Microsoft announces plans to shrink OneDrive

OneDrive users, we have some bad news and we think that you should probably be sitting down for it. Microsoft announced last year that it would be making some big changes to its cloud storage solution, OneDrive. Unfortunately, those changes were all bad news for users.

Microsoft said that they plan to trim the amount of cloud storage available to free OneDrive users from 15GB to 5GBin August 2016.

Here’s the announcement that was sent by Microsoft:

We want to let you know about some upcoming changes to OneDrive. On August 10, 2016, the amount of storage that comes with OneDrive will change from 15 GB to 5 GB. We are also discontinuing the 15 GB camera roll bonus. You can learn more at our FAQ.

There is no action you need to take, because your OneDrive account is currently below the new storage limits. Even though you aren't currently affected, we want to keep you updated on all important changes to OneDrive. If you'd like to check your account, you can visit the Storage page.

We realize these are big changes to a service you rely on. We want to apologize for any inconvenience they may cause you. We made a difficult decision, but it's one that will let us sustainably operate OneDrive into the future.

Thank you for using OneDrive.

– The OneDrive Team

As cloud storage continues to get cheaper and cheaper for service providers, Microsoft has decided to remove much of the value from its own consumer offering. It’s a curious and aggravating move for many users, but there is some good news to be had… sort of.

If you saw earlier coverage of Microsoft’s announcement, you know that there was a way for free users to keep their 15GB of OneDrive storage after the switch is made. All you had to do was visit a special page on Microsoft’s website and click one button. Note the past tense in that last sentence — unfortunately; you had to click that button by January 31st, 2015 in order to keep your 15GB.

If you missed out and didn’t get a chance to visit Microsoft’s site by the end of January, there’s nothing you can do. Well, that’s not entirely true. There are two things you can do: pay for 50GB of OneDrive storage or switch to another cloud storage provider. You have until August 10^th, 2016 to decide.

Don't hesitate to contact us here at The Computer Guyz if you need any IT assistance or equipment! If you use Microsoft OneDrive, our advice would be that you check the amount of storage space you are using and adjust your plans accordingly.