Using Microsoft 365 A1 Faculty subscription

Microsoft 365 A1 provides a maximum of 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user, so the 5,120-GB organization default shown in the portal cannot raise this A1 user above 1 TB unless Microsoft 365 OneDrive Storage is enabled for the tenant.

The displayed values are not additional storage currently available to this user:

• 1,024 GB is the effective limit imposed by the Microsoft 365 A1 license.
• 5,120 GB is your organization’s configured default, but the assigned-license limit takes precedence.
• 10,240 GB in the disabled field is not an entitlement and cannot be applied under the current configuration.

Microsoft documents the precedence as: assigned-license limit, user-specific limit, then tenant or security-group limit. A user-specific limit normally cannot exceed the assigned-license limit.^1^ Microsoft 365 A1 itself provides up to 1 TB per user.^2^

Options for increasing this user’s storage

1. If Microsoft 365 OneDrive Storage is enabled for your tenant This is a documented exception that permits an administrator to set a user’s limit above the storage included with the license.^3^ After confirming through Microsoft 365 billing or support that this offering is available and enabled for your Education tenant:
   1. Go to Microsoft 365 admin center → Users → Active users.
   2. Select the user.
   3. Open OneDrive.
   4. Under Storage used, select Edit.
   5. Select Maximum storage for this user.
   6. Enter the higher quota and select Save.
2. Otherwise, assign a qualifying higher-entitlement license Microsoft 365/Office 365 A3 and A5 provide up to 1 TB by default and, for qualifying subscriptions with at least five users, up to 5 TB per user.^2^ After assigning the qualifying license, allow up to 48 hours for license or tenant-limit changes to appear, then set the individual quota again.^1^
3. If a qualifying license or OneDrive Storage is already enabled but the setting still reverts Open a service request from the Microsoft 365 admin center. The automated quota diagnostic documented for other tenants is unavailable for Microsoft 365 Education, so support is the appropriate escalation path.^3^

Check the Education pooled-storage limit

A higher individual quota also requires enough capacity in the tenant’s shared Education storage pool:

1. Go to Microsoft 365 admin center → Reports → Storage → Overview.
2. Review total entitlement and usage across OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange.
3. Under Storage usage by product, review OneDrive’s largest consumers.

Education pooled-storage licenses add capacity to the tenant pool, but that pooled contribution does not directly increase an individual user’s OneDrive license limit.^2^ This is distinct from Microsoft 365 OneDrive Storage, which—when available and enabled—can permit a per-user quota above the included license storage.

Immediate space recovery

Until the entitlement is changed, open OneDrive on the web and select Storage used in the lower-left corner to find and remove the largest unnecessary files. Recycle Bin contents also count toward the quota.^4^

Before emptying the Recycle Bin, restore or back up anything required; emptying it may make those files permanently unrecoverable.

References

1. Pooled storage management
2. Office 365 Education service description
3. Change a specific user's OneDrive storage space
4. My OneDrive says it's full