I can't delete anything from my OneDrive.

Veronica-6737 30 Reputation points
2026-02-26T11:03:09.61+00:00

I have received a notification that my storage limit has been exceeded.

I have attempted to delete some files to free up space, but unfortunately, the files are not being deleted. Despite several attempts, the storage issue remains unresolved.

Please help me! I've already did a back up of all my files.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For business | Windows

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Alexis-NG 18,075 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-02-26T19:54:38.3733333+00:00

Hi @Veronica,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A Forum.

I understand how disruptive this issue can be to your workflow.

When a OneDrive for Business account exceeds its storage quota, Microsoft automatically places it in a read‑only state. In this mode, files cannot be deleted because OneDrive needs available space to move items into the Recycle Bin during deletion. This behavior is intentional, and many users experience it when their storage limit is exceeded.

Although your administrator has increased your OneDrive storage quota, the change may not take effect right away. Quota updates can take time to fully propagate across the service. Until OneDrive detects that the account is back under its limit, deletion actions will continue to be blocked.

Furthermore, please note that your administrator should follow this instruction

Change a specific user's OneDrive storage space - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn and upgrade the OneDrive storage for you. Simply adding another license is not sufficient.

At this point, there isn’t much you can do as an end user. It’s best to wait 24–48 hours for OneDrive to process the updated quota and recognize the newly available space.

Once OneDrive registers the free space, you should be able to delete files and empty the Recycle Bin normally.

After cleanup is completed, your administrator can safely reduce the quota again if needed. This includes cleaning up the second‑stage Recycle Bin as part of the process.

If the quota increase has already been applied but the account still shows as over the limit, your administrator may need to open a support ticket with Microsoft for backend verification, as this can require intervention beyond tenant‑level controls. They can reach out to Microsoft Support through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center so Microsoft can collect logs and investigate. 

Microsoft also provides customer service phone numbers based on your region. You can find the appropriate contact number here: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support 

This route ensures that a Microsoft support engineer can initiate a remote session to investigate backend configurations, run advanced diagnostic tools, and, if necessary, escalate the case to specialized teams with access to internal systems and logs. These backend resources are essential for resolving issues that go beyond what’s visible in the user interface.

As community moderators, we’re here to guide you, but due to privacy and security limitations, we don’t have access to the backend tools required for a full resolution. For this reason, contacting Microsoft Support via the Admin Center is the most secure and efficient way forward.

 

You did the right thing by backing up your files first. Please coordinate with your administrator to apply a temporary quota increase and allow OneDrive to fully update.

 

I hope this helps you resolve the issue quickly. I’m glad to assist and truly hope the information provided has been useful. Please feel free to reach out anytime if you need further assistance.  

If you find my post helpful, kindly consider marking it as the accepted answer. Doing so can assist others in the community who may have similar questions in finding solutions more quickly.  

Thank you for your kindness and contributions to the forum.

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  1. Veronica-6737 30 Reputation points
    2026-02-26T18:28:47.0933333+00:00

    I still can't delete any file.

    My administrator increased the OneDrive site quota but it still says i'm over the limit.

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    2 people found this answer helpful.
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  2. AI answer

    2026-02-26T11:03:36.4466667+00:00

    Follow these steps to free up space when items in OneDrive are not deleting as expected.

    1. Confirm what counts against storage
      • OneDrive storage includes:
        • All files and folders stored in OneDrive.
        • Items in the OneDrive Recycle Bin.
      • Even if files look “deleted” from normal folders, they still consume space until removed from the OneDrive Recycle Bin.
    2. Delete files and then empty the OneDrive Recycle Bin (web)
      1. Go to the OneDrive website and sign in with the affected account.
      2. Delete files/folders:
        • Select the files or folders to remove.
        • Select Delete on the top bar (or right‑click > Delete).
      3. Open the Recycle bin in OneDrive (left navigation).
      4. Select Empty recycle bin (or select specific items and delete them).
      5. Wait a short time; there may be a delay before freed space appears in the storage quota.
    3. If files still won’t delete If some items refuse to delete, typical causes are:
      • Lack of permission (for shared or SharePoint-based content).
      • Retention labels/policies.
      • Site or account storage limits.
      For stubborn items in OneDrive for Business/SharePoint:
      1. Ensure the item is not checked out to another user.
      2. Ensure the account has permission to delete the item; if not, ask a site collection administrator to delete it.
      3. If retention policies are applied, files or folders may be protected from deletion. In that case, move or delete files that are not under retention, or ask an administrator to review the retention configuration.
      4. If the underlying SharePoint site has exceeded its storage limit, an administrator may need to increase the site quota before deletions are processed.
    4. Check storage status and, if needed, buy more storage
      • Sign in to OneDrive and view Storage used or Manage your OneDrive storage to see what is taking space and confirm that the Recycle Bin is empty.
      • If still over quota after cleanup, either delete more large files or purchase additional storage. Note that after deleting from both OneDrive and its Recycle Bin, it can take some time for the new quota usage to show.
    5. If still stuck
      • After verifying permissions, retention, and Recycle Bin, and if the site/account is still over quota and items cannot be deleted, escalate to the Microsoft 365/SharePoint administrator to:
        • Check for retention policies blocking deletion.
        • Increase the SharePoint/OneDrive site quota if needed.
        • Use SharePoint PnP PowerShell to force-delete problematic items if they cannot be removed via the UI.

    References:

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