New Storage Limits in Microsoft 365

In a recent announcement, Microsoft has said that they are imposing new, institution-wide storage limits on educational customers for Microsoft OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange data. Previously, there was no practical limit on storage for educational institutions. Exceeding the new limit would result in new, additional storage-related costs to the university. To avoid unexpected costs to JMU and to promote responsible usage of storage, Information Technology (IT) must adjust the cloud storage limits for all user groups.

What is changing?

New storage limits for individuals within Microsoft 365 will be:

• Students: 100 GB
• Employees: 1 TB
• Affiliates/Emeriti: 100 GB (no change)

Also, a new storage limit of 500 GB will apply to all Teams and SharePoint sites.

When does this change take effect?

The new storage limits will take effect on November 13, 2024.

What do I need to do?

You do not have to do anything out of the ordinary because most individuals at JMU do not consume enough storage to reach the new limits. As a matter of best practice, we recommend that you review your files on a regular basis and remove any files that you no longer need.

If you happen to be one of the few users at JMU who have already surpassed the new storage limit, then IT will take steps to ensure that we do not impose a limit below your current usage, and we will contact you to discuss your storage needs.

What will happen if I reach the storage limit?

If you reach one of the storage limits, then you will receive a notice in your email (in the site owners' email in the case of SharePoint or Teams). The following is an example message from OneDrive:

Should you receive this message, your existing files are safe, but you cannot add or change any files until you free some space. Please contact the IT Help Desk if you require assistance or would like to provide a justification for a higher storage limit. An administrator will review your request.

What if I have questions?

If you have questions regarding these changes or require assistance in reducing your storage usage, please contact the IT Help Desk at (540) 568-3555 or helpdesk@jmu.edu.