What to Do When Your OneDrive is Out of Storage Space?5 Tips

Do you know how to free up space on OneDrive without deleting files when your OneDrive is out of storage space? Scroll down to find answers to the question.

Jonna

by Jonna Lasted Updated February 3, 2023

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Your OneDrive is Out of Storage Space Email

Received an email saying your OneDrive is full and asking you to upgrade your account or delete OneDrive files? In fact, the 5GB of OneDrive free storage space can easily be filled with all kinds of files. If you are using OneDrive 1TB cloud storage or a higher storage plan, you can easily run out of storage space without even realizing it.

Your OneDrive is Full

How to free up space when your OneDrive is out of storage space? If you are struggling with this problem, you are in the right place. Here we will show how do I free up space on my OneDrive.

Does it Matter If OneDrive is Full?

What happens if my OneDrive is full? You will not be able to upload any new files to OneDrive cloud storage once you hit your limit. And, changed files on OneDrive will not be synced between your devices. Your existing files will remain but will be read only.

If the OneDrive subscribed storage you are using is about to run out or the free bonus storage space expires, you could continue accessing your data. If you exceed your OneDrive storage limit for an extended period of time, the system will freeze your account until more storage is purchased or the cloud space is freed up.

Why Does it Say my OneDrive is Full When it's Not?

Are you surprised that OneDrive says your account is full but it’s not? If you have checked your OneDrive storage limit and have enough storage space, there are some common reasons for OneDrive saying full but not.

  • OneDrive server connection errors.
  • OneDrive program bugs.
  • Wrong/poor Internet problem.
  • Installation issues.

You can unlink and relink your OneDrive accounts from PC, reset OneDrive, and uninstall and reinstall OneDrive to resolve this issue.

How to Free up Space When Your OneDrive is Out of Storage Space

What to do when OneDrive storage is full? Upgrading the account can be expensive. Though OneDrive provides you with more space through referrals and other bonuses, it's just a drop in the bucket. How do I free up space on OneDrive without deleting files? You can try the following five tips.

Tip 1. Empty OneDrive Recycle Bin

When you delete files from OneDrive, OneDrive recycle bin will save your deleted files or folders until they are automatically removed by the system. Sometimes, deleted files in recycle bin would take up a lot of storage space. In this case, you could empty recycle bin to fix the “your OneDrive is full” issue.

Step 1. Go to the OneDrive website, and sign in with your account.

Step 2. Click Recycle Bin on the left side, and tap Empty recycle bin. Then, click Yes to confirm the operation.

Empty OneDrive Recycle Bin

Tip 2. Remove Versions of Large Documents

OneDrive comes with version control for documents, which allows you to see different saved versions if you need to. But old versions of large files will occupy cloud storage. You can check versions for large documents, and remove old and useless versions.

Step 1. On the OneDrive web version, right-click the file, and select Version History.

OneDrive Version History

Step 2. Click the version you want to delete and hit Delete Version.

OneDrive Delete Version

Tip 3. Move Shared Files to SharePoint

There are times that folders shared with you are making your own account over storage. If you don’t want to remove them, you could move them to SharePoint to make room in your OneDrive and release OneDrive out of space.

Step 1. On the main page of OneDrive web, select the files you want to move to SharePoint, and click Move To.

Step 2. Choose the site that you have followed. Then, these shared documents will be deleted from your OneDrive in the process.

Move Shared Files to Sharepoint Site

Tip 4. Increase OneDrive Storage by Merging Multiple Accounts

This can make sense if you have multiple OneDrive accounts - using CBackup to merge clouds for free. CBackup is a professional yet simple-to-use cloud backup tool that allows you to automatically back up and sync data to clouds, like OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, CBackup Cloud, etc.

With this backup software, you can combine multiple OneDrive accounts, or merge OneDrive and Google Drive clouds to increase cloud storage. You can follow the guide below to break OneDrive storage limit free now.

Step 1. Download and install the CBackup desktop app. Create a CBackup account for free and sign in.

Download CBackupWin 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download

Step 2. Tap on Storage, choose OneDrive, and hit Authorize Now. Then, follow the on-screen guide to sign in and allow CBackup to access your OneDrive storage. Repeat the steps to add all your accounts.

Select OneDrive

Step 3. After adding, all your added accounts are listed here. Click on the + Add Combined Cloud.

My Storage New Combined Cloud

Step 4. Check the clouds that you want to combine, and click Next. Choose the order for your cloud accounts, and hit Combine.

Tick All OneDrive Accounts

Then you can enjoy this combined huge space by clicking Backup > Backup PC to Combine Cloud to save data on it.

Backup PC to Combined Cloud

Tip 5. Move OneDrive Files to Other Clouds

Moving OneDrive files to another cloud and deleting files on OneDrive to free up space is a good method to resolve “your OneDrive is out of storage space” as well.

The Cloud to Cloud Backup feature of CBackup lets you transfer files from OneDrive cloud to another seamlessly. You are able to move files from OneDrive to another account, and migrate OneDrive to Dropbox, Google Drive, FTP/SFTP, and more with ease. Let’s say backup OneDrive to Google Drive:

Step 1. Run the CBackup program and log in.

Step 2. Click + Add Cloud under the Storage tab, and select Google Drive to complete the access authorization.

Add Google Drive

Step 3. Click Backup and then select Backup Public Cloud to Public Cloud to create a new cloud backup task.

Create Cloud Backup Task

Step 4. Choose OneDrive files and folder under Source, and choose Google Drive under Destination. At last, press Start Backup to migrate OneDrive files to Google Drive. Then, you can remove OneDrive files but save them on Google Drive.

Backup OneDrive to Google Drive

Tips: CBackup offers a Cloud to Cloud Sync function that enables you to synchronize OneDrive to Google Drive and other cloud drives without downloading and uploading.

Conclusion

Hopefully, the tips on this page can assist you to solve the “your OneDrive is out of storage space” issue. You could choose the solution that you prefer to free up space on OneDrive or increase OneDrive storage.

We highly recommend you use CBackup to combine clouds to get OneDrive 1TB or more storage at no cost or backup OneDrive files to other clouds. Just download it to give it a try!

Jonna
Jonna · Editor
Jonna becomes a professional in the areas of cloud backup and restoration, data protection, etc. after years of learning and researching. She maintains a keen eye for the latest technology trends, ensuring that the information provided is always in step with industry developments.

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