OneDrive storage not freeing up after deleting files

Question

I regularly receive emails from SharePoint Online saying my OneDrive is approaching its storage limit. To free up space, I deleted many files from OneDrive and cleared both the first-stage and second-stage recycle bins. However, my available storage has not increased. Could you please explain why this is happening and advise how I can recover the storage space?

Answer 1

Hello Shahab,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community! I completely understand how frustrating it must be to keep receiving storage warning emails from SharePoint Online, especially after you've already taken the time to delete files and clear both the first stage and second stage recycle bins in OneDrive. It feels like you're doing everything right, yet the available storage just doesn't reflect your efforts.

This often happens because OneDrive and SharePoint don’t update storage usage instantly, It can take up to 24 to 72 hours for the system to reflect the freed-up space. In some cases, if you're part of a Microsoft 365 organization, deleted files may still be retained in a hidden Preservation Hold Library due to compliance or retention policies, and those files still count against your quota even if you can’t see them.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/retention-policies-sharepoint

Additionally, version history on large files can silently consume storage unless manually cleared. To truly recover space, you may need to check your OneDrive storage metrics page for hidden folders like the Preservation Hold Library, delete old file versions, and wait a bit for the system to catch up.

reference link

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5406905/onedrive-storage-isnt-freeing-up-even-after-emptyi

Feel free to reply for better understanding.

Warm regards,

[Moderator note: personal info removed] 

Answer 2

Dear @Shahab Doulabian

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based on your description, you're asking why your OneDrive storage hasn't been freed up even after deleting files and clearing both recycle bins.

To better understand your situation, could you please confirm whether your account is a school (education) account?

If your account is indeed a school account, we recommend contacting your school's IT department. As an end user, you may not have full visibility or control over your OneDrive storage limits. Only IT administrators have the necessary permissions to manage and investigate storage usage.

Important Note: Microsoft has recently made significant changes to OneDrive storage for education accounts. Starting February 2024, users with Office 365 A1 (free license) are limited to 100GB of OneDrive storage, even if they previously had more. This is part of a broader shift to 100TB of pooled storage per school tenant across OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange

Your IT/admin can refer this link Changes to storage offerings across Microsoft 365 Education

I hope information above helpful, if you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out

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