additional space only for One drive

Question

Hello,

I currently use approximately 325 GB of storage in my personal OneDrive account. I already have access to Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint through my workplace, so I do not need another Office subscription. I would simply like to continue using my personal OneDrive storage. Could you please let me know whether there is an option to purchase only OneDrive storage, preferably 500 GB or 1 TB, without subscribing to Microsoft 365 Personal? Alternatively, is there a way to increase the storage included with Microsoft 365 Basic beyond 100 GB? I would appreciate any available option that allows me to keep my current OneDrive files without paying for Office applications that I already receive through my workplace. Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi, Philip David Zisman

I understand why paying for another set of Office apps feels wasteful. Unfortunately, there is no hidden upgrade that extends the same personal Microsoft 365 Basic account from 100 GB to 500 GB.

The most practical alternative is to keep only frequently used files in OneDrive and archive older photos, videos, or backups elsewhere. You can download folders from OneDrive to an external hard drive, verify that the files open correctly, and then delete the cloud copies to bring usage below 100 GB. The official instructions are available in Download files and folders from OneDrive or SharePoint.

For a large library, it is recommended that you use the OneDrive desktop app rather than downloading everything through a browser. OneDrive can also be set up on a compatible non-removable external drive, although regular removable USB drives are not supported as the live sync location. See Install OneDrive on an external drive.

Another option is moving the excess files to a different personal cloud-storage provider. I would not use the workplace OneDrive for personal archives unless the employer’s policy explicitly permits it, since access can be removed when employment ends.

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

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Answer 2

For a personal Microsoft account, the supported storage-only options in the provided information are limited:

• Free Microsoft account: 5 GB OneDrive storage.
• Microsoft 365 Basic: 100 GB storage.
• Microsoft 365 Personal / Family / Premium: 1 TB OneDrive storage included.

For the specific options asked about:

1. 500 GB or 1 TB OneDrive-only for a personal account
   The provided information does not show a standalone personal OneDrive plan at 500 GB or 1 TB without Microsoft 365 Personal/Family/Premium.
2. Increase Microsoft 365 Basic beyond 100 GB
   The provided information does not list a way to extend Microsoft 365 Basic beyond 100 GB for a personal account.
3. Add extra storage beyond 1 TB
   Extra file storage can be added only if already on Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium, and only the subscription account holder can extend it.

Since current usage is about 325 GB, Microsoft 365 Basic (100 GB) would not be enough to keep the current OneDrive files within quota. Based on the available options shown, the personal-account path that fits more than 325 GB is Microsoft 365 Personal/Family/Premium with 1 TB included.

Storage usage and quota can be checked in the Microsoft storage section of the account dashboard: Open account dashboard

If the goal is only to keep the existing files and the account goes over quota, files may become read-only and new uploads or sync stop until storage is reduced or more storage is purchased.

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References:

• Microsoft storage quotas
• Microsoft storage FAQs
• What is Microsoft cloud storage?