Managing personal Outlook.com account settings, security, and privacy
If the message says “Quota Exceeded,” “Mailbox full,” or “Microsoft Unified Storage is full,” restore Outlook by signing in and either permanently deleting enough stored content or purchasing additional storage.
If you can sign in
- Open Outlook.com and sign in with the complete
@live.comaddress. - Select Settings (gear) → Account → Storage.
- Review which folders consume the most space.
- Permanently delete unneeded messages, especially large messages and attachments.
- Empty Deleted Items afterward. Messages there continue to count toward the storage quota. You can also select messages and press Shift+Delete to delete them permanently.
- If Microsoft cloud storage—not only email storage—is full, remove unnecessary OneDrive files and empty the OneDrive recycle bin, or purchase additional storage.
Microsoft documents that a full mailbox or Microsoft cloud-storage quota prevents Outlook.com from sending and receiving email. Mail sent to you while over quota is returned to the sender and must be resent after storage is available again.^1^
If you prefer to pay rather than delete content, use the upgrade/subscription option shown in the Storage page. A paid Microsoft 365 subscription increases the Outlook.com mailbox allowance; the increase becomes available shortly after the paid subscription starts.^1^
Deleting messages is permanent when using Shift+Delete, so save anything important first.
If the sign-in page specifically says the account is locked
Storage cleanup cannot be performed until access is restored:
- Sign in at https://account.microsoft.com.
- Complete the identity or “Let’s prove you’re human” prompts.
- If the page displays a link beginning with
aka.ms/for account reinstatement, select that exact link and submit the requested form. - Submit only one reinstatement request and wait for the response by email; repeated submissions can delay review.^2^
If it is a temporary Outlook.com security block, Microsoft’s documented procedure is to reset the password and complete the security-code verification.^3^
If you still cannot sign in
Use the Microsoft account sign-in helper. If it cannot resolve the problem, open Microsoft Support, choose the personal-account option, describe “Outlook.com personal account locked and storage exceeded,” and select Get Help or the offered contact option.^4^
Do not post your full email address, password, payment-card details, or verification codes in this public forum. Support agents cannot manually disclose or change account details; account ownership must be verified through Microsoft’s recovery process.
References