Microsoft doubling the OneDrive photo storage count: A change on the horizon?

2 min. read

Published on September 5, 2023

published on September 5, 2023

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In an anticipated shift in OneDrive’s storage policies, Microsoft unveiled its new approach to managing photos across its cloud-based storage platform. Starting Oct. 16, 2023, each picture uploaded to OneDrive will count twice against the user’s storage quota. The move, Microsoft stated, is aimed at “improving your Microsoft 365 experience.”

The specifics of the change were outlined in an email shared by Dr. Windows, illustrating that the data from photos saved in the “Gallery” and in the “Albums” features would count separately against the storage quota. The result is an unexpected doubling of the apparent storage taken up by the same photo.

For the unfamiliar, the Gallery feature is OneDrive’s default destination for all uploaded images. Meanwhile, the Albums feature, an optional addition, allows users to construct customized collections of pictures.

In response to potential concerns about increased data consumption, Microsoft offered a reassuring message in its email. To soften the transition period, users will receive a one-year storage boost to help adapt to the new storage policies.

Nonetheless, specifics surrounding the size of this storage boost and how it will be distributed were left unsaid. Users should be mindful that the additional storage is temporary and will expire one year after it is assigned to the account.

However, there’s a potential benefit hidden in this change. This alteration implies that users can keep photos in Album even if they choose to remove them from Gallery, and also the other way around – a level of flexibility users might appreciate.

The company’s drive for change doesn’t seem to stop at this policy shift. Recently, a leaked video hinted at an upcoming OneDrive-related announcement set for October 3rd.

In conclusion, while these changes may initially seem odd to OneDrive users, Microsoft’s decision may offer nuanced benefits. The one-year storage boost should provide a fair buffer period for users to adjust their cloud storage practices, while the potential AI upgrade may open up new avenues of user experience.

Stay tuned with us for more updates on these developments.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web. Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they're looking for.