4 Fixes to OneDrive Free Up Space Not Showing on Mac and Windows (2024)

Quick Guide

Free up space option missing in OneDrive
Right steps to save disk space with OneDrive free up space
How to solve OneDrive free up space not showing
What if free up space not available is not completely solved?

Free up space option missing in OneDrive

"I am running OneDrive on a Mac. I have some large files that I need to choose "Free up space" to make room on my hard drive. However, when I right-click the files, the "Free up space" option is not available. How do I resolve the OneDrive free up space not showing problem? "

Right steps to save disk space with OneDrive free up space

With over five million users, Microsoft OneDriveis one of the leading cloud storage providers in the market. In addition to data storage and synchronization, unlimited file access, this file hosting service allows you to free up device space with OneDrive files on demand, which helps you to access your cloud files without downloading them to local storage space.

To avoid set up free up space incorrectly that leads to OneDrive free up space not showing, you should follow the right steps below to complete the setup. Taking setting free up space on Mac as an example:

Step 1. Sign in to OneDrive on your computer, and follow the on-screen instructions to finish the setup of it.

Note:✎...: If you are a Windows 11/10 user, search for OneDrive in the search box and click on it to launch and log in to the program. If you are a Mac user or a Windows 7/8/8.1 user, you need to download the app first and then complete the installation and login.

Step 2. Click on the OneDrive icon in your menu bar, and tap on More> Preferences.

Step 3. In the Preferences tab, hit the Turn On Files On-Demandposition.

How to solve OneDrive free up space not showing

Although this operation could help users save local space, many OneDrive users state that they cannot find the Free up space button.

The possible reasons for the OneDrive free up space option missing from Windows 10and Mac are that your files are not online, the OneDrive application is not updated, or the computer freezes, and so on. Therefore, here we provide 4 solutions. Hope they can help you.

Fix 1. Make sure your files are updated to OneDrive

The prerequisite for managing files to free up local space is that the files have been synchronized to the cloud, and they just become locally available temporarily after you open it. So, you should ensure that your files are uploaded to the cloud.

Besides, you should make sure you have followed the correct steps to perform files on demand, or you may face OneDrive files on-demand not working.

Fix 2. Reconnect your OneDrive account

Sometimes, unlinking and reconnecting could solve OneDrive free up space not available on PC.

Step 1. Close your OneDrive by clicking on its icon, clicking on Help & Settings, and hitting Quit OneDive.

Step 2. Wait a few minutes, restart the program, take the above operation to try to free up space on your device again.

Fix 3. Keep your OneDrive up to date

It may also be an update that causes some features of the old version of OneDrive to be limited and make the OneDrive free up space option not available. If your application is not automatically updated, you can do it with the following guides:

Step 1. Click on Start > Settings > Apps, type OneDrive in the search box, hit it to select the Uninstall option.

Fix 4. Reboot your device

Generally, restarting the computer can solve many problems, including OneDrive free up space not working on Mac and Windows. You can reboot your laptop to have a try.

What if free up space not available is not completely solved?

According to user feedback, after some users have resolved the issue of OneDrive free up space not showing, the problem will reappear in a week or less. And no solution has been found to solve the problem completely so far. At that time, it will take a lot of time to deal with it again. Thus, we offer two tips that could help you here.

Tip 1. Backup data to other cloud storage services

Apart from OneDrive, there are many other great cloud storage providers, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, iCloud, and so on. You can get your data backup to other file services, such as Google Drive and OneDrive. If you want to use OneDrive continuously and are interested in storing data to other cloud providers, we strongly recommend you use CBackupto get this done.

CBackup is an automatic cloud backupand sync service, which not only enables you to backup data to clouds effectively but also makes cloud to cloud backup an easy task.It allows you to backup your computer files to multiple public cloud storage to keep your data safe for free.

Main features of this all-in-one cloud backup and sync software:

CBackup provides you to get PC auto backupto public cloud drives like Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, etc with a single interface and supports cloud to cloud data transferwith simple clicks.
Restoring data from these cloud drives to the original location or a new local location is available with CBackup.
It offers 10GB of free cloud storage for its cloud server, CBackup Cloud, which provides huge cloud storage at a reasonable price.
It allows you to combine cloud storageto increase cloud backup space for free. You can gain more cloud storage space with payments.

To backup data to public cloud storage services with CBackup, download the CBackup desktop app, create a CBackup accountfor free, and follow the steps below:

Download CBackup Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP

Secure Download

Step 1. Log in to the CBackup application with your registered account.

Step 2. Locate the Storagetab, choose the cloud drive you want to add, and click Authorize Now. Then, sign in to your account and follow the on-screen guides to allow CBackup to access your cloud data.

Step 4. Go to the Backup tab, and click on Backup PC to Public Cloud.

Step 5. After choosing files under Source and cloud drive account under Destination, hit Start Backupto initiate the backup task.

Tip 2. Delete items to release local space

After you back up the files to other clouds, you can delete the local files to make room for new items. Since even if you erase the local files, these cloud files that you have updated in clouds through CBackup will not be deleted.

In the end

This article presents the right steps to get free up space on your hard drive, 4 reliable ways to solve the OneDrive free up space not showing problems.

And if the above-mentioned issue and other problems like OnerDrive not run on Windows 10, OneDrive isn’t connectedto devices, and so forthoccur again, you can use CBackup to back up computer files to other clouds with ease, and then delete local files to free up local space.

FAQs

4 Fixes to OneDrive Free Up Space Not Showing on Mac and Windows? ›

OneDrive may not offer the option to free up space due to insufficient files or outdated software. Ensure files are synced, update the OneDrive app, and check for available storage. If the issue persists, contact Microsoft support for assistance.

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Why is OneDrive not giving me the option to free up space? ›

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How do I force OneDrive to free up space? ›

Click the OneDrive taskbar/menubar icon and open OneDrive > Settings > Account > Choose folders to make sure you don't sync any unwanted to your computer. Once the sync is complete, right-click the files and folders you want to be online only and choose Clear space to remove the files from your computer.

Why is my OneDrive not syncing across devices? ›

You need to open the OneDrive app on your device to force synchronization. Check Settings > Battery > Battery Usage > OneDrive > Launch (options). This will show a Manage Automatically option and a Manage Manually option. Select Manage Manually, then enable Run in background.

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Why does it keep saying my OneDrive is full? ›

Your OneDrive might be full because: You have exceeded the storage quota for your account. Your organization has exceeded its total pooled storage limit.

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Why is OneDrive free up space missing on my Mac? ›

If OneDrive free up space not showing on Mac or OneDrive free up space option missing in Windows 10, you can try the following ways to fix it: Relaunch Finder on Mac, or Windows File Explorer in Windows, or Force OneDrive to quit. Install the latest OneDrive desktop app. Reboot your computer to fix some bugs.

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How to clear space on OneDrive? ›

First, select Recycle bin in the OneDrive left side navigation.

To permanently delete specific files or folders from the recycle bin, select those items, then select Delete in the top navigation.
To permanently delete the entire recycle bin at once, select Empty recycle bin in the top navigation.

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How do I clear my OneDrive cache? ›

The best way to reset the app it to uninstall and reinstall it.

Open Settings.
Select Applications.
Tap Manage Applications.
Find and tap OneDrive.
Tap Force Stop and then tap Clear data and Clear cache.
Once completed, uninstall the app.
Reinstall the app from Google Play.

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Why is files in OneDrive still taking up space? ›

It's possible that you may have deleted files from your computer but they are still present in your OneDrive Recycle bin, which is taking up space. You can empty the Recycle bin by following step 4 above. It's also possible that you may have synced a large number of files to your OneDrive without realizing it.

How do I reset my OneDrive storage? ›

On your keyboard, press Windows + R to open the Run window.

Copy and paste the follow code into the window: %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset.
If the command above doesn't work, try. C:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset.
If the code above doesn't work, try.

Jan 19, 2024

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How do you reset OneDrive on a Mac? ›

Right-click or CTRL-click the OneDrive app. Select Show package contents then Contents/resources/reset*. command. Install the latest OneDrive for macOS from your preferred source.

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How to force OneDrive to sync on Mac? ›

Fix OneDrive sync issues on MacOS

Make sure the OneDrive process is running. Look for the OneDrive icon on the right side of the menu bar.
Restart OneDrive. Select the OneDrive icon on the menu bar, then select Quit OneDrive. Use Spotlight to search for OneDrive and reopen it.
Update the OneDrive sync app for Mac.

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How to fix OneDrive sync issues on Mac? ›

Article Content

Check if OneDrive is running. Click the OneDrive icon in the menu bar or check the Activity Monitor by pressing Command + Spacebar. ...
Restart OneDrive. Click the OneDrive icon in the menu bar. ...
Update OneDrive sync app. Open the Mac App Store then click the Update button in the toolbar. ...
Check computer storage.

Dec 6, 2023

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Why does OneDrive say I don't have enough storage? ›

The folder that is shared with you takes up a lot of space on OneDrive, which might make OneDrive not enough space when there is. However, OneDrive only stores a few files, so "OneDrive says not enough space but there is" will bother you. OneDrive storage quota changed when the subscription or promotion expired.

How do I enable free up space on OneDrive? ›

Just right-click the file and select “Free up space.” With Storage Sense turned on, these files will become online-only files after the time period you've selected. Only files that you mark as "Always keep on this device" have the green circle with the white check mark.

Why is Microsoft saying my storage is full? ›

Get more storage

You may be over your limit if the content stored in your OneDrive and Outlook attachments exceeds the cloud storage amount allocated to you with your free or paid subscription, or if a storage bonus that you received through a promotion has expired. See your storage usage in your Manage storage page.

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How do I free up space on OneDrive menu? ›

Just right-click the file and select “Free up space.” With Storage Sense turned on, these files will become online-only files after the time period you've selected. Only files that you mark as "Always keep on this device" have the green circle with the white check mark.

How can I get free storage on OneDrive? ›

Extend your OneDrive. As a Microsoft 365 Family subscriber, you and up to five other people get 50 GB of free mailbox storage for your Outlook.com emails, contacts and calendar items. You also each get 1 TB of free cloud storage for your email attachments, files and photos in OneDrive.

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Why does OneDrive say not enough space? ›

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