How to check your Microsoft Outlook and OneDrive free space

Overview

Microsoft Office 365 provides storage for both email (Outlook mailbox) and OneDrive files. This article explains how to check how much space you are using and how much is still available for each service.


Check Your Outlook (Email) Storage Space

Option 1: Outlook on the Web (Recommended)

  1. Open a web browser and go to:
    https://outlook.office.com
  2. Sign in with your Office 365 email and password.
  3. In the top-right corner, click the ⚙️ Settings icon.
  4. Select View all Outlook settings.
  5. Go to:
    General → Storage
  6. Your mailbox storage usage will be displayed, including:
    • Total storage used
    • Total storage available
    • Folder‑by‑folder breakdown (Inbox, Sent Items, Deleted Items, etc.)

✅ This is the most accurate and up‑to‑date view of your email storage.

Option 2: Outlook Desktop App (Windows)

Note: The desktop app does not always show exact server quota, but can give a general idea.

  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Click File in the top‑left corner.
  3. Select Account Settings → Account Settings.
  4. Click the Data Files tab.
  5. Your mailbox size may be displayed here, depending on account type.

⚠️ If storage is not shown, use Option 1 instead.



Check Your OneDrive Storage Space

Using OneDrive on the Web (Recommended)

  1. Go to:
    https://onedrive.live.com or https://www.office.com
  2. Sign in with your Office 365 portal email username  (i.e. - r0987654
  3. Open OneDrive from the app launcher (waffle icon).
  4. In the bottom‑left corner of the page, click Storage
    (or look near the bottom for a usage bar)

You will see:

  • Total storage used
  • Total storage available
  • A breakdown by file type (documents, photos, etc.)


Typical Storage Limits (May Vary)

Service Typical Limit
Outlook Mailbox 50 GB
OneDrive 1 TB

Storage limits are set by your organization and may be higher or lower.


What to Do If You’re Running Out of Space

For Email

  • Empty Deleted Items
  • Empty Junk Email
  • Search for large emails with attachments and delete or save them elsewhere
  • Archive old emails

For OneDrive

  • Delete unnecessary files
  • Empty the Recycle Bin
  • Move large files to shared drives if available
Print Article