How to Manage Your OneDrive Storage within Windows 11
OneDrive is tightly integrated into Windows 11, providing cloud storage for files, photos, and documents that sync automatically across devices. While convenient, it’s easy for storage to fill up — especially if you’re syncing large folders or using multiple PCs. Here’s a complete guide on how to check, clean up, and manage your OneDrive storage directly from Windows 11.
1. Check Your OneDrive Storage Usage
The first step is knowing how much space you’re using.
Method 1: Through OneDrive Settings
- Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the system tray (bottom-right corner of your taskbar).
- Select the gear icon ⚙️ > Settings.
- Choose the Sync and Backup tab, then click Manage Backup.
- You’ll see how much storage is used and how much remains.
Method 2: Using the Web Interface
- Open a browser and go to OneDrive.com.
- Sign in with your Microsoft account.
- Click the Settings (gear) in the top-right corner → Options → Storage Metrics.
- You’ll see a detailed breakdown by folder, including how much space each one consumes.
This helps identify which folders or file types are taking the most space.
2. Use Files On-Demand to Save Disk Space
Files On-Demand lets you view all OneDrive files in File Explorer without downloading everything to your PC.
- Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon → select Settings.
- Under Sync and Backup, enable Save space and download files as you use them.
- In File Explorer, each file will now show one of these icons:
- Cloud icon: Online-only file (doesn’t take local space).
- Green checkmark: Downloaded file (stored locally).
- Solid green circle with checkmark: Always keep on this device.
Use this feature to keep less-used files online-only while ensuring essential files are always available offline.
3. Free Up Space Using Storage Sense
Windows 11’s Storage Sense automatically clears temporary and cloud-synced files you no longer need.
- Open Settings → System → Storage.
- Under Storage Management, click Storage Sense.
- Toggle Automatic User Content Cleanup to On.
- Scroll to the OneDrive section.
- Choose when locally available cloud content should become online-only (e.g., after 1 day, 14 days, or 30 days of inactivity).
This feature helps reclaim space automatically without deleting your files from the cloud.
4. Manually Manage Synced Folders
You can control which OneDrive folders sync to your computer.
- Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon → select Settings.
- Go to the Account tab and click Choose folders.
- Uncheck any folders you don’t need locally.
- Click OK to apply changes.
Unselected folders remain available in the cloud but disappear from File Explorer on your PC, saving disk space.
5. Remove Large or Duplicate Files
Large videos, backups, or duplicated files can quickly consume space.
- Visit OneDrive.com → click Storage Metrics for a size-based file list.
- Sort by Size to find the biggest items.
- Delete or move unnecessary files to an external drive or another cloud service.
- Empty the OneDrive Recycle Bin afterward to reclaim space permanently.
6. Upgrade Your Storage (Optional)
If you regularly hit your limit, you can expand your cloud capacity.
- Go to Settings > Accounts > OneDrive or visit OneDrive.com.
- Click Get more storage.
- Choose a Microsoft 365 plan — these include 1 TB of OneDrive space per user.
This upgrade can be especially useful if you’re storing large photos, design files, or work documents.
7. Use Command Prompt or PowerShell for Advanced Users
Advanced users can check and manage OneDrive with commands.
To check OneDrive sync status:
Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.ProcessName -like "*OneDrive*" }
To reset OneDrive completely:
%localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
This forces OneDrive to rebuild sync connections, which can fix issues with stuck or missing files.
8. Monitor Storage in File Explorer
You can also view storage usage directly in File Explorer:
- Open File Explorer and select your OneDrive folder.
- Right-click on it → Properties.
- Check Size and Size on disk to see how much space OneDrive is consuming locally.
This gives a quick comparison between online-only files and those downloaded to your device.
Summary
Managing OneDrive storage in Windows 11 is straightforward once you know where to look.
- Check your usage regularly through OneDrive Settings or the web dashboard.
- Use Files On-Demand and Storage Sense to automatically reduce local storage use.
- Manually deselect large folders, delete unnecessary files, and empty the recycle bin to keep your cloud clean.
- And if you rely on OneDrive heavily, consider upgrading to a Microsoft 365 plan for more space and added productivity tools.
