours for the usage number to update.

Can I check storage on the mobile app?

Yes, but it’s limited. In the OneDrive app, go to Me > Settings > Storage to see your usage. For detailed breakdowns, use the web version.

Why does my mailbox show more storage used than the sum of my emails?

Mailbox storage includes calendar items, contacts, tasks, and the archive folder, not just emails. It also includes deleted items in the recoverable items folder, which can be large.

What happens when I hit my storage limit?

You won’t be able to send or receive emails (if mailbox is full), and you can’t upload new files to OneDrive or SharePoint. You’ll see a warning banner. You can either free up space or purchase additional storage.

Can I see storage usage for a specific Teams team?

Yes. A Teams team uses a SharePoint site for its files. Go to the SharePoint admin center, find the site named after your team (usually https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/TeamName), and check its storage usage there.

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