OneDrive won't stop sending "over storage limit" warnings when it's not...

Question

I moved all my stuff to a new OneDrive account with a different email address. The old address continues to bombard me with warnings that I'm "300% over" my limit, but when you look in the account, it's almost empty (I emptied it all). And yes, it's been weeks, so it's not a matter of synching or whatever. I'd like to just delete this OneDrive, but I get the impression if I do, everything tied to that (old) email address -- which is a LOT of stuff -- will get disabled.

IS THERE a way to (a) get it to see the storage on the old account is not over the limit (it's nearly empty) and stop the warnings and "buy storage" pitches, AND (b) ideally just shut down that OneDrive altogether without messing up my other accounts using that email address?

Answer 1

Hi Kelzilla, and welcome to Microsoft Q&A.

Quoting this article: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/microsoft-storage-quotas-8f2f9d72-04d1-4223-a5ae-c2fdd26dd770

If you don't have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you get 15 GB of free mailbox storage for your Outlook.com emails, contacts and calendar items. You also get 5 GB of free cloud storage for your email attachments, files and photos in OneDrive.

If you deleted all your files at onedrive.com, your mailbox size is probably over the limit. You need to reduce it.

Manage my mailbox size in Outlook - Microsoft Support

I hope that will help you get under your storage quota.

Craig

Answer 2

YOU MISSED MY QUESTION COMPLETELY. It IS the OLD account login email that is generating the warnings, and that is the account I have already emptied. THAT account is the one that keeps generating "over limit" warnings even though you can easily see it's empty. Please correct your answer to reflect this corrected fact.

My new login and OneDrive account are working just fine.

Answer 3

The warnings are coming from the old Microsoft account’s OneDrive/cloud storage, not from the new account, and they are triggered purely by what Microsoft sees for that specific account’s storage quota. There are two key points from the documented behavior:

1. OneDrive/cloud storage is tied to the Microsoft account and cannot be deleted independently.
2. If a Microsoft cloud storage quota is exceeded on that account, Microsoft will continue to send “storage limit exceeded” warnings and may eventually freeze or erase that OneDrive if the situation is not corrected.

Based on that, here is what can be done for each part of the question:

(a) Stop the “over storage limit” warnings

1. Sign in to the exact Microsoft account that receives the warning emails
   Use the email address that appears in the warning messages and sign in via the OneDrive or Microsoft account sign-in page.
2. Check actual storage usage for that account
   For that account, open OneDrive on the web and:
   • Select the Storage used link (usually in the lower-left corner).
   • Review what is counted against the quota:
     • OneDrive files and folders
     • Items in the OneDrive Recycle Bin
   Even if the visible folders look empty, items in the Recycle Bin still count toward the quota. Use Empty your recycle bin from the storage view to remove them.
3. Check for shared folders that push the account over quota
   A folder shared with that account can make it appear over its storage limit even if its own content is small. Follow the guidance in How to remove shared folders from your OneDrive to remove any large shared folders from that old account’s OneDrive.
4. Confirm unified Microsoft storage, not just OneDrive
   Microsoft now uses unified cloud storage across services. For that old account, also check:
   • Outlook.com mailbox and attachments (if that account has an Outlook.com mailbox)
   • Any other Microsoft 365 services tied to that account
   If the unified storage quota is exceeded, the account will:
   • Be unable to upload/edit/sync new OneDrive files
   • Be unable to send/receive Outlook.com email
   • Continue to receive “Microsoft storage limit exceeded” or “Microsoft Unified Storage is full” messages until usage is below the quota.
5. If the storage really is below quota
   After confirming that:
   • OneDrive files are deleted
   • Recycle Bin is emptied
   • Large shared folders are removed
   • Outlook.com mailbox and attachments are within limits
   The warnings should stop automatically. If they persist after some time, the next step is to sign in to that account’s Microsoft account services page and verify that no expired promotions or subscription changes have reduced the quota unexpectedly.

(b) Shutting down that OneDrive without breaking the account

According to the documented behavior, OneDrive storage is an integral part of a Microsoft account and cannot be deleted separately while keeping the account itself. The only supported options are:

• Keep the Microsoft account, but:
  • Remove or delete all OneDrive content (including Recycle Bin and shared folders) so it is well under quota.
  • Ignore or filter any remaining marketing emails if storage is under quota and the account is not in danger.
• Or close the entire Microsoft account, which would affect all services and licenses tied to that email address. This is not recommended in this scenario because the question explicitly notes that many other services depend on that account.

So:

• There is no supported way to “turn off” or delete just OneDrive for that old email while keeping the rest of the Microsoft account active.
• The practical resolution is to ensure that account’s unified storage is genuinely under its quota (files, Recycle Bin, shared folders, Outlook.com mailbox/attachments). Once under quota, the warning and “buy storage” prompts will stop.

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References:

• My OneDrive says it's full
• Microsoft storage quotas
• Storage limits in Outlook.com
• Changes to Microsoft 365 email features and storage
• Microsoft storage FAQs
• Why did I get a message saying my files will be erased?
• Microsoft storage limit exceeded - Microsoft Q&A
• How can I delete my OneDrive storage (built into Windows) from the internet without deleting my Microsoft account? - Microsoft Q&A