Storage for One Drive

Charles James 0 Reputation points
2026-10-03T21:13:01.8033333+00:00

Why is Windows One Drive telling me that I have 5GB of storage instead of 1.1TB of storage?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows
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  1. AI answer

    2026-10-03T21:13:15.96+00:00

    Common reasons OneDrive shows 5 GB instead of about 1 TB are:

    1. The account is using the free quota rather than the subscription storage.
      • Free Microsoft accounts include 5 GB of cloud storage.
      • Microsoft 365 Personal and Family include 1 TB of file storage.
    2. The subscription is not active or renewal failed.
      • If a subscription expires or renewal fails, the OneDrive quota can drop.
      • Check the Microsoft account Services page to confirm the subscription is active.
    3. The storage upgrade has not updated yet.
      • Storage changes can take time to appear.
      • Refresh Manage storage and allow up to 24 hours for the quota to update.
    4. For Microsoft 365 Family, the invitation may not have been fully accepted.
      • Each shared person gets their own 1 TB quota only after accepting the invitation.
      • In that case, refresh Manage storage and allow about 2 hours for the change to appear.
    5. The OneDrive app may be out of sync with the account state.
      • If the correct storage appears online but not in Windows, unlink and relink the OneDrive account.

    Practical checks:

    1. Open Manage storage and verify the quota shown there.
    2. Open the Microsoft account Services page and confirm the Microsoft 365 subscription is active.
    3. If the subscription was just purchased, renewed, or shared, wait and refresh the storage page.
    4. If the web page shows the correct storage but Windows still shows 5 GB, unlink and relink OneDrive in the desktop app.

    If the account is a Microsoft 365 Basic or Personal subscription, storage cannot be shared with others. Only Microsoft 365 Family can share subscription benefits, and each invited person gets a separate 1 TB allocation.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Bulldog 4,765 Reputation points
    2026-10-03T21:33:47.96+00:00

    Remember: You don't buy additional storage ... your Microsoft account buys (and pays for) additional storage.

    The additional storage goes to the OneDrive in the Microsoft account that paid for the storage.

    So:

    The OneDrive in a Microsoft account that didn't pay for additional storage get 5GB.

    The OneDrive in a Microsoft account that did pay for additional storage gets additional storage.

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  3. John Jefferson Doyon 88,935 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-03T21:51:30.03+00:00

    Hi, @Charles James

    Have you already checked which Microsoft account OneDrive is signed into on the PC?

    Please also sign in here with the same Microsoft account and check whether your Microsoft 365 subscription is active:

    https://account.microsoft.com/services

    If the subscription is active there and shows the expected storage, try unlinking and then relinking OneDrive to the PC using the same Microsoft account:

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/unlink-and-re-link-onedrive

    If it still shows only 5 GB afterward, please let me know whether the email address shown in OneDrive matches the account listed on the Services page.

    Click "Add comment" to let me know.

    Thanks!

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    1 person found this answer helpful.

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