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How to easily free up OneDrive storage space

When OneDrive storage is full, files stop syncing and Outlook may miss emails with attachments. To avoid that, you'll need to quickly free up some OneDrive storage to make room for new files and emails. This article will show you how to do it!

1. Delete OneDrive's Recycle Bin

When you delete a file from your OneDrive account, it sends the file to the Recycle Bin. Because files in the Recycle Bin count toward OneDrive storage, regular cleaning is necessary. While OneDrive keeps deleted files in the Recycle Bin for 30 days, you can delete them manually to free up some space immediately.

To empty the Recycle Bin, right-click the OneDrive icon on the Windows taskbar (lower right corner), then select Recycle Bin. If you don't have the desktop app, sign in to OneDrive web, then click the Recycle Bin icon in the left navigation pane.

OneDrive home screen on Windows 11
OneDrive home screen on Windows 11

Scroll through the items in the Recycle Bin one at a time to make sure you don't delete any important items. To delete all items, click options Empty recycle bin below the search bar at the top. Otherwise, you can select each item and click Delete to delete permanently.

Recycle Bin on OneDrive Web with Empty Recycle Bin option
Recycle Bin on OneDrive Web with Empty Recycle Bin option

You can also do this using the OneDrive app on your phone. In the Android version of the app, go to the tab Me from the bottom and press Recycle Bin. Then choose Delete ALL to empty the Recycle Bin. On iOS, tap the profile icon in the top left corner, select Recycle Binselect all the files you want to delete, then click Delete.

2. Delete large and unnecessary files

Once the Recycle Bin has been emptied, let's find out which items take up the most space using options Manage storage in OneDrive. To determine which items are taking up a lot of space, right-click the icon OneDrive on the taskbar and select Settings. In the bottom left corner, click Manage Storage. This will open your OneDrive account on the web.

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Manage Storage options in Windows 11
Manage Storage options in Windows 11

If you don't have the desktop app, sign in to OneDrive web, click Settings (gear icon) in the upper right corner and select Options in OneDrive settings.

OneDrive web home screen with the Settings pane open
OneDrive web home screen with the Settings pane open

The Storage summary page shows OneDrive storage used by Outlook files and attachments. Click the OneDrive link and wait for it to populate the screen with your files and folders.

OneDrive storage management screen on the web
OneDrive storage management screen on the web

By default, OneDrive sorts the list by the largest files in your account. The idea is to find large but less important files that you can delete or move somewhere else.

Back up files to local drive

Deleting a file from your OneDrive account on the web will also delete it from the OneDrive folder on your computer or smartphone, and vice versa. So, if you have a file or folder in OneDrive that you no longer want to store in the cloud but still keep a copy on your computer, you'll need to move the file out of the OneDrive folder before deleting.

To create a backup, double-click the OneDrive icon on the taskbar to open the OneDrive folder. Browse through files and folders, select any files you want to back up, press Ctrl + C to copy that file, then move that file to another folder on the drive.

Now, in OneDrive web, select all the files you want to delete and click Delete in the top left corner. Click Delete again to confirm action. After deleting the files, empty the Recycle Bin again to permanently delete them and reclaim storage space. If you cannot delete some files, refer to Quantrimang.com's instructions to fix problems deleting files in OneDrive.

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Largest files in your OneDrive screen with all files selected
Largest files in your OneDrive screen with all files selected

Remember that photos can also take up your OneDrive storage space. To clean up your photo library, open preferences Photos In the left pane, select all the images you don't want to keep and click Delete.

3. Optimize OneDrive sync settings

By default, OneDrive backs up standard folders on your computer, incl Documents, Desktop and Pictures. By optimizing OneDrive sync settings, you can ensure that only important items are stored in the cloud. To enable selective sync, follow these steps:

a. Right click on the icon OneDrive on the taskbar and select Settings.

OneDrive Settings option on the computer
OneDrive Settings option on the computer

b. Go to tab Sync and Backup and click Manage Backups on the right.

The OneDrive settings screen has a Manage Backup option
The OneDrive settings screen has a Manage Backup option

c. Turn off all switches for folders you no longer want to back up.

Microsoft OneDrive backup management options
Microsoft OneDrive backup management options

d. Click Stop backup when you get the dialog Are you sure you want to stop backup folder?. Then click Close.

Microsoft OneDrive Stop backup dialog box
Microsoft OneDrive Stop backup dialog box

Avoid saving any unimportant and large files in the Documents folder for easy access. OneDrive will sync all the files in these folders, eventually filling up your cloud storage space in no time. Disciplined file management is key to effectively managing limited cloud storage space.

4. Optimize email attachments

Outlook email attachments now count toward OneDrive storage instead of Outlook email storage. For a working professional, email attachments can add up quickly, taking up the meager 5GB of free storage OneDrive offers. Eventually, emails with attachments will no longer be available because there is no space to store them.

One solution to this problem is to delete large attachments from Outlook. Unfortunately, you cannot delete attachments without deleting the email itself. So, save any important information and attachments to your local hard drive or other cloud storage service before cleaning up your attachments.

To delete email attachments, open OneDrive on the web, click Settings in the upper right corner and select Options. In Manage storageclick the link Outlook (Attachments).

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The Manage storage screen of OneDrive on the web has an Outlook (Attachments) option
The Manage storage screen of OneDrive on the web has an Outlook (Attachments) option

This will open your Outlook account and display all emails with attachments. Review and select emails with attachments that you think are safe to delete and click on Delete.

Outlook email attachment deletion screen
Outlook email attachment deletion screen

Now, open the tab Deleted Items In the left pane, select all items and click Delete to empty the trash.

5. Move files to external storage or another cloud service

If your OneDrive storage is running low, you should back up your data to an external storage drive. External hard drives or USB flash drives are reliable ways to back up large amounts of data locally.

Another solution is to move your files to another cloud storage service, like Google Drive, which offers 15GB of free storage. If you need more storage, you can sign up for Google One, starting at $1.99/month for 100GB of storage plus other benefits.

6. Consider upgrading your hosting plan

If you stick with OneDrive, consider upgrading your storage plan. Microsoft doesn't offer any premium OneDrive plans but does offer additional storage with Microsoft 365 plans.

For example, the basic Microsoft 365 plan offers 100GB of storage for $19.99/year along with other benefits like ad-free Outlook access, and access to Office apps on the web and devices mobile, file and photo protection from OneDrive ransomware, and access to Microsoft support.

If you need more storage, the Microsoft 365 Personal plan costs you $6.99/month for 1TB of storage and access to premium desktop apps, including Office, Clipchamp, Teams, Microsoft Defender, etc..

Hopefully, with the tips this article suggests, you won't have to upgrade your OneDrive storage. With storage management best practices, you can prevent your OneDrive storage from filling up quickly.

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