hotmail showing 7.8gb used of 5gbs

cas 0 Reputation points
2026-05-21T13:31:51.1366667+00:00

My Hotmail/Outlook account is blocked from sending email because Outlook says I am using 7.8 GB of 5 GB storage (156% full). However, the Microsoft Account storage page and OneDrive both show only 0.1 GB used on the exact same account/email address. I have emptied Deleted Items, Recoverable Items, Junk, and checked attachments, but the issue has existed for months. This appears to be an Outlook mailbox storage/quota indexing problem. Can you check and reset the mailbox quota/storage on the backend?

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Email

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  1. AI answer

    2026-05-21T13:32:05.33+00:00

    Mailbox and Microsoft cloud storage are tracked separately, and both can block sending even if one of them looks well below quota.

    For Outlook.com:

    1. Check the Outlook.com mailbox storage view, not just the Microsoft Account/OneDrive page:
      • In Outlook.com, open Settings and search for Storage.
      • Use the Storage page to see which folders are counted toward the mailbox quota and use the built‑in cleanup options (delete all items, or items older than 3/6/12 months) for large folders.
    2. Make sure both email storage and unified cloud storage are under quota:
      • If you see a “Microsoft Unified Storage is full” message, cloud storage overage alone will block sending and receiving email, even if the mailbox size itself is under its email quota.
      • Use the storage tools to free up space (delete large files/attachments, empty Deleted Items, etc.), or purchase additional Microsoft storage if needed.
    3. Allow time for quota updates to propagate:
      • After freeing space or buying storage, it can take several hours (and in some cases up to 24–48 hours) for the new quota status to be reflected across Outlook.com and OneDrive.
      • If storage has just been adjusted, wait and then sign out and back in, or close and reopen the Outlook app/browser session.
    4. If the account remains blocked after storage is clearly under quota and enough time has passed:
      • Use Outlook.com’s in‑product support: select Help in Outlook.com, describe the issue, and if self‑help does not resolve it, scroll to Still need help? and choose the support contact option.
      • If sign‑in is affected or the account appears blocked for other reasons, use the Microsoft account sign-in helper or follow the guidance in “Can’t send or receive email in Outlook.com”.

    Backend mailbox quota/index resets cannot be performed directly; if the Outlook.com storage view and the Microsoft storage page disagree after cleanup and propagation time, the issue must be escalated through Outlook.com support so they can correct it on the service side.

    References:

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