Email blocked

Question

Hello, my Microsoft account shows that my storage is over quota (5.8GB / 5GB), even though I have deleted almost all files from OneDrive and Outlook. My mailbox only uses 0.2GB / 15GB, but my email is blocked. It seems like a storage calculation error.

Answer 1

Hi. I'm Brian and I"ll try to help.

This forum is dedicated to OneDrive associated with Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Typically, the OneDrive quota for a subscription is 1TB. If you are seeing 5GB as the quota, then you don't appear to be using your subscription, but instead are using a free account. Can you clarify?

If you log into https://outlook.live.com/mail/options/accounts-category/storage, is that here you see the 5GB limit? If you then visit https://account.microsoft.com/services with the exact same account, do you see your Microsoft 365 subscription?

Answer 2

The email block is not a calculation error. Microsoft uses a unified cloud storage quota (5 GB for free accounts) that covers OneDrive files, Outlook.com attachments, and other Microsoft 365 data. If the unified Microsoft storage is over quota, email is blocked even when the mailbox size itself is far below its 15 GB email limit.

When Microsoft storage is exceeded:

1. Email in Outlook.com cannot be sent or received, even if email storage is under quota.
2. OneDrive becomes read‑only for new uploads/edits.
3. Teams messages with attachments cannot be sent or received.
4. After a period of time, OneDrive content may be deleted.

To restore email functionality, the unified storage must be brought back under 5 GB or increased:

1. Free up Microsoft storage
   • Delete additional content that counts against Microsoft storage beyond what is visible in OneDrive Files and basic Outlook mail folders. This can include:
     • Large or numerous attachments stored in Outlook.com.
     • Other Microsoft 365 app content stored in the account.
   • Use the storage management and cleanup tools referenced in the Outlook.com storage article to identify large folders and permanently delete items (including from Deleted Items/Recycle Bin) until the total Microsoft storage drops below 5 GB.
2. Or buy more storage / subscription
   • For a free account, purchase a Microsoft 365 subscription or additional storage to increase the unified storage quota so that 5.8 GB is under the new limit. Once the account is under quota, email sending and receiving will resume.

Note that:

• Email remains blocked while Microsoft storage is over quota, regardless of the mailbox’s 0.2 GB / 15 GB usage.
• Messages sent to the account while over quota are returned to the sender and must be resent after storage is back under the limit.

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References:

• Storage limits in Outlook.com
• Microsoft storage quotas
• Microsoft storage FAQs