Canceling Microsoft 365 does not immediately delete your OneDrive files or close Outlook.com. Your paid benefits generally continue until the subscription expires. After that, your cloud storage allowance returns to 5 GB shared by OneDrive files and Outlook.com attachments, while Outlook.com lists a separate 15 GB mailbox allowance. If your usage exceeds either applicable limit, OneDrive activity and email may be restricted. Microsoft says it may delete over-quota OneDrive files, but its support pages give conflicting timelines, so do not rely on a particular retention deadline.
What changes when you cancel—and when
Submitting a cancellation request is not the same as losing subscription benefits immediately. Microsoft says you can keep using the subscription until it expires. Check the expiration date on your account: if the page offers “Turn on recurring billing,” Microsoft says the subscription is already set to expire on the date shown and no further cancellation action is needed. If you bought the subscription through Apple, Google, or a retailer, manage billing and cancellation through that seller: Microsoft’s cancellation guidance.
At expiry, consumer accounts lose the subscription’s extra storage. Microsoft lists a free allowance of 5 GB of cloud storage shared across OneDrive and Outlook.com attachments, plus a separate 15 GB of Outlook.com storage. The 5 GB is not 5 GB for OneDrive and another 5 GB for attachments. Check both usage figures before deciding how much to move or delete. Microsoft explains the post-cancellation storage allowance.
What happens to OneDrive files
Files are not immediately erased just because the subscription expires. Microsoft says they remain intact initially, but if your account is above its storage allowance, you may be unable to upload, edit, or sync files, and existing files may become read-only. Microsoft’s OneDrive frozen-account guidance says an account may be frozen after three months over quota and may be deleted after six months. These are possible outcomes, not guaranteed deadlines.
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Microsoft’s published deletion timing is inconsistent: cancellation and storage guidance refer to six months, while its refund guidance says Microsoft may delete an over-quota OneDrive after twelve months. The pages do not explain the difference, so neither period is a reliable deadline. Treat deletion as a risk and make a separate copy of files you need to keep rather than waiting for a specific date. Microsoft’s refund guidance.
What happens to Outlook.com email
Outlook.com does not necessarily close when Microsoft 365 expires. However, Microsoft says an account over its applicable storage limit may be unable to send or receive email. Messages sent to an over-quota mailbox can be returned to the sender; once you free space, those messages may need to be sent again. The 5 GB cloud allowance includes Outlook.com attachments, and the separate 15 GB Outlook.com storage limit also matters. See Microsoft’s storage FAQ and OneDrive account guidance.
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What happens to other people on a shared plan
When a Microsoft 365 Family or other supported shared subscription expires, invited users lose the additional storage benefit too. Their files remain intact initially, but their allowance returns to the amount they had before the shared benefit. Microsoft describes the Family storage benefit as 1 TB of OneDrive storage during the subscription. Each person should check their own OneDrive and attachment usage and preserve or remove enough data to fit their post-expiry allowance. Microsoft’s subscription-sharing FAQ.
What to do before the subscription expires
- Find the expiry date and billing provider. Check your Microsoft account’s subscription page. If Apple, Google, or a retailer billed you, use that provider’s account or support process to manage cancellation.
- Check combined storage usage. Review OneDrive storage and Outlook.com storage, including attachments. Plan against the 5 GB shared cloud allowance and the separate 15 GB Outlook.com allowance listed by Microsoft.
- Save the files you need. Download them or copy them to another location before reducing your cloud usage. An external hard drive can serve as a local copy, but it is optional; choose a backup method that suits whether you need online access, sync, and sharing.
- Move or delete enough data to fit your intended allowance. Include Outlook.com attachments when reducing usage, not just files visible in OneDrive.
- Make sure email has room. If Outlook.com is over quota, sending or receiving may fail. Free space and, if messages were rejected, ask senders to resend them.
- Tell shared-plan users to check their accounts. They also lose the added storage benefit when the shared subscription expires.
Choose how to keep using your files
Your practical options depend on how much data you have and how you use it:
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- Fit the free allowance: Move or delete files and attachments until usage is within the relevant limits. This avoids keeping the paid storage benefit but requires ongoing attention to quota.
- Keep a Microsoft storage subscription: Renew or retain a subscription if you need its additional storage and want to continue using OneDrive online. The applicable plan and cost depend on your account and seller.
- Keep an independent copy elsewhere: Download or copy files to local storage or another service if you want to leave Microsoft’s additional storage. A local copy does not provide the same online sync or sharing unless you set that up separately.
Microsoft’s consumer support guidance does not establish the retention rules for work or school accounts. Those accounts are administered by an organization and may follow different license and retention policies; ask the organization’s administrator before canceling or deleting anything.
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