OneDrive storage remains at 98 percent after emptying both recycle bins

정건(Gun Jung) 0 Reputation points
2026-10-08T06:00:03.7833333+00:00

Hello,

My OneDrive storage usage remains at 98 percent even after I deleted unnecessary files and emptied both the first-stage and second-stage recycle bins.

I have already checked the following:

  1. The first-stage recycle bin is empty.
  2. The second-stage recycle bin is empty.
  3. Large and unnecessary files have been deleted.
  4. I signed out and signed back in.
  5. I refreshed the OneDrive web page.
  6. The storage usage still remains at 98 percent.

Could the storage be occupied by file version history, a Preservation Hold Library, a retention policy, or other hidden data?

Please advise how I can:

  1. Check the detailed storage usage.
  2. Check whether a Preservation Hold Library exists.
  3. Check and delete unnecessary file version history.
  4. Force OneDrive to recalculate the storage usage.
  5. Determine whether an administrator needs to check a retention policy or eDiscovery hold.

This is a OneDrive for Business account. Both recycle bins are empty, but the storage warning is still displayed.

Thank you.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For business | Other
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  1. Hin Vo 1,440 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-08T07:03:26.68+00:00

    Hi @정건(Gun Jung)

    To check Preservation Hold Library, you may try the following steps:

    Open OneDrive for Business in a web browser.

    Go to Settings > OneDrive settings.

    If available, select Return to classic OneDrive.

    Open Settings again and select Site contents.

    Review whether a Preservation Hold Library is listed. A Preservation Hold Library can be created when retention settings are applied and may continue consuming storage even after files have been deleted.

    If you are unable to locate the Preservation Hold Library, this does not necessarily mean that one does not exist. Depending on the current OneDrive experience or your permissions, it may not be visible from the available interface.

    As this is a OneDrive for Business account, I would recommend contacting your current Microsoft 365 or SharePoint administrator and asking them to review the OneDrive site's Storage Metrics to identify what is currently consuming the reported storage, any retention policies or retention labels are applied to the OneDrive site, the site is subject to an eDiscovery hold or other retention-related hold and if Preservation Hold Library exists and is contributing to the storage usage.

    You may refer to the following documentation for additional information:

    OneDrive Usage report

    Learn about retention for SharePoint and OneDrive

    Manage holds in eDiscovery

    For version history, you could follow these steps:

    Open OneDrive on the web > Locate a large file.

    Right-click the file (or select the three dots).

    Select Version history.

    Review whether the file contains a large number of previous versions, as version history can contribute to storage consumption. If appropriate, unnecessary versions may be removed.

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    If you have any additional concerns, feel free to comment below. I would be more than happy to assist. 

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