How to Set a Site Storage Limit in SharePoint Admin Center

SharePoint sites can consume storage from your tenant pool without a per-site cap. Without limits, a single site can exhaust your organization’s total storage allocation and slow down other sites. This article explains how to set a site storage limit in the SharePoint admin center so you control how much storage each site can use. You will learn the exact steps to apply a limit, what happens when a site exceeds the limit, and how to avoid common mistakes.

Understanding SharePoint Site Storage Limits

Every SharePoint Online tenant has a total storage pool calculated as 10 GB plus 10 GB per licensed user plus any purchased add-on storage. By default, each site can use as much of that pool as it needs, up to the tenant maximum for a single site (currently 25 TB). Without a per-site limit, one site with large video files or archives can consume gigabytes quickly, leaving less storage for other sites.

Setting a site storage limit is a way to enforce fairness and predictability. When you set a limit, SharePoint tracks the site’s used storage in real time. Users can still upload files until they reach the limit. At 80 percent usage, SharePoint sends a warning email to site owners. At 100 percent, users cannot upload, edit, or sync files. The site becomes read-only for file operations until storage is freed or the limit is increased.

The limit applies to the entire site collection, which includes the root site and all subsites under it. Storage used by version history, recycle bins, and linked Microsoft 365 group resources (such as Planner tasks or Teams chat files) also counts toward the limit. Document libraries, lists, and apps all share the same storage pool for that site.

You must be a SharePoint admin or a Global admin to change site storage limits. The setting is available only in the SharePoint admin center, not in the classic SharePoint admin pages. After you set a limit, it takes effect immediately for new uploads. Existing files that already exceed the new lower limit are not automatically deleted, but users cannot add more data until storage drops below the limit.

Steps to Set a Site Storage Limit in SharePoint Admin Center

1. Sign in to the SharePoint admin center
   Go to https://admin.microsoft.com and sign in with an account that has SharePoint admin or Global admin privileges. In the left navigation, expand Admin centers and select SharePoint. The SharePoint admin center opens.
2. Open the Active sites page
   In the SharePoint admin center left menu, click Sites and then click Active sites. A list of all site collections in your tenant appears.
3. Select the target site
   Click the check box next to the site where you want to set a storage limit. You can select only one site at a time for this operation. To find a site quickly, use the search box at the top of the list.
4. Open site settings
   After selecting the site, click Settings in the command bar at the top. A panel opens with general settings for that site.
5. Locate the Storage limit section
   In the settings panel, scroll to the Storage limit option. The current setting shows either No limit or the previously set value in gigabytes.
6. Enter the new storage limit
   Select Specify limit and type a number between 0 and the tenant maximum (25 TB or 25,600 GB). For example, to allow 10 GB, type 10. The value must be a whole number. If you type 0, the site immediately blocks all uploads.
7. Save the setting
   Click Save at the bottom of the panel. The panel closes and the site now has the new storage limit. You can verify the change by selecting the site again and checking the Storage limit field.

To apply the same limit to multiple sites, you must repeat these steps for each site. There is no bulk edit option for storage limits in the SharePoint admin center. For automation, use PowerShell with the Set-SPOSite -StorageQuota cmdlet.

Common Mistakes and Limitations When Setting Storage Limits

Setting a limit lower than current usage

If you set a limit below the site’s current storage usage, SharePoint does not delete existing files. Users see a warning that the site is over its limit, but no data is removed automatically. To fix this, either increase the limit to at least the current usage or delete files manually until the usage drops below the limit. Check the site’s storage metrics in the settings panel to see the exact used amount.

Storage limit does not affect external sharing

External users can still view and download files when the site reaches its storage limit. The limit only blocks uploads and edits. If you need to restrict external access, configure sharing settings separately in the site’s Policies or Permissions section.

Subsites do not show individual storage limits

The storage limit you set applies to the entire site collection. Subsites within that collection share the same pool. You cannot set a separate limit for a subsite. To control storage per subsite, consider creating a separate site collection for each subsite and setting limits individually.

Storage limit changes do not affect Microsoft 365 Group storage

If the site is connected to a Microsoft 365 Group (for example, a Teams team site), the storage limit applies only to the SharePoint site. The group’s storage for Exchange, Planner, and other services is not affected. Monitor group storage separately in the Microsoft 365 admin center under Groups.

Recycle bin storage counts toward the limit

Files in the first-stage and second-stage recycle bins use storage that counts toward the site limit. Emptying the recycle bins frees storage immediately and can resolve an over-limit situation without deleting files from document libraries. Instruct site owners to empty the recycle bin from the site contents page before requesting a limit increase.

Item	No Limit	Custom Limit
Storage control	Site can use all tenant storage	Site capped at specified GB
Warning at 80%	No automatic warning	Email sent to site owners
Blocks uploads at 100%	Never blocks (until tenant full)	Blocks all write operations
Applies to subsites	Yes, shared pool	Yes, shared pool
Bulk edit available	N/A	PowerShell only

You can now set a site storage limit in the SharePoint admin center to prevent any single site from consuming your tenant’s storage pool. Start by reviewing the largest sites in the Active sites list and applying a reasonable limit. For advanced management, use SharePoint PowerShell to set limits across dozens of sites in one command. Remember that storage limits complement other policies such as site deletion rules and external sharing controls for complete governance.