Whether you're budgeting for growth or trying to avoid surprise costs, understanding how much SharePoint storage you get - and how much it costs - is essential. This post breaks down what’s included in your Microsoft 365 plan, what additional storage costs, and how to optimize usage before spending more.
How much storage comes with Microsoft 365?
Every Microsoft 365 tenant receives:
- 1 TB of base SharePoint storage
- +10 GB per licensed user
This pooled storage is shared across all SharePoint sites in your tenant, including those connected to Microsoft Teams.
📦 Example: A tenant with 150 users gets 2.5 TB of total SharePoint storage.
This allocation is included in your subscription at no extra cost. However, if your usage exceeds this limit, you’ll need to purchase additional storage.
How much does extra SharePoint storage cost?
If you need more space, Microsoft offers additional storage at:
- $0.20 per GB per month
- Equivalent to $204 per TB per month
You can purchase storage in increments through the Admin Center:
- Go to Billing > Purchase services
- Select Additional SharePoint Storage
- Choose the amount you need
💡 Tip: Storage purchases are flexible and can be adjusted monthly.
How to check your current usage
To see how much storage you're using:
- Go to Reports > Usage > SharePoint > Storage in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center
- Review total tenant usage and available space
To identify which sites are consuming the most storage, use the Storage used column in the Active sites view in the SharePoint admin center.
SProbot can also help by:
- Generating detailed usage and growth reports
- Highlighting very large unused files
- Flagging version-heavy files consuming storage unnecessarily
- Recommending cleanup actions
How to avoid paying more than you need to
Before purchasing additional storage, consider these optimization strategies:
Archive inactive sites
- Identify sites with no recent activity
- Move or delete unused content
Trim version history
Delete large unused files
- Run reports to find oversized files
- Remove or relocate them to OneDrive or external storage
Identify inactive content inside active sites
- Run reports to find inactive files inside sites that are otherwise active
- Remove or relocate them to OneDrive or external storage
Empty the recycle bin
Deleted items still count toward your quota until permanently removed.
🔗 Related reading: 6 Ways to free up SharePoint storage
Planning for future growth
If your organization is expanding, plan ahead by:
- Forecasting storage needs based on user growth and content trends
- Setting up regular storage reviews
- Educating users on file management best practices
- Using SProbot to automate reporting and cleanup
These steps will help you stay within your allocation and avoid unnecessary costs.
Summary
SharePoint storage is generous by default if you're a small organisation, but most large organisations inevitably run out of space, and additional space comes at a cost. By understanding what’s included, monitoring usage, and optimizing your environment, you can make smarter decisions and keep your storage budget under control.
