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Aug 16, 2023

Exclusive: Microsoft quietly ends unlimited cloud storage option on OneDrive

Microsoft no longer offers OneDrive for Busines (Plan 2), with new users now capped to 1TB by default Microsoft has killed unlimited storage from its OneDrive business plans, with organisations now

Microsoft no longer offers OneDrive for Busines (Plan 2), with new users now capped to 1TB by default

Microsoft has killed unlimited storage from its OneDrive business plans, with organisations now limited to just 1TB per user on default configurations.

OneDrive for Business (Plan 2) was popular with large organizations that needed a limitless storage capacity to, for example, manage a countless and growing number of media files, like videos or artistic assets. One of the best unlimited storage deals out there, it was available for approximately $10 per user, per month, excluding tax.

But Microsoft appaears to have eliminated this option entirely for new customers at some point between 28 July and 14 July, according to Archive.org, with new users instead only limited to OneDrive for Business (Plan 1). This caps each user to 1TB by default, but this can rise to 5TB depending on the number of users on the plan. Nevertheless, it’s a far cry from the unlimited storage option that potential customers could once opt for.

“In response to customer demand, Microsoft has streamlined the purchasing process for customers who use OneDrive for Business standalone plans,” a spokesperson told TechRadar Pro. “Customers currently on these plans will still be able to add seats and renew their license.”

Customers can now only purchase OneDrive plan for Business (Plan 1) for $5 per user, per month, if they want to use OneDrive without the rest of the Microsoft 365 suite. Otherwise, the Microsoft 365 Business Basic package costs $6 per user per month, with Microsoft 365 Business Standard costing $12.50 per user per month. All packages, however, limit OneDrive storage to a default of 1TB max.

OneDrive for business (plan 2) offered customers unlimited storage, but only if they qualified. Organizations, first of all, needed five or more users with a OneDrive for business (plan 2) subscription, with Microsoft providing an initial limit of 1TB per user. Admins, though, could raise this to 5TB per user.

Customers could then contact Microsoft support directly to request additional storage, up to 25TB per user, should they need it. Beyond that, storage would be provisioned as 25TB SharePoint team sites to individual users.

While OneDrive no longer offers unlimited storage, there are plenty of other options out there, including offers from Box, Carbonite, OpenDrive, and others Check out the best unlimited cloud storage dealS for more details.

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Keumars Afifi-Sabet is the Features Editor for ITPro, CloudPro and ChannelPro. He oversees the commissioning and publication of in-depth and long-form features across all three sites, including opinion articles and case studies. He also occasionally contributes his thoughts to the IT Pro Podcast, and flexes his ten years of writing experience in producing content for a variety of publications including TechRadar Pro and TheWeek.co.uk. Keumars joined IT Pro as a staff writer in April 2018, and has expertise in a variety of areas including AI, cyber security, cloud computing, and digital transformation, as well as public policy and legislation.

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