← Back
SharePoint Online: Storage quota enforcement updated to align with license limits
MC1310684 · build prod-20251231-200323
Category
preventOrFixIssue
Severity
normal
Major change
False
Last modified
2026-05-14 20:17:48
Summary source
Azure OpenAI (gpt-4.1)
Action by (Graph)
2026-05-26 07:00:00
Action by (AI)
Services
SharePoint Online
Tags
User impact, Admin impact
Master tags
User, Admin
Roadmap IDs

One-line summary

SharePoint Online will strictly enforce user storage quotas per license, placing users exceeding limits into read-only state during quota refreshes starting late May 2026.

Similar updates

More like this
MC999442 Microsoft Purview | Data Lifecycle Management: Retention based on “last accessed” for OneDrive and SharePoint files
Microsoft Purview | Data Lifecycle Management: Retention based on “last accessed” for OneDrive and SharePoint files Admins can soon apply retention policies/labels in OneDrive and SharePoint based on files' last accessed date to help manage obsolete data and improve Copilot response quality. Coming soon for Microsoft Purview | Data Lifecycle.
MC1137593 (Updated) Restrict new file creation in Office desktop apps to Cloud Locations
(Updated) Restrict new file creation in Office desktop apps to Cloud Locations Admins can now enforce cloud-only file creation in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Windows via Group Policy, restricting 'Save As' to OneDrive, SharePoint, or third-party clouds. Introduction IT Administrators will be able to set up Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Windows.
MC1194603 Manage version expiration for audio and video files in SharePoint Online
Manage version expiration for audio and video files in SharePoint Online Admins can now set automated version expiration policies for audio/video files in SharePoint Online to manage storage; rollout starts mid-December 2025, requires updated PowerShell. [Introduction] We’re introducing version storage management for video and audio files in .
MC1173930 Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive: General availability of tenant rename with no scale limitations
Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive: General availability of tenant rename with no scale limitations SharePoint Online Tenant Rename is now generally available for all customers, removing site count limits; rollout completes by mid-October 2025. Organizations undergoing rebranding, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, or tenant consolidations often.
MC1117115 (Updated) Updates to custom scripting in sites and Classic Publishing site creation
(Updated) Updates to custom scripting in sites and Classic Publishing site creation Starting September 15, 2025, custom scripting and new classic publishing sites will be restricted in SharePoint Online; key PowerShell opt-out retires March 15, 2026. Updated January 29, 2026: We are updating this post as a reminder. Upcoming SharePoint Online.
MC1192256 Microsoft Purview | Data Loss Prevention- Admin units support for Microsoft SharePoint Online
Microsoft Purview | Data Loss Prevention- Admin units support for Microsoft SharePoint Online Admins can now assign SharePoint Online sites to administrative units in Purview DLP, enabling more granular policy management by unit. [Introduction] We’re adding support for assigning Microsoft SharePoint Online sites to existing administrative.

Details

Summary
SharePoint Online will update storage quota enforcement by late May to June 2026, aligning user quotas with license limits. Users exceeding licensed storage will enter read-only mode until usage is reduced or licenses upgraded. Admins should identify and address over-quota users; no action needed if users comply.

Body (from Message Center)

[Introduction]

We’re updating the way SharePoint Online enforces user storage quotas to ensure they are consistently aligned with license entitlements. This change fixes an issue where user-specific storage limits could be incorrectly applied during quota refreshes, which could result in inaccurate storage enforcement. These updates help ensure predictable storage behavior and improve reliability for admins managing storage at scale.

[When this will happen]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, and DoD): We will begin rolling out in late May 2026 and expect to complete in June 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

  • Microsoft 365 tenants using SharePoint Online
  • Users who are currently over the OneDrive for Business storage quota allowed by their assigned license
  • Admins who have set user-specific storage limits above licensed entitlements

What will happen

  • User storage quotas will be re-evaluated against license limits during the refresh process.
  • Users whose OneDrive for Business storage usage exceeds their licensed quota will be placed into a read-only state, which temporarily restricts write access to existing SharePoint content until storage usage is remediated.
  • This includes scenarios where:
    • An admin-set user quota exceeds the license allowance, or
    • A user with an EDU license exceeds their licensed storage limit.
  • No changes are made for users who are within their licensed storage limits.

[What you can do to prepare]

  • Identify users exceeding licensed storage limits
    • Review OneDrive storage usage across your organization to identify users whose usage exceeds their licensed quota.
    • Microsoft will provide a PowerShell script to assist with this assessment. A link to the script will be added to this message when available.
  • Take corrective action for affected users. For users exceeding their licensed storage limits:
    • Upgrade the user’s license to increase available storage, or
    • Work with the user to reduce storage usage to within licensed limits.
  • Inform your helpdesk and SharePoint admins about this change so they can support users who may be placed into a read-only state.
  • If all users are within their licensed storage quotas, no action is required.

[Compliance considerations]

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.

Raw JSON (for debugging)

Expand/collapse the full payload below.
Show/hide raw
{
  "snapshot_item": {
    "action_required_by": "2026-05-26T07:00:00Z",
    "ai_action_required_by": null,
    "ai_actions": [
      "Review OneDrive storage usage",
      "Identify users exceeding storage quota",
      "Remediate storage overages or upgrade licenses",
      "Inform helpdesk and SharePoint admins"
    ],
    "ai_master_tags": [
      "User",
      "Admin"
    ],
    "ai_model": "gpt-4.1",
    "ai_summary": "SharePoint Online will strictly enforce user storage quotas per license, placing users exceeding limits into read-only state during quota refreshes starting late May 2026.",
    "ai_topics": [
      "SharePoint",
      "OneDrive"
    ],
    "category": "preventOrFixIssue",
    "details_map": {
      "Summary": "SharePoint Online will update storage quota enforcement by late May to June 2026, aligning user quotas with license limits. Users exceeding licensed storage will enter read-only mode until usage is reduced or licenses upgraded. Admins should identify and address over-quota users; no action needed if users comply."
    },
    "id": "MC1310684",
    "importance": 3,
    "is_major_change": false,
    "last_modified": "2026-05-14T20:17:48Z",
    "ms_products": [
      "SharePoint"
    ],
    "platforms": null,
    "roadmap_ids": [],
    "services": [
      "SharePoint Online"
    ],
    "severity": "normal",
    "tags": [
      "User impact",
      "Admin impact"
    ],
    "title": "SharePoint Online: Storage quota enforcement updated to align with license limits"
  }
}