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cloud storage

Microsoft Doubled OneDrive’s Standard Storage Plan in 2019—and Added Options for Office 365 Subscribers

Microsoft’s June 2019 announcement doubled its $1.99 standalone OneDrive plan to 100 GB and introduced paid 200 GB add-ons for Office 365 subscribers. Those historical offers have since changed under Microsoft 365.

By TheFinanceBase Team 4 min read
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On June 25, 2019, Microsoft announced that its paid standalone OneDrive plan would grow from 50 GB to 100 GB while staying at $1.99 per month. It also said Office 365 Personal and Home subscribers could buy extra OneDrive storage in 200 GB increments, starting at $1.99 per month. This was a historical change, not a new 2026 offer; Microsoft’s consumer plans have since been reorganized under the Microsoft 365 name.

What Microsoft announced in June 2019

The standalone OneDrive plan doubled

The paid 50 GB OneDrive plan became a 100 GB plan for $1.99 per month. Eligible existing subscribers were to receive the additional 50 GB automatically. Thurrott reported the change on June 25, 2019: Microsoft doubles OneDrive’s standard storage plan.

Office 365 subscribers could buy additional storage

Office 365 Personal and Home subscribers already had 1 TB of OneDrive storage under the consumer plans then in effect. Microsoft announced optional add-ons in 200 GB increments, starting at $1.99 per month for the first 200 GB. These were purchases, not an automatic increase to 2 TB for every subscriber. Microsoft described the options as rolling out over the following months; its September 30, 2019 post later discussed expandable storage: OneDrive Personal Vault and expandable storage.

For the 2019 Office 365 Home plan, extra storage could be purchased by the primary subscription holder and applied to that account; it did not automatically become a shared family pool. Microsoft’s current support page says only the subscription account holder can extend storage for Microsoft 365 Personal and Family: Microsoft storage FAQs.

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What Office 365 included at the time

In the 2019 consumer lineup, Office 365 Personal included 1 TB for one subscriber. Office 365 Home provided 1 TB per person for up to five people under that historical plan structure. Microsoft’s 2014 explanation of its storage plans provides context for those earlier allowances: New OneDrive storage plans. Do not read the old five-person limit as the current Microsoft 365 Family allowance.

What changed since 2019

Microsoft renamed its consumer Office subscription family from Office 365 to Microsoft 365 and changed the structure of its storage offers. Microsoft says the former OneDrive 100 GB plan was upgraded to Microsoft 365 Basic. Basic still includes 100 GB, but it is now presented with additional Outlook and security features rather than simply as the old standalone OneDrive plan.

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Microsoft’s current U.S. consumer page lists these plans and prices. Prices below are U.S. signals displayed in August 2026, not guarantees for other countries, billing channels, promotions, or future dates: Microsoft 365 and OneDrive plans and pricing.

Current consumer option Storage U.S. price displayed What to note
Free Microsoft account 5 GB Free Microsoft cloud storage is shared across services, including OneDrive and Outlook.com attachments.
Microsoft 365 Basic 100 GB for one person $1.99/month or $19.99/year The successor to the former OneDrive 100 GB plan; includes additional benefits.
Microsoft 365 Personal 1 TB for one person $9.99/month or $99.99/year Includes desktop Office apps and other Microsoft 365 benefits.
Microsoft 365 Family 1 TB per person for up to six people; up to 6 TB total $12.99/month or $129.99/year Each member has a separate allocation, rather than one undifferentiated shared drive.

Monthly and annual billing are different commitments; annual prices should not be compared with a single month’s payment. Prices, taxes, availability, and legacy account terms can vary by market and account channel.

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How Microsoft storage affects your account

OneDrive and Outlook can use the same cloud-storage allowance

Microsoft says the free 5 GB Microsoft cloud-storage quota is shared across OneDrive files and photos, Outlook.com email attachments, and Microsoft 365 app-related cloud storage. Outlook.com mailbox storage is separately described as 15 GB for free users, so mailbox capacity and shared cloud storage are not the same measure. Attachments can contribute to a full cloud quota even when a person thinks only about OneDrive files.

Family storage belongs to individual accounts

Microsoft 365 Family can be shared with up to five additional people, with each person receiving a separate 1 TB allocation. Basic and Personal storage is not shareable. A family member should not assume that extra capacity purchased by the primary holder is distributed across every person’s account.

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Allow time for quota changes

Microsoft says storage changes can take up to 24 hours to appear after purchase. If an account still shows the old allowance, first check that the subscription is attached to the Microsoft account being used and allow the stated update window before treating the purchase as missing.

Plan for cancellation before going over quota

Microsoft says that canceling Basic or Personal returns the allowance to 5 GB; Family members who relied on the subscription also lose their higher allowance. If the account then exceeds its limit, Microsoft says users cannot upload, edit, or sync new files and may be unable to send or receive Outlook.com email. Move or delete enough content before the subscription ends to stay within the remaining quota.

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Consumer plans are not business storage add-ons

The 2019 Office 365 add-ons were consumer options and should not be confused with commercial OneDrive capacity products. Microsoft’s current business documentation describes administrator-controlled storage, including OneDrive Extra Storage packs from 100 GB through 6 TB, assigned to licensed users rather than split among several users. The documented maximum for a single user is 25 TB. Microsoft also says Microsoft 365 OneDrive Storage entered public preview in July 2026 for eligible commercial customers; pay-as-you-go storage requires an Azure subscription and resource group. See Microsoft’s commercial storage documentation for licensing and prerequisites.

Which current option fits your needs?

  • Storage without desktop Office apps: Basic is the current 100 GB option for one person. Check whether your files, photos, and Outlook attachments fit within that allowance.
  • One person who also needs Office: Personal combines 1 TB with desktop Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other benefits. It may be excessive if you need only a small amount of storage and do not use the apps.
  • Several household members: Family allocates 1 TB separately to each of up to six people. It suits households better than a single-user plan when multiple members will use the subscription, but it is not one shared 6 TB drive.
  • Platform-first choice: OneDrive fits naturally with Windows and Microsoft 365 workflows. Apple-focused users may value iCloud integration, while Google users may prefer the Google Photos, Gmail, and Drive ecosystem. Those are ecosystem considerations, not a current price comparison.
  • Business or regulated organization: Evaluate administration, identity, sharing controls, retention, compliance, and licensing—not capacity alone. Consumer plans are not substitutes for commercial tenant products.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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