Microsoft killed unlimited storage because people were using too much unlimited storage

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, right, and the OneDrive online storage logo

MICROSOFT has removed its unlimited OneDrive storage deal following a refresh of its available plans.

 

Microsoft has removed its unlimited OneDrive storage deal – less than a year after it introduced the offer to all its Office 365 subscribers.

The US technology firm says some customers were taking advantage of the offer and used their OneDrive cloud storage to store film collections, hours of video and entire PC backups.

As a result, Microsoft has rolled out a 1TB cap on all Office 365 Home, Personal or University plans.

 

Granted, 1TB is still a generous offer and should provide the vast majority of customers with more than enough to backup their documents and photo collections.

In fact, Microsoft claims 1TB is enough space for approximately one million Office documents or 330,000 photos.

But it is still a far cry from the 75TB Microsoft claims some of its unlimited customers were previously using on the cloud storage solution.

Microsoft is also shrinking the cloud storage offered to free users from 15GB to 5GB.

The news comes days after Microsoft made a major change to Windows 10, which could see the new operating system update automatically across thousands of PCs.

 

A bonus 15GB OneDrive option, which was previously offered to customers who opted to use the service to back-up their camera roll automatically, has now been dropped.

Any OneDrive users with files stored beyond their new quota will be notified by Microsoft and will be given 90 days notice before the files revert to read-only.

Read-only files will be deleted from Microsoft's servers within nine months of becoming read-only, Microsoft confirmed in a FAQ.

 

Customers who require more cloud storage can buy a monthly subscription from Microsoft

Microsoft commented on its OneDrive blog: "OneDrive has always been designed to be more than basic file storage and backup. 

"These changes are needed to ensure that we can continue to deliver a collaborative, connected, and intelligent service. 

"They will allow us to continue to innovate and make OneDrive the best option for people who want to be productive and do more."

 

Microsoft is making a number of provisions for OneDrive customers affected by the changes to storage, which will roll out early next year.

Free users who are over the 5GB of storage and thus affected by the change are eligible to claim a free one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal.

Office 365 subscribers who decide the service no longer meets their needs can claim a pro-rated refund from Microsoft.

Microsoft provides customers with all the details on its website.

 

The new 1TB limit is currently rolling out to Office 365 subscribers from today