When you delete items in OneDrive, they are sent to your OneDrive's recycle bin and are kept for 93 days before they are permanently deleted from OneDrive.
If you decide to empty your recycle bin, the items are sent to a second-stage recycle bin and kept for the remainder of the 93 days before they are permanently deleted.
Both recycle bins use up OneDrive storage. To permanently delete the items and free up storage space, you can emptyyour second-stage recycle bin:
- In OneDrive, select 'Recycle bin'.
- Click the 'Second-stage recycle bin' link at the bottom of the page.
- Select the items, then click 'Delete' to permanently delete them.
In addition to your recycle bins, if you modify or delete any items within the recycle bin during the 93 day retention period, a copy of the original content is created in a Preservation Hold Library. The copy is kept as a backup for up to 37 days. If it's no longer required, it will be sent to a second-stage recycle bin where it will be permanently deleted after 60 days.
This second-stage recycle bin is not visible to you, but consumes OneDrive storage.
If you are still needing to free up space, you can submit an IT request for these items to be permanently deleted from the second-stage recycle bin.
Visit the Microsoft website for further information about OneDrive file retention.
FAQs
You'll need to delete some files or buy more storage. Your files will be read-only, but you can download or delete files to get back under your storage limit. View Manage your OneDrive storage to empty your Recycle bin and see what's taking up space. View Upgrades to see what plans and offers are available to you.
What do I do when OneDrive storage is full? ›
Click the OneDrive taskbar/menu bar icon and open OneDrive > Settings > Account > Choose folders to make sure you don't sync any unwanted files to your computer. Empty the OneDrive Recycle bin. Re-install OneDrive and turn off the sync. Delete unnecessary files from the OneDrive Web and empty the Recycle Bin.
How do I force OneDrive to free up space? ›
How can I free up space if my OneDrive is full?
- In OneDrive, select 'Recycle bin'.
- Click the 'Second-stage recycle bin' link at the bottom of the page.
- Select the items, then click 'Delete' to permanently delete them.
Delete files or folders in OneDrive
- On your taskbar, select File Explorer. .
- Select your OneDrive folder, select the items you want to delete, and press the Delete key on your keyboard.
Windows 10 Storage Sense works with OneDrive to automatically free up space by making locally available OneDrive files that you aren't using anymore online-only again.
How to free up space on OneDrive without deleting files? ›
If you need more space, you can change the file back to online only. Just right-click the file and select “Free up space.” With Storage Sense turned on, these files will become online-only files after the time period you've selected.
Does deleting files from OneDrive delete from computer? ›
3 Ways to Delete Files from OneDrive But Not Computer. OneDrive uses two-way sync to sync files between OneDrive and the devices, so if you delete files from OneDrive, these files will be also deleted on the connected devices, like Windows computer, Mac, Android, iPhone/iPad, etc.
Why is OneDrive not giving me the option to free up space? ›
OneDrive may not offer the option to free up space due to insufficient files or outdated software. Ensure files are synced, update the OneDrive app, and check for available storage. If the issue persists, contact Microsoft support for assistance.
Why does OneDrive take up space on my hard drive? ›
If you're seeing that OneDrive is consuming a large amount of space on your hard drive, there may be a few reasons for this. One possibility is that you have selected to keep all of your files and folders available offline, which would cause them to be downloaded to your device and take up space on your hard drive.
Why is my OneDrive full with nothing in it? ›
"Why does my OneDrive keep filling up and I always get the 'your OneDrive is full but it's not' message?" This is usually caused by OneDrive program errors, server recognition errors, and server connection errors.
When you delete a file from OneDrive, it isn't instantly removed. Rather, it is moved to the recycle bin. To truly destroy the file you need to empty the recycle bin. Open the recycle bin by clicking on it (in the left navigation panel, see picture above).
What is the max free storage for OneDrive? ›
OneDrive also works as the storage backend of the web version of Microsoft 365 / Office. OneDrive offers 5 GB of storage space free of charge, with 100 GB, 1 TB, and 6 TB storage options available either separately or with Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
How do I adjust OneDrive settings? ›
To open the OneDrive mobile app settings:
- Select the Me icon. (Android) or your Profile picture (iOS).
- Tap Settings and choose from: Accounts (you can only have one Personal account active). Options includes turning camera roll on or off, notification settings, device security, and Personal Vault settings.
Change a user's storage space in the Microsoft 365 admin center
- In the left pane, select Users > Active users.
- Select the user.
- Select the OneDrive tab.
- Under Storage used select Edit.
- Select the Maximum storage for this user option, and type the storage limit that you want to use.
- Select Save.
Turn on Storage Sense
Storage Sense will only set files to online-only until there's enough space freed for Windows to run smoothly, so you can keep your files available locally as much as possible.
