OneDrive Storage Reference Guide

See how much space you're using and manage/delete files to ensure you stay within any pre-set storage limits. 

This reference guide covers:

• How to access OneDrive
• Checking current usage
• Storage warnings and messages
• Tips for reducing your storage consumption
• Downloading, deleting and emptying the recycling bin. 

OneDrive Storage Basics

How to Access OneDrive

Managing your storage use is best in the online (browser) view of OneDrive. You have a few options to launch OneDrive online.

1. Your SharePoint home page - https://uoguelphca-my.sharepoint.com/ - defaults to opening the OneDrive home page (if it does not, see option 2).
   
   
2. Or, from any online Microsoft 365 application, expand the Waffle (9 dots in top left corner) and launch OneDrive.
   
   
3. Or, in the lower right corner of your taskbar, launch the OneDrive icon and then View Online.
   
   

Storage Warnings and Messages

If there’s a storage quota (limit) on your account, you’ll notice warning messages in OneDrive as you approach the limit and once you have reached it. Once you are at your limit, you won’t be able to save new files or edit the existing ones until you are back below the quota.
 

1. At or over 90%, OneDrive displays a yellow warning banner. 
   
   
2. At or over your limit, OneDrive displays a red warning banner (and you also receive an email alert once your limit has been reached).

Both warning messages prompt you to free up space (see next section) which will open a list view of your largest files.

Check Your Current Storage Use and Largest Files

1. From the left navigation pane, scroll down to see your current storage usage and limit.

2. Click on the hyperlinked amount of storage usage to open a list of the largest files; review the list and plan your clean-up approach! (Note: you can also access this view from the "free up space" button if you have received a storage warning message [see warning banners above]).
    

Manage and Reduce OneDrive Storage

After reviewing your largest files, decide the best approach for reducing consumption. You may wish to download and save a file elsewhere, delete the entire file, or keep the file but delete any previous versions.
 

Important: Any deleted content won’t reduce your storage until you empty the recycle bin and refresh your browser. The best practice is to manually empty the bin right away, otherwise files are automatically deleted after 30 days. See "Empty the Recycle Bin" below.

Start Here! Sneaky Storage Consumers

Meeting Recordings

Meeting recordings can take up significant space and currently do not have a system expiry date. They are a great place to start if you’re looking to quickly reduce storage size.

Meetings recorded from an Outlook calendar invitation are saved in your OneDrive Meetings > Recordings file. Consider sorting the contents from largest to smallest under the File Size menu.
 

If you need to keep the recording, download it (see "Reduce Storage by Downloading Files" below) and move it to a more appropriate repository such as a Teams or SharePoint site. Otherwise, delete it (see "Reduce Storage by Deleting Files" below).

Tip! Meetings generated from a Teams calendar invite or from a Teams site directly are stored in the Teams site, not OneDrive. Going forward, consider creating your meetings from a relevant Teams site instead of Outlook (then your meeting recordings won't be saved in OneDrive!).
 

Previous File Versions

The file size displayed in OneDrive is for the current version only. Any previous versions will have their own file size and currently there is no limit on how many previous versions can be kept. Imagine a 100 MB file with ten similarly-sized previous versions – that’s 1 GB of ‘hidden’ usage that you can quickly free up.

See the "Deleting Previous Versions" steps below to reduce the number of previous versions you keep on hand.

Reduce Storage by Downloading Files

1. To download a file to save it locally or elsewhere, hover over the more options ellipsis and choose Download.

2. Open your Windows Explorer downloads folder and save the file to its alternate location.

Note: You will need to return to OneDrive to delete the downloaded file (see deleting instructions below) and then empty the recycle bin (see instructions below) for the change to take effect.

Reduce Storage by Deleting Files

1. To delete a file from the largest files list (or from the source folder), hover over the more options ellipsis and choose Delete to move the file to the recycle bin.
   
   

Note: You will need to empty the recycle bin of any deleted content for the change to take effect (see "Empty the Recycle Bin" below).

Reduce Storage by Deleting Previous Versions

1. Find the file with the version history you want to review; hover over the more options ellipsis and choose Version History.

2. In the Version History pop-up window, review the version details (notice that each version is taking up its own space); hover over the more actions ellipsis and choose Delete Version.
    

3. Repeat Step 2 to delete as many previous versions as you can.
4. Deleted file versions appear in your Recycle Bin with the version number indicated.
    

Note: You will need to empty the recycle bin of any deleted versions for the change to take effect (see "Empty the Recycle Bin" below).

Empty the Recycle Bin

1. From the left navigation pane, choose Recycle Bin (or use the recycle bin hyperlink from the largest files view).

2. To remove all deleted files, choose Empty Recycle Bin.
    

3. To only remove single files, select the file and choose Delete. (Remember that any remaining files will continue to impact your storage usage for the next 30 days (after which they are automatically deleted).

4. Important: After emptying the recycle bin, refresh your browser window a few times or log out and back in to OneDrive; the reduction in storage may not update immediately due to background processing time.
    

Restore Previously Deleted Files

If you have accidentally deleted a file but not yet emptied it from the recycle bin, you can restore it to OneDrive (within 30 days of deletion).

1. From the Recycle Bin, locate and select the file and choose Restore.
    

2. The file is moved back to its original OneDrive folder location.

Need More Help?

We are here to help! Find our contact info here: uoguel.ph/IThelp or see our other support options below:

FAQs

Our FAQs page may already have the answer you need! 

Virtual Drop-In Storage Management Office Hours 

Not sure how much space you’re using on OneDrive? Need tips to help keep your files within your storage limits? Or maybe you’re dealing with a tricky storage situation and want some advice? Whatever’s on your mind about OneDrive storage, we’ve got you covered! 
 

As of September 23, 2025, CCS rep and Microsoft 365 pro, Zaki Arshad, is available to help with all your storage questions. Swing by and get the answers you need every Tuesday and Thursday from 12 noon to 1 p.m.

Virtual support is available to all U of G students, staff and faculty at all U of G locations, including Guelph and Ridgetown campuses and the University of Guelph-Humber. Visit our FAQ page to find the meeting link for the virtual office hours (scroll down to the last FAQ: "Where can I get more help and guidance for myself of my team?").