Online Outlook email account storage limit change ?

Anonymous
2023-03-04T11:04:19+00:00

Hello,

As from 3rd March 2023, on my 20 year old online outlook email account, I now receive need more storage messages.

It says I am using around 6GB when there is only 5Gb available.

I thought the limit was more than 5GB, I vaguely remember some indicator in the past that showed I was nowhere near the limit.

After checking the available info I find the following - *"You have 5 GB of free cloud storage with your Microsoft account shared across your files and photos in OneDrive, attachments in Outlook.com and your Microsoft 365 apps.You also get 15 GB of free Outlook.com email storage which is separate from your Microsoft cloud storage."*I do not use cloud storage just the email account admittedly with thousands of email stored.This info suggests I have a limit of 15Gb in Outlook yet when using around 6Gb it says I need more as I'm over 5Gb The message on the outlook account states this was taking place from 1st Feb 2023 as well, yet this comes up from 3rd March.

I do not know if something has changed, or is wrong, or if I have misunderstood this.

It seems to me that contacting Microsoft is almost impossible ?

Thanks. Mike. UK

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Settings

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-03-22T18:55:17+00:00

    Hello again.

    Hope it goes well for you.

    It is annoying after 20 years like myself and others.

    Someone else in this thread mentioned Yahoo gave 1TB.

    On the phone yesterday when I mentioned this, Microsoft seemed to not agree which is clearly not true.

    They told me in the 40 mins conversation that people somehow were racking up TB worth of data.

    An example given was students sending books back and forth repeatedly.

    Don't know if it is true or not but the principle is the important thing.

    Of course people can pay £20 or $20 per year for 100GB and there are other options.

    I am sick of explaining to them and others that deleting thousands of emails as an option to get below 5GB is monumental task and quite frankly I will not do it.

    Some only have a couple of MB in attachments and runs as you said in to thousands.

    I will keep on at them until they put this back.

    I wish more people would get on to them.

    I contacted the CEO then had email threads with a escalations person.

    All very nice but this is a cheek.

    The CEO email which got me through is easy to find -

    Satyan at microsoft dot com.

    A general email which I had a thread with, all one word no spaces -

    microsoft escalation support at microsoft support dot com

    Maybe others should give them a go.

    Mike.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-03-22T16:32:20+00:00

    Hello, thankyou for the reply.

    I always assumed many would be annoyed as it is effectively being applied retrospectively after years of letting people think they had a certain amount etc.

    For what it is worth I myself have exported the emails to a PST file which can be brought up in apps so they are there if the worst happens.

    I do not know if they can be put in to other accounts.

    I actually had a lengthy email thread with the escalations team over the last few weeks and received the explanation as in the online info.

    Yesterday I had a phone call with a person for 40 mins from Microsoft.

    They explained the same in verbal form and I challenged them at every opportunity.

    There are many complicated reasons for this change effectively making the limit 5GB instead of 15GB as was.

    Clearly it is the cost of servers etc.

    I was even told on the phone yesterday that it was in part down to some using many hundreds of GB or even TB in some ways.

    My reply to that was target them then instead of annoying most for just 15GB

    All have been helpful however at Microsoft, my position is that Microsoft are putting people in the position retrospectively.

    Thanks.

    Mike.

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  3. Ron-6928 4,991 Reputation points
    2023-03-08T22:49:23+00:00

    There are a few free apps (for PCs) you can use to open PST file format. Google it. I'm an Outlook 2016 user so I have no problem opening PST files.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-03-07T19:31:37+00:00

    Thanks, already deleted not needed sent items and others which were really old a few days ago.

    Mostly, it made little difference as most will have been without attachments.

    The filter and sort only seems to do it for each folder but as you state they do come up in order of size.

    I understand what you say now thanks but I can't delete emails with attachments just to get rid of the attachments because they are important, or at least to me.

    And this will be a monumental task ie. to consider one by one which I would like to keep or lose you see.

    Some will be old some will be recent if listed in size.

    If listed in date, some will be important others not.

    It still needs a decision on each really.

    This is not aimed at anyone on this forum but Microsoft should be ashamed of themselves for pulling this stunt.

    If anyone is a furious with Microsoft as I am and has abilities to get a cogent and honest response from them (insert laugh here), please let me know and chip in.

    Thanks to all again.

    Mike.

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-03-07T18:54:04+00:00

    The thing I loved outlook/hotmail.

    I really do not like Yahoo or Gmail.

    I don't know how it would be for you but I would not look forward to attempting to export them to another account.

    Again, it's just yet another thing to do isn't it.

    Best of luck with what ever you do.

    Thanks to all (except microsoft)

    Mike.

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