The University of Windsor will implement new storage limits beginning April 7, 2025 in response to Microsoft’s changes in global storage limits for universities and colleges. These changes from Microsoft have prompted universities worldwide to modify storage offerings.

The University of Windsor’s storage limits will affect individual Outlook mailboxes and OneDrives as well as shared mailboxes and SharePoints. UWindsor’s storage limits are outlined below.

University of Windsor Outlook and OneDrive storage should only be used for professional and academic matters.

UWindsor’s storage limits for these applications are:

MS365 App	Employee (Faculty/Staff/Sessional)	Student	Retiree	Alumni
OneDrive	20GB	5GB	10GB	N/A
Outlook Mailbox	10GB	5GB	1GB	5GB
Shared Mailbox	20GB per shared mailbox
SharePoint (Teams)	25GB per SharePoint

 

Teams (or SharePoints depending on need)

Microsoft SharePoint is a cloud-based service that helps University of Windows faculty, staff, students and community partners share and manage content, knowledge, and applications to empower teamwork, quickly find information and seamlessly collaborate across the organization.

UWindsor’s storage limit for a SharePoint/Team is 25GB.

 

OneDrive or SharePoint? When do I use which?

In general, it is best to use OneDrive to store files that are not shared or for files that only need to be shared short term such as draft working documents. SharePoint storage should be used to keep your faculty/department's most important files and data that are required for long-term collaborations with other users. Keep this in mind when you are reviewing and deleting files from your SharePoint or Teams. 

When to use OneDrive:

Use OneDrive as your personal space to store professional documents that don't require frequent sharing such as:

• Personal work activities, such as drafting documents or taking notes.
• Initial drafts of files that might need collaboration later, but aren’t ready for sharing yet.
• Business-related information saved for your own reference.
• Professional association documents that are no longer needed once your term ends.

Avoid using OneDrive for:

• Documents that need long-term access by a team. If the account holder leaves the university, shared links will be removed on their departure date.
• Backup copies of files already stored elsewhere.
• Research data requiring large storage and long-term retention (consult IT Services or Leddy Library for alternatives).
• Personal files like photos, music, movies, tax documents, etc.
• Backups of your laptop or external hard drives.

For more information refer to Microsoft’s video that explains when to use OneDrive vs. SharePoint.

When to use SharePoint (Teams):

Use Teams to store files that are actively being worked on by team members for collaborative projects such as:

• Resources that may be needed long-term and must follow retention schedules, even if you leave the organization (contact your department head or manager for more information)
• Regular communications and activities related to the team/department
• Up-to-date documentation on internal workflows, operations, and processes

Avoid using Teams for:

• Backup copies of data already stored in other locations
• Research data requiring large storage and long-term retention (consult IT Services or Leddy Library for alternatives)
• Personal files such as photos, music, movies, tax documents, etc.
• Backups of your laptop or external hard drives

Other Tips:

• Organize content in hierarchies and use natural language.
• Encourage users to use consistent naming conventions and meta data.
• Set a recurring schedule to review files stored in various applications.