Storage in Outlook, OneDrive, and MS Office Apps
Outlook Email Storage Changes
We are introducing Online Email Archiving for faculty and staff.
This feature automatically moves older emails into an archive folder so your main
inbox stays under the new limits.
Email Storage Limits
Proposed Faculty/Staff Email Storage
- Emails older than 1 year will be moved to your archive automatically.
- Up to 50 GB of email storage.
Proposed Students Email Storage
- Up to 5 GB of email storage.
- Emails older than 6 months will be moved to your archive automatically.
Storage Saving Tricks for Your Mailbox
The biggest thing that fills up your mailbox is large attachments (like big videos or many high-resolution photos).
- Delete Large Emails
Use the search or filter tools in Outlook to find the largest emails in your inbox,
sent items, and deleted items folders. Sort by Size → delete the biggest emails first.
- Empty Your Deleted Items Folder
When you delete an email, it moves to your "Deleted Items" folder and still counts
against your 50 GB limit until you empty that folder. Make it a habit to right-click
and empty it regularly.
- Share Links Instead of Sending Attachments
Instead of attaching a file, save it to OneDrive (see below) and then share a link
to the file in your email.This keeps mailbox sizes small for you and recipients.
OneDrive Storage Limit
OneDrive is your personal cloud storage where you can save work files, project drafts,
and documents. This is where you should save files that are too big for email attachments.
Proposed Faculty/Staff OneDrive Storage
- OneDrive storage: 50 GB
- Files older than 1 year may be moved to an archive system
Proposed Students OneDrive Storage
- OneDrive storage: 10 GB
- Files older than 6 months may be moved to an archive system
Storage Saving Tricks for OneDrive
- Empty the OneDrive Recycle Bin: Just like email, when you delete a file from OneDrive, it goes into a Recycle Bin
and still counts against your limit for a period of time. You need to empty the OneDrive Recycle Bin
on the website to permanently free up the space.
- Don't Keep Personal Photos/Videos: OneDrive is for work and school files. Avoid storing large personal photo and video
collections here, as they use your limited workspace very quickly.
- Use SharePoint/Shared Drives for Team Files: If you are working on a shared project, store the files in a shared team space (like
a SharePoint site or a Microsoft Teams channel) instead of your personal OneDrive.
This way, the file counts against the team's storage, not your personal 50 GB.