Microsoft to replace 1 TB per-person OneDrive storage with 2 TB shared pool in 365 plans
Microsoft announced that Microsoft 365 Family and Premium plans will move from 1 TB of OneDrive storage per member to a 2 TB shared pool, while letting family members share AI usage. Coverage splits on whether the storage cut or the AI sharing is the main story.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Microsoft announced changes to its Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium and Pro subscriptions that will move cloud storage and AI usage to a shared model, rolling out over the coming months. ZDNETN “Microsoft announced today that it will be making changes to its Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium, and Pro subscriptions.” Read at ZDNET ↗ The VergeLC “Microsoft outlines the changes that are coming to subscription plans over the coming months” Read at The Verge ↗ Mixed · 2Family and Premium plans currently give each member 1 TB of OneDrive storage; they will change to 2 TB of shared storage for the whole plan, with each member's account and files staying private. The VergeLC “Your cloud storage allowance will change from 1 TB per person to 2 TB of shared storage so everyone on the plan can use the free space while keeping their own accounts and files private.” Read at The Verge ↗ ZDNETN “Microsoft 365 Family and Premium plans will get a total of 2 TB of shared storage.” Read at ZDNET ↗ Centre · 1ZDNET calculates that a Family plan owner using all five extra slots currently has 6 TB in total, and says Microsoft 365 Pro, a new plan launched quietly in September at about $100 a month, gets 5 TB of shared storage and the highest AI usage limits. ZDNETN “your family has a total of 6 TB of storage available.”“Microsoft 365 Pro — a new plan that was very quietly launched in September — gets 5 TB of shared storage” Read at ZDNET ↗
Mixed · 2On the AI side, Copilot usage credits, previously available only to the subscription owner, will be shareable with family members, the owner will be able to manage AI access for younger members, and individual AI limits will become a single usage allowance, with extra usage available to buy. ZDNETN “family members will be able to share AI usage credits, and the subscription owner will be able to manage AI access for younger family members.” Read at ZDNET ↗ The VergeLC “Your individual AI feature limits will shift to a single AI usage allowance that you can apply to the advanced AI features you use most.” Read at The Verge ↗ Centre · 1According to a Microsoft spokesperson quoted by ZDNET, new and upgraded subscriptions get shared storage from 8 October 2026, while existing subscribers move at their first renewal on or after 2 May 2027 and will be notified in advance. ZDNETN “new and upgraded subscriptions include shared storage starting Oct. 8, 2026. Customers with an existing subscription move to shared storage at their first renewal on or after May 2, 2027” Read at ZDNET ↗ Mixed · 2Microsoft describes the changes as giving subscribers "more flexibility", arguing shared storage helps when one member exceeds 1 TB; a support note says existing subscribers in eligible markets might qualify for transitional bonus storage, and Microsoft plans to support families that use a lot of storage. ZDNETN “giving subscribers “more flexibility with their AI and cloud storage benefits.”” Read at ZDNET ↗ The VergeLC “Microsoft argues this makes storage more flexible if one member exceeds 1TB”““Existing subscribers in eligible markets might also qualify for transitional bonus storage.”” Read at The Verge ↗
Centre · 1ZDNET's Ed Bott says families using more than 2 TB could face much higher bills, since each extra 1 TB costs $10 a month on top of the $130-a-year Family plan, though he expects most subscribers will not notice the change. ZDNETN “Each 1 TB of additional OneDrive storage adds $10 a month to the subscription price.”“For the majority of Microsoft 365 subscribers, this change will be unnoticeable.” Read at ZDNET ↗ Centre · 1Bott suggests the likely motive is to curb users who fill a secondary account's storage as a personal data hoard, and notes Microsoft withdrew an "unlimited" OneDrive offer in 2015; he also says the move aligns Microsoft with Google One, which offers 2 TB shared among six people for $100 a year. ZDNETN “The most likely reason is to crack down on enthusiasts who are taking advantage of the 6 TB of storage included with a Family subscription”“Google One, for example, includes 2 TB of shared storage for 6 people, plus AI credits, for $100 a year” Read at ZDNET ↗ Left · 1The Verge, citing an email to subscribers, calls the storage change the major downside and says it looks like an easy way to upsell more OneDrive storage; it adds that the AI changes could mean some subscribers pay more for AI usage, and notes Microsoft 365 Premium launched a year ago at $19.99 a month. The VergeLC “it looks like it’s an easy way for the company to upsell more OneDrive storage in reality.”“could mean that some subscribers end up paying more for AI usage”“for $19.99 a month” Read at The Verge ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Leads with the new ability to share AI benefits, treating the storage reduction as the major downside.
- Emphasis
- AI sharing, Microsoft's email to subscribers, and upselling concerns.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not give the new-subscriber start date, the 6 TB comparison, or competitor and historical context.
- Charged language
- “upsell”
- For example
-
“The storage changes seem like the major downside to Microsoft’s updates.” — The Verge
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Leads with the storage shrinking, calling it 'shrinkflation' and quantifying the cost impact.
- Emphasis
- Price arithmetic, Microsoft's likely motive, the 2014-15 unlimited-storage reversal and competitor comparison.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention transitional bonus storage.
- Charged language
- “shrinkflation”“hoard”“hollering”
- For example
-
“Microsoft 365 subscribers are about to experience the cloud version of shrinkflation.” — ZDNET
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Family and Premium plans move from 1 TB of OneDrive per person to 2 TB shared across the plan.
- Family members' accounts and files stay private under the shared pool.
- Copilot/AI usage becomes shareable among plan members under a single allowance.
- Storage changes for existing subscribers apply from the first renewal after 2 May 2027.
Where accounts differ
-
Whether the storage change is mainly a cut or a flexibility improvement
- Left
- The Verge says Microsoft argues it is more flexible, but it looks like an easy way to upsell OneDrive storage.
- Centre
- ZDNET calls it 'shrinkflation' that could double or triple some bills, though most users will not notice.
Microsoft organisation
Presents the changes as giving subscribers more flexibility with AI and cloud storage, with transitional bonus storage and support for heavy users.
“giving subscribers “more flexibility with their AI and cloud storage benefits.”” — ZDNET
“Existing subscribers in eligible markets might also qualify for transitional bonus storage.” — The Verge
Microsoft 365 product
Plans gain shared storage and AI allowances; Family and Premium get 2 TB shared and Pro 5 TB.
“gets 5 TB of shared storage and the highest available AI usage limits” — ZDNET
Left1 article
-
Microsoft 365 Family subscribers will finally be able to share AI benefits
Mixed Presents AI sharing as a welcome change but flags the storage cut as an upsell opportunity.
Centre1 article
-
ZDNETN ·
Got a Microsoft 365 subscription? Your storage is about to shrink
Critical Frames the change as a hidden price increase for heavy users while noting most won't be affected.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 8 Oct 19:56 First ZDNETN Got a Microsoft 365 subscription? Your storage is about to shrink
- 9 Oct 08:14 +12h 18m The VergeLC Microsoft 365 Family subscribers will finally be able to share AI benefits
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.