My outlook.com email account isn't using my 365 Family storage

Sarah Warr 0 Reputation points
2026-08-25T10:21:16.8366667+00:00

My outlook.com email account isn't using my 365 Family storage

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Settings
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Oldest
Most helpful Newest Oldest

  1. AI answer

    2026-08-25T10:21:44.9866667+00:00

    For Microsoft 365 Family, each person gets 100 GB mailbox storage for Outlook.com email, contacts, and calendar items, plus 1 TB OneDrive cloud storage for files, photos, and email attachments.

    If an Outlook.com account is not showing the expected Family storage, use this check path:

    1. In the Microsoft account dashboard, open the Microsoft storage section and confirm the storage quota shown for the account.
    2. Confirm the Microsoft 365 Family subscription is active for that same Microsoft account.
    3. In Outlook.com, check Settings > General > Storage to compare what Outlook.com shows for mailbox storage.
    4. If OneDrive on the PC shows the wrong quota, check the signed-in account in OneDrive > Help & Settings > Settings > Account and make sure it is the same account that has the Family subscription.
    5. If the wrong account is connected in OneDrive, use Unlink this PC and sign in again with the account that has the 1 TB allowance. Unlinking does not delete files stored online.
    6. If the correct account already shows the right quota on the web but the app still shows the wrong limit, wait up to 24 hours and then unlink/relink OneDrive.

    Important details:

    • If Microsoft cloud storage is full, Outlook.com cannot send or receive email.
    • For consumer accounts, mailbox storage is capped at 100 GB.
    • Additional purchased storage applies to file storage in OneDrive, not beyond the consumer Outlook.com mailbox cap.
    • If a storage page shows 0 GB or 0/0 GB but mail still works, that can be a display issue. Checking from another browser or InPrivate window can help confirm that.

    If storage that was purchased or included still does not appear, refresh Manage storage and allow up to 24 hours for the quota to update.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

  2. Thomas4-N 21,530 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-27T14:21:03.6233333+00:00

    Hello Sarah Warr,

    Microsoft 365 Family provides separate storage allowances:

    • 1 TB OneDrive storage per person for files and photos.
    • 100 GB Outlook.com mailbox storage for Microsoft 365 subscribers.

    Please check:

    1. In Outlook.com, open Settings > General > Storage and confirm the mailbox limit shown.
    2. Open Microsoft account > Services & subscriptions using the same account.
    3. Confirm whether Microsoft 365 Family appears as active or shared with that account.

    If Outlook still shows the free 15 GB limit despite the Family benefit being active, please reply with those details. The mailbox subscription benefit may need to be checked by Microsoft Support.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.