A common misconception among Microsoft 365 admins is that each user gets their own slice of SharePoint storage. In reality, SharePoint storage is pooled across your organization. Let’s break down how it works, what “per user” really means, and how to make the most of your available space.
What does “per user” storage mean?
When you purchase Microsoft 365 licenses, your tenant receives:
- 1 TB of base SharePoint storage
- +10 GB per licensed user
This means that if you have 100 users, your total SharePoint storage is:
- 1 TB + (100 × 10 GB) = 2 TB
However, this storage is not assigned to individual users. Instead, it’s pooled and shared across all SharePoint sites in your tenant - including those connected to Microsoft Teams.
📦 Important: There is no “per user” SharePoint drive. All users contribute to the shared pool, no one has a personal SharePoint quota.
How this differs from OneDrive
Each user does get their own OneDrive for Business storage - usually 1 TB per user. This is separate from SharePoint storage and is intended for personal files, not team or organizational content.
SharePoint, on the other hand, is designed for collaboration and shared content. That’s why its storage is pooled and centrally managed.
Why the “per user” model matters
The more users you have, the more storage your tenant receives. This means:
- Adding users increases your total SharePoint capacity by 10 GB per user
- Removing users may reduce your available storage (if licenses are removed)
- Storage planning should consider both user count and content growth
In a smaller organization, because the base storage is spread across a small number of people, each user gets proportionally more space. For example, in a 50 user org there is 30 GB available per user when the pooled and per-user storage is combined. In large organizations however, this ratio becomes challenging. For example, an organization with 800 users will get:
1 TB + (10 GB x 800 users) = 9 TB
This is an average of only 11.25 GB per user, compared to 30 GB in the smaller org.
💡Is this enough? It could be argued that in the mid 2020s where content is become more media rich and most people don't have to worry about storage, 11 GB per user is simply not sufficient.
How to monitor usage per site (not per user)
Since storage isn’t tracked per user, the best way to manage it is by monitoring usage at the site level:
- Go to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center
- Navigate to Active Sites under SharePoint
- Sort by storage used to identify the largest sites
You can also use SProbot to:
- Identify sites with rapid growth
- Flag version-heavy libraries
- Highlight large unused files
- Recommend cleanup actions
🔗 Related reading: How to free up SharePoint storage
How to optimize your shared storage
To make the most of your pooled storage:
- Archive or delete inactive sites
- Trim version history across libraries
- Remove large unused files
- Educate users on storage best practices
- Regularly review storage metrics and trends
These steps can help you reclaim space and delay the need for additional storage purchases.
Final thoughts
SharePoint storage isn’t allocated per user - it’s pooled across your organization. Understanding this model helps you plan more effectively, avoid surprises, and manage your environment with confidence.
