{"id":14408,"date":"2026-10-12T09:18:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T07:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flyingsupporter.ch\/?p=14408"},"modified":"2026-10-12T15:35:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T13:35:09","slug":"microsoft-365-storage-changes-what-users-need-to-know-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flyingsupporter.ch\/en\/2026\/10\/12\/microsoft-365-aenderungen-beim-speicherplatz-was-nutzer-jetzt-wissen-muessen\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft 365: Changes to storage space \u2013 what users need to know now"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Microsoft is making fundamental changes to the storage management of its personal Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Instead of the previous limit of up to 6 TB, families will in future only receive 2 TB of shared OneDrive storage. At the same time, Microsoft is introducing a more flexible storage model. What does this mean for existing customers, privacy and the use of OneDrive?<\/b><\/p>

With effect from 8 October 2026, Microsoft has amended the storage terms for several personal Microsoft 365 subscriptions. The Microsoft 365 Family and Microsoft 365 Premium plans are particularly affected.<\/p>

Whilst up to six people were previously able to use 1 TB each of their own cloud storage, in future only a shared storage pool of 2 TB will be available.<\/p>

This corresponds to a reduction in the maximum available storage space of around 67 per cent<\/b><\/span>.<\/p>

Microsoft justifies the change on the grounds that it allows for more flexible use of storage space. For families with high storage requirements, however, the change represents a significant restriction.

<\/p>

1. What exactly is changing?<\/b><\/span><\/h4>

Until now, each person on a Microsoft 365 Family subscription has had their own OneDrive storage space with a maximum capacity of 1 TB.<\/p>

With six users, this amounted to a total of 6 TB of storage space.<\/p>

Under the new model, this fixed allocation is no longer in place. Instead, all users access a shared storage quota.

<\/p>

A comparison of subscriptions<\/b><\/span><\/p>

Subscription<\/b><\/p><\/th>

So far<\/b><\/p><\/th>

New<\/b><\/p><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>

Microsoft 365 Basic<\/p><\/td>

100 GB<\/p><\/td>

100 GB<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Microsoft 365 Single<\/p><\/td>

1 TB<\/p><\/td>

1 TB<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Microsoft 365 Family<\/p><\/td>

6 \u00d7 1 TB<\/p><\/td>

2 TB in total<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Microsoft 365 Premium<\/p><\/td>

6 \u00d7 1 TB<\/p><\/td>

2 TB in total<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Microsoft 365 Pro<\/p><\/td>

6 \u00d7 1 TB<\/p><\/td>

5 TB shared<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

The changes therefore mainly affect subscriptions that can be shared amongst several people.<\/p>

Microsoft 365 Single remains unchanged and continues to offer 1 TB of personal OneDrive storage.

<\/p>

2. How does the new storage allocation work?<\/b><\/span><\/h4>

A key new feature is the automatic allocation of available storage space.<\/p>

Until now, each user was limited to their own 1 TB storage space. Even if other family members hardly used their storage space, it could not simply be transferred.<\/p>

In future, this restriction will no longer apply.<\/p>

All six users access the same 2 TB storage pool. The storage is automatically allocated as required.

<\/p>

Example of a family of six<\/b><\/span><\/p>

User<\/b><\/p><\/th>

Memory used<\/b><\/p><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>

Father<\/p><\/td>

900 GB<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Mother<\/p><\/td>

450 GB<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Child 1<\/p><\/td>

300 GB<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Child 2<\/p><\/td>

150 GB<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Child 3<\/p><\/td>

100 GB<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Child 4<\/p><\/td>

50 GB<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Total consumption<\/b><\/p><\/td>

1,950 GB<\/b><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Available storage<\/b><\/p><\/td>

50 GB<\/b><\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

It is not necessary to allocate the storage space manually.<\/p>

The system automatically takes actual consumption into account.

<\/p>

Advantage of the new rules<\/b><\/span><\/h4>

In future, users will also be able to store more than 1 TB, provided there is sufficient space available within the shared quota.<\/p>

For example, one person might use 1.5 TB, whilst the rest of the family members together use 500 GB.

<\/p>

Disadvantage of the new rules<\/b><\/span><\/h4>

In theory, a single user could use up almost all the storage space.<\/p>

This means there is correspondingly less storage space left for the other family members.<\/p>

Microsoft does not currently document any feature that allows the subscription holder to assign fixed storage limits to individual users within this shared quota.<\/p>

This increases flexibility, but at the same time the previously guaranteed storage allowance of 1 TB per person is no longer available.

<\/b><\/p>

3. Do the files remain private?<\/b><\/span><\/h4>

One important issue concerns data protection.<\/p>

If all family members share the same storage space, does that mean they can all access all the files?<\/p>

No. Personal data remains separate.<\/b><\/p>

Everyone still uses:<\/p>