Are you also struggling with SharePoint Online Storage Quota Exceeded? Many users face the daunting issue of exceeding their storage limits which leads to disruptions and frustration. This article aims to tackle the most common questions about managing and troubleshooting your SharePoint Online storage limit issue effectively.
SharePoint Online is a component of Office 365 that offers organizations a secure and adaptable platform for creating and managing websites. It provides a central repository for storing, organizing, sharing, and accessing data from anywhere with an internet connection.
Unlike traditional storage systems, SharePoint Online automatically allocates storage space based on the needs of individual site collections. This eliminates the need for administrators to manually allocate or reallocate resources, ensuring efficient resource utilization.
However, each site collection is assigned a maximum storage limit of 25 terabytes (TB) to prevent excessive consumption. But as per today’s alarming usage of SharePoint needs more storage.
So, let’s start discussing how to get to rid of this issue. But before that, let’s take a look at the different storage plans of SharePoint Online.
Understand SharePoint Online Storage Plans
In this section, we will be discussing various Office 365 SharePoint storage limits. However, SharePoint Online is included in Office 365.
| Plan | Included Storage | Additional Storage Cost | Features | Target Users |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | 1 TB + 10 GB per user | Additional storage available for purchase | Basic SharePoint features
Integration with Teams and Exchange Web-based Office apps |
Small to medium-sized businesses seeking essential features at a lower cost. |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard | 1 TB + 10 GB per user | Additional storage available for purchase | Includes all Business Basic features
Desktop versions of Office apps Advanced email features |
Small to medium-sized businesses need both basic and advanced features. |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium | 1 TB + 10 GB per user | Additional storage available for purchase | Includes all Business Standard features
Advanced security features Device management tools |
Small to medium-sized businesses require enhanced security and compliance. |
| Office 365 E1 | 1 TB + 10 GB per user | Additional storage available for purchase | Basic SharePoint features
Online versions of Office apps An email with Exchange Online |
Large organizations need core collaboration tools with cost-effective options. |
| Office 365 E3 | 1 TB + 10 GB per user | Additional storage available for purchase | Includes all E1 features
Desktop versions of Office apps Advanced data governance Compliance tools |
Medium to large organizations needing comprehensive features and compliance solutions. |
| Office 365 E5 | 1 TB + 10 GB per user | Additional storage available for purchase | Includes all E3 features
Advanced analytics with Power BI Enhanced security and compliance Voice capabilities with Phone System |
Large enterprises need advanced features, analytics, and robust |
After Going through this table one thing we can understand is SharePoint Offers different storage plans for different sizes of organizations. Let’s understand how we can troubleshoot the SharePoint Online storage limit exceeded problem.
Troubleshoot: SharePoint Online Storage Quota Exceeded
SharePoint Online has several limitations that users need to be aware of:
- List and Library Limits – Various column types have different constraints for storing the data.
- Page Limits – You can add up to 25 Web Parts on a single web page.
- Security Limits – Different security features have their limits.
When the storage quota for SharePoint Online is exceeded, it can cause disruptions and limit functionality. By following the below step you can easily manage the storage limit. However, we are Suggesting 7 top methods to troubleshoot this problem.
Method 1. Utilize the Pooled Storage Model
SharePoint Online offers a pooled storage model that simplifies storage management. By setting the storage management to automatic, SharePoint Online will reset the previous limits on Site collections to 1 TB. This feature is available by default for new Office 365 customers.
Steps to Enable Automatic Storage Management:
- Sign in to your Office 365 admin account.
- Access the SharePoint Admin Center.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Site Collection Storage Management and choose Automatic.
- Click OK.
Method 2. Manage Site Collection Storage Individually
If you prefer to allocate specific storage limits for each site collection, you can set storage management to manual. This allows you to define storage limits individually whenever the SharePoint Online storage quota exceeded issue persists.
Important: SharePoint Online calculates storage in gigabytes (GB), not megabytes (MB). This method does not impact the total storage available in SharePoint Online.
Steps to Set Manual Storage Management:
Step 1. Firstly, sign in to Office 365 with your SharePoint Online admin account.
Step 2. Secondly, go to the Admin Center and select SharePoint.
Step 3. Thirdly, navigate to Settings.
Step 4. Lastly, choose Site Collection Storage Management and select Manual.
Step 5. Finally, click OK.
Steps to Set Storage Limits:
- Sign in to Office 365 with your SharePoint Online admin account.
- Go to Admin and select SharePoint.
- Navigate to Site Collections and choose the desired site collection.
- Click Storage Quota.
- Enter the maximum number of gigabytes (GB) to allocate to the site collection.
- To receive alerts when approaching the storage limit, check the box to send an email to admins and set a percentage threshold for notifications.
- Click Save.
Method 3. Backup Office 365 SharePoint Data
When facing storage limits, you can back up your data to free up space:
- Manual Backup – Copy documents from your SharePoint Online library to your local machine. After backing up, you can delete the files from SharePoint to reclaim storage.
- Microsoft Support – You can also contact Microsoft Support to request a backup of your SharePoint Online data. Microsoft performs backups every 12 hours, retaining them for 14 days.
- Alternative Tools – Consider using reliable vendor tools to export SharePoint Online data to your local storage.
Method 4. Save Crucial SharePoint Data to Another Account
Try SharePoint Migrator for Migrating old and important site data into another site for compliance purposes. You can rely on this solution as it is recommended by many Microsoft 365 experts and professionals. By using this tool, you can migrate SharePoint site to another site efficiently. As a result, you can use the storage efficiently and get rid of SharePoint Online storage quota exceeded error.
Method 5. Empty Your SharePoint Recycle Bin
After the deletion of the files, folders, and sites in SharePoint Online. They will moved to the Recycle bin. It is the place where all the deleted data stays before their permanent deletion. You can empty your recycle bin by removing all of the files using the below steps.
- Go to the Recycle bin.
- Search for the files that you want to delete or click on the Empty Recycle Bin option.
Method 6. Resolve SharePoint Online Storage Quota Exceeded by Deleting Outdated Files
If you are unaware of how to set retention policy in SharePoint Online till now. Then you have a huge amount of unused or irrelevant data in your SharePoint account. This might be the reason why of SharePoint Online storage quota was exceeded. So, to remove them go with these steps.
- Open the SharePoint site for which you want to free up space.
- Click on the gear button then hit the Site contents.
- Now, open the folder and then All Documents > Edit Current View.
- Apply the Filter to filter the outdated data and OK.
- Now, choose the files that you want to delete and Delete them.
Now, the SharePoint Online storage limit exceeded issues is resolved.
Method 7. Set Storage Quota in SharePoint Online Using PowerShell
If you want to automate the task by using script then execute the below PowerShell command. It will add more storage in SharePoint site.
$URLofSite="enter here" #Set Storage Quota Set-SPOSite -Identity $URLfSite -StorageQuota 2048
Conclusion
In this guide, we have covered essential aspects of managing SharePoint Online storage limits and What are the troubleshooting steps if the SharePoint Online Storage quota exceeded.
Whether you are using a business or enterprise account it is necessary to understand these limits and employ appropriate strategies. It can help you effectively manage and expand your storage space when needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How can I check my storage usage of SharePoint Online in Office 365?
A – To find out the storage metric of SharePoint Online follow the below steps.
- Open the Microsoft 365 and then SharePoint.
- Hit the Site Contents then Site Settings.
- Choose Storage Metrics under the Site Collection Administration.
- Now, you can see the usage of SharePoint storage.
Q2. Can I add multiple web parts on a single web page?
A – There is a limit of the web parts to be added to a single web page is 25.
Q3. Does SharePoint offer any automatic way to allocate storage in SharePoint Online?
A – Go with the below steps:-
- Log in to your Office 365 admin account.
- Open the SharePoint Admin Center.
- Go to Settings > Site Collection Storage Management.
- Choose Automatic and then OK.
Q4. Can I free up space in my SharePoint account by deleting the files?
A – Yes, you can create space in SharePoint Online by moving to the Recycle bin. After that choose the files that you want to delete and hit the Delete button.