Storage full issue

Question

My email says my storage is full but it isn't. I have upgraded and it is still giving me the same message.

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

Did you recently purchase the Microsoft 365 Basic subscription? If so, have you waited at least 24 to 48 hours?

After purchasing additional storage (or freeing space), it can take up to 24 to 48 hours for everything to fully update across your account. I’d recommend waiting that time and then trying again to check emails or try to send.

If the update is still pending after 24 hours, you can try unlinking and relinking your OneDrive account, or resetting it. "Unlink and re-link OneDrive" https://support.microsoft.com/office/unlink-and-re-link-onedrive-3c4680bf-cc36-4204-9ca5-e7b24cdd23ea

If you're using Outlook New or Classic for Windows app, you can try to reset the Outlook app from Settings > Apps > Installed app, and sign out and sign in again.

If you're using Outlook Web, you can try resetting your browser cache and cookies. You can also try another browser, or test in incognito or InPrivate mode.

If the issue still persists, please wait another 24 hours for everything to fully update across your account.

---

Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Answer 2

The most common cause is that Microsoft cloud storage (OneDrive/Microsoft Unified Storage) is actually over quota, even if the mailbox view looks fine. When Microsoft storage is full, Outlook email is blocked until the account is back under all storage limits and the change has propagated.

Use these steps:

1. Check unified/Microsoft storage and email storage
   1. Go to the Outlook.com storage page from the storage warning message or via Outlook.com settings and check both:
      • Microsoft (cloud) storage usage
      • Email storage usage
   2. If either shows over quota, Outlook will continue to report “storage full” and block sending/receiving.
2. Free up Microsoft/OneDrive storage If Microsoft storage (OneDrive) is full or over quota:
   1. Open OneDrive on the web and delete large or unneeded files and folders (including shared folders that count against the quota).
   2. Empty the OneDrive recycle bin so the space is actually reclaimed.
   3. If a shared folder pushed the account over quota, remove that shared folder from OneDrive as described in the OneDrive storage article.
3. Free up Outlook.com email storage (if needed) If email storage is full:
   1. Delete large messages (especially with attachments) from Inbox, Sent Items, and other folders.
   2. Empty Junk/Spam and Deleted Items/Trash so the space is released.
4. Wait for the quota status to update After freeing space or upgrading storage, it can take time for the change to propagate across Microsoft services. Users in similar situations have reported that:
   • It may take 24–48 hours for Outlook/OneDrive to recognize that storage is now under quota.
   • In some cases, unlinking and relinking OneDrive on the PC, or signing out and back into Outlook, helped force an update.
5. Confirm you are working in the correct account Some users receive “storage exceeded” emails for an older or secondary Microsoft account while checking storage on a different (primary) account. Verify that:
   • The email address in the warning message matches the account whose storage is being checked.
   • If an old account is over quota, sign into that account, download anything needed, then delete files and empty its OneDrive storage.
6. If storage is clearly under quota but the error persists
   • Ensure Microsoft storage and email storage both show under their limits.
   • If the error continues after 24–48 hours, use Outlook.com’s in-product Help (Help → enter query → Still need help?) to contact support, as there have been known issues where storage displays incorrectly (for example, 0/0 GB) and required a backend fix.

Key behaviors to be aware of:

• If Microsoft cloud storage is full, Outlook.com cannot send or receive email even if email storage alone is not full.
• Messages sent to the account while storage was full are bounced and not recoverable; senders must resend after storage is back under quota.
• If Microsoft Unified Storage is full, OneDrive becomes read-only and Teams messages with attachments are also affected.

---

References:

• My OneDrive says it's full
• My email message doesn't send
• Storage limits in Outlook.com
• Microsoft storage FAQs
• Fixes or workarounds for recent issues on Outlook.com
• Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com
• storage exceeded in outlook after purchasing MS 365 subscription - Microsoft Q&A
• Storage showing full - Microsoft Q&A
• Microsoft storage limit exceeded - Microsoft Q&A
• How to Fix outlook - Microsoft Q&A