If your OneDrive account is frozen, you see an Account frozen message and the following icon:
This condition occurs if your account or shared subscription remains over its storage allowance for three months, or if you don't sign in for a long time. To access your files again, get back under your Microsoft storage quota.
Note
Starting October 8, 2026, all new Microsoft 365 Family and Premium subscribers, including those who repurchase an expired subscription, get 2 TB of shared OneDrive cloud storage. New Microsoft 365 Pro subscribers get 5 TB of shared OneDrive cloud storage. From May 2, 2027, existing Microsoft 365 Family and Premium subscribers get 2 TB of shared OneDrive cloud storage when their subscription renews. Shared storage means the cloud storage allowance is shared across all members of a shared subscription. Each person's mailbox, files, and folders remain private. All subscription types can be extended up to 10 TB to give everyone even more OneDrive storage.
Get your OneDrive account under its storage quota
Delete files or buy more storage to get back under your storage quota. It can take up to 24 hours for your changes to apply. If your account is still frozen after 48 hours, contact support.
Sign in to OneDrive to see what's taking up space and what plans and offers are available to you.
Tip
- Ensure you sign in with the account that received the frozen message.
- If you're a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium, or Pro subscription holder, you can extend your OneDrive cloud storage to a maximum of 10 TB. Explore additional OneDrive storage options.
Manage your Outlook.com mailbox storage
If you're a free user, you can buy a subscription to increase your mailbox quota or free up storage space.
If you're already a Microsoft 365 subscriber, consumer mailboxes are limited to 100 GB. To get back under your storage quota, free up mailbox space. If you need a mailbox larger than 100 GB, see Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans.
Why did I receive a OneDrive account frozen message or alert?
If you think you received an account frozen notification by mistake, you might have another Microsoft account, such as one you created to use with Samsung Gallery.
Sign in with the credentials for the other account, check its storage usage, and follow the steps in Get your OneDrive account under its storage quota.
Tip
If you can't remember your other sign-in details, you can recover your account.
If you think you received an account deletion notification by mistake, read Why did I get an email saying my account will be deleted?
What happens if I do nothing after my OneDrive is frozen?
If you exceed your Microsoft storage:
- You can't upload, edit, or sync new files (such as Camera Roll) to your OneDrive. Your existing files remain but are read-only.
- You can't send or receive email in Outlook.com, even if you didn't exceed your email storage quota.
- You can't send or receive any Microsoft Teams messages that contain attachments.
- After six months, Microsoft might delete your OneDrive and all files in it. You can't recover the files after they're deleted.
If you exceed your email storage:
- You can't send or receive email in Outlook.com.
Learn more
How does Microsoft storage work?
Need more help?
Account support. For help with your Microsoft account and subscriptions, visit Account & Billing Help.
Technical support. For technical support, select Contact Microsoft Support below, enter your problem and select Get Help.
Mobile users can contact Support by opening the OneDrive app and gently shaking your device.
Community support. Communities help you ask questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge. Ask the Microsoft Community. Do not disclose personal or sensitive information in public forums.