Microsoft is changing how OneDrive cloud storage works in Microsoft 365 Family and Premium, replacing the 1 TB that each member received with a single 2 TB pool shared by up to six people, according to an updated Microsoft support document.

New and upgraded subscriptions use the shared model starting October 8, 2026. Existing subscribers move over at their first renewal on or after May 2, 2027.

A fully used Family plan previously offered up to 6 TB in total, at 1 TB per person. The new allocation is 2 TB for the entire subscription, with no change in price.

Microsoft 365 Pro includes 5 TB of shared storage, while Microsoft 365 Basic (100 GB) and Microsoft 365 Personal (1 TB) remain single-user plans and are unaffected.

The primary subscriber and up to five additional members draw from the same pool. Storage add-ons purchased by any member go into that pool, and eligible family members' free storage grants count toward it too. Files stay private, so each member sees only their own content unless they share it.

Microsoft's FAQ asks whether the change is a reduction in storage and answers that "total storage varies by plan," before pointing to flexibility. A subscription owner who does not share the plan can use the full 2 TB, which is double the previous per-person amount. Households with heavy users are in a different position. Four members storing 700 GB each would total 2.8 TB, which is 800 GB over the new limit.

Subscriptions that go over 2 TB do not lose access immediately. Microsoft says members receive notifications as the plan approaches the limit and can keep accessing their files for up to one year while they manage their storage.

Extra storage can be purchased up to a total of 10 TB per subscription. Some existing Family and Premium subscribers in supported markets may receive bonus storage at renewal at no extra cost, but Microsoft has not published amounts or durations.

Nothing changes for existing plans before May 2, 2027, and Microsoft says it will email subscribers before the renewal that triggers the switch. One rule matters right now: upgrading moves a subscription to shared storage immediately.

Switching from Family to Premium before May 2, 2027 applies the 2 TB pool at once, while a downgrade alone does not trigger the change.

1. Have each member open the storage dashboard in their Microsoft account and note how much OneDrive space they use.
2. Add the numbers together and compare the total with the 2 TB limit.
3. Note the subscription renewal date, since the switch happens at the first renewal on or after May 2, 2027.
4. Hold off on upgrading from Family to Premium if the household stores more than 2 TB combined.
5. Free up space by deleting duplicate photo backups and emptying the OneDrive recycle bin, which counts against the quota.

Microsoft has not said what happens to files that remain over the limit once the one-year grace period ends.