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MicrosoftOneDrive for Business is showing I've used 700BG of space even though I've deleted everything.
OneDrive for Business is showing I've used 700BG of space. However, I have deleted everything from OneDrive and emptied both levels of recycle bin.
Even the OneDrive page that shows you the biggest files in OneDrive is empty.
And yet OneDrive claims 700GB are in use.
I have NO files. Why is OneDrive showing 700GB used space?
Hi DarrylGittins ,
You’re likely seeing hidden data still taking up space even after deleting files. Try these steps:- Check Storage Metrics – In OneDrive > ⚙️ Settings > More Settings > Storage Metrics to see what’s using space.
- Empty Both Recycle Bins – Clear both the primary and second-stage recycle bins.
- Check Retention Policies – If your organization (like CrashPlan) has a retention or legal hold policy, deleted items may still exist in a hidden Preservation Hold Library. Ask your admin to review this.
- Clear Version History – Old file versions can still consume space.
- Wait a Few Hours – Storage usage sometimes takes time to refresh.
If the issue remains after these steps, contact Microsoft 365 Support — they can check for hidden site libraries that aren’t user-accessible.
2 Replies
Hi DarrylGittins ,
You’re likely seeing hidden data still taking up space even after deleting files. Try these steps:- Check Storage Metrics – In OneDrive > ⚙️ Settings > More Settings > Storage Metrics to see what’s using space.
- Empty Both Recycle Bins – Clear both the primary and second-stage recycle bins.
- Check Retention Policies – If your organization (like CrashPlan) has a retention or legal hold policy, deleted items may still exist in a hidden Preservation Hold Library. Ask your admin to review this.
- Clear Version History – Old file versions can still consume space.
- Wait a Few Hours – Storage usage sometimes takes time to refresh.
If the issue remains after these steps, contact Microsoft 365 Support — they can check for hidden site libraries that aren’t user-accessible.
DarrylGittinsThank you, spawar401! This is an enormous help. I discovered that the Preservation Hold Library is indeed using 100% of the account's storage. It seems her IT department is not aware of this policy because they have been unable to identify the problem for several months. We can send them a screenshot and hopefully they can now resolve the issue.
Much appreciated!