Microsoft Storage limits

Question

Microsoft Storage limits

Greg Della-Croce 0

I have been having trouble getting my mail through Outlook. I was told to check out the Microsoft Storage limits. What I found was this:
Total used**: 174** GB / 1 TB. [Get more storage](https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/onedrive/compare-onedrive-plans?ocid=cmmlt16li28&fref=home.Home.usq-efg.normal.get-more-storage-link"Get more storage")

16% used

OneDrive

172.6 GB

Outlook (Attachments)

1.4 GB

To me, this says I have a 1 TB limit, of which I have used 16% (174 GB). Outlook is using 1.4 GB; the rest is on OneDrive.

So, am I over my limit in Outlook? I am on a Microsoft 365 Family subscription.

If so, do I start deleting older folder/file content? When have I done enough? I have a NAS that I could download folders/files from OneDrive to. I am just unclear about the limits.

I should mention, I use my Outlook account on multiple computers throughout the day. I use both Outlook.com and Microsoft 365. Both of these show the same Storage Total.

One other strange thing. I was looking for an email to give me an OTC. I checked the inbox (focus and other) and the junk folder. I just happened to check the DELETED folder, and that is where all these messages were going. What gives?

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

For a Microsoft 365 Family subscription, the limits are separate:

Mailbox storage: 100 GB per person
Cloud storage: 1 TB per person

Based on the numbers provided:

Total used: 174 GB / 1 TB = cloud storage usage, not mailbox usage
Outlook (Attachments): 1.4 GB = part of cloud storage usage
OneDrive: 172.6 GB = part of cloud storage usage

That does not mean the Outlook mailbox is over quota. A mailbox overage would be based on the 100 GB mailbox limit, and the storage view shown is mainly the Microsoft cloud storage total.

Important detail:

Outlook attachments and inline images count in both places:
- toward Microsoft cloud storage
- and toward Outlook.com mailbox storage

So the 1.4 GB shown for Outlook attachments is not the same as saying the mailbox is full.

To check whether Outlook mail itself is over quota, open Outlook.com Settings and search for Storage, or go to Settings > Account > Storage. That page shows how much space each mailbox folder is using.

When cleanup is needed:

In Outlook.com, open Settings > Account > Storage.
Review which folders are using the most mailbox space.
Permanently delete old mail from large folders if needed.
Empty Deleted Items, because it does count against the mailbox quota until emptied or until items are auto-deleted after 30 days.
Check Junk as well; items there are auto-deleted after 10 days.

For Microsoft 365 Family, mailbox storage is capped at 100 GB per person. If the mailbox is under that amount, deleting OneDrive files is only necessary if the cloud storage is the issue. With 174 GB used out of 1 TB, cloud storage is not over quota.

About messages going to Deleted:

The available information here covers storage behavior only. It does confirm that Deleted messages count toward mailbox storage, but it does not provide the cause of mail being routed to the Deleted Items folder.

References:

Answer 2

Based on the storage information you provided, you do not appear to be over your Microsoft cloud storage limit. With Microsoft 365 Family, each person receives up to 1 TB of cloud storage for OneDrive files and Outlook attachments, as well as a separate 100 GB Outlook.com mailbox limit. Your 174 GB / 1 TB figure therefore indicates that your cloud storage is well below its limit.

However, the 1.4 GB shown as “Outlook (Attachments)” is not the total size of your mailbox. To verify the mailbox itself, please sign in to Outlook.com and go to:

Settings > Account > Storage

This should show the amount of mailbox storage currently being used and which folders are consuming the most space. Microsoft confirms that Microsoft 365 Family subscribers have a 100 GB mailbox limit.

The messages appearing directly in Deleted Items are more interesting and are probably a separate issue. I recommend checking whether the sender has accidentally been blocked and whether an Inbox rule is deleting or moving those messages.

Please check in Outlook.com under:

Settings > Mail > Rules

and also:

Settings > Mail > Junk email

Look for any rule affecting these messages or the sender/domain involved. Since you use Outlook on several computers, it would also be useful to check whether you have rules configured in the desktop Outlook application on any of those computers.