Microsoft has quietly changed how storage is handled in Outlook.com: email attachments now count against your OneDrive quota. For users on free Outlook.com accounts with only 5GB of OneDrive space, this shift can quickly consume cloud storage and even disrupt email if quotas are exceeded. Here’s what this means for your mailbox, storage limits, and how to avoid running out of space.
From 1 February 2023 the space used to store Outlook.com email attachments has been counted against the OneDrive quota. Attachments were considered part of the mailbox quota only.
This applies to all email attachments, regardless of the folder. Inbox, Sent Items etc.
Email attachments are NOT visible as standalone files in a OneDrive folder/s.
It applies to free, non-Microsoft 365, Outlook.com users who have only 5GB of OneDrive space. They got a shock when a lot of their OneDrive space was gobbled up.
Microsoft’s various Outlook software has already changed to make it easier (or encourage) people to save files to OneDrive and share a link, instead of sending an attachment.
Outlook for Windows or Mac has a way to delete email attachments without removing the message. Removing email attachments from mailboxes like Outlook.com
Microsoft 365 Basic
In a related move, there’s a Microsoft 365 Basic plan which has 100GB of OneDrive storage and a 50GB Outlook.com mailbox for US$20 a year.
Don’t panic
As Douglas Adams taught us “Don’t Panic” 😟.
For Microsoft 365 customers with Outlook.com using the same Microsoft account login, it should not make a lot of difference .. UNLESS they are already close to using their entire 1TB of OneDrive quota.
It WILL be a problem for two groups of people:
- Heavy users of so-called ‘Free’ Outlook.com with 15GB of mailbox space and just 5GB of OneDrive. They might find their OneDrive space greatly diminished when attachments are counted.
- A workaround to limited cloud storage has been to use email attachments instead. Microsoft’s decision blocks that bit of nerdy trickery.
- Microsoft 365 users who also use Outlook.com but each with a different Microsoft account login. The Microsoft 365 benefits don’t apply to the separate Outlook.com account.
What happens to Outlook.com if OneDrive runs out of space
According to Microsoft “If you reach your cloud storage quota, your ability to send and receive emails in Outlook.com will be disrupted.”
Email and on-screen warnings already appear when OneDrive nears its quota limit.
The exact disruption to Outlook.com isn’t explained but anyone affected should get plenty of warning.
The main effect of this and other changes is to encourage customers towards buying a mailbox hosted by Microsoft, most likely a Business Basic plan which includes 50GB of storage.
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