There could be several reasons why OneDrive is taking up more storage than the actual size of your files. Here are some possible explanations:
- File System Overhead: OneDrive may use additional space to manage and organize files in its file system. This can include metadata, indexes, and other internal structures, which can contribute to some overhead.
- File Compression: OneDrive may use compression techniques to save space and reduce the size of files when stored on their servers. Compressed files can take up less space than the original files, but this compression may not be perfect and could result in some overhead.
- Block-Level Deduplication: OneDrive may use block-level deduplication to identify and store only unique data blocks across multiple files. If your files have some common data blocks, OneDrive will store them only once, saving space overall.
- Temporary Files: OneDrive might create temporary files for synchronization, conflict resolution, or caching purposes. These temporary files can temporarily increase the storage usage.
- Reserved Space: Some cloud storage services may reserve a small portion of the allocated space for system purposes or to handle file versioning and other features.
- Metadata and Thumbnails: OneDrive may store additional metadata, thumbnails, or previews for your files, which can consume additional space.
- File System Cluster Size: The cluster size of the file system used by OneDrive can impact the actual space occupied on disk. If the cluster size is larger than the average file size, it can result in some wasted space.
Keep in mind that cloud storage services like OneDrive often display the total storage space used, which includes the actual file sizes and any additional overhead or internal system usage. This combined figure might not exactly match the sum of the file sizes you see on your local machine.
If you believe that the discrepancy is significantly larger than expected, it's a good idea to check your OneDrive account settings, review file versions, and look for any potential conflicts or unnecessary files that might be contributing to the increased storage usage. If you have concerns or questions about the specific storage usage in your OneDrive account, it's best to contact Microsoft Support for further assistance.