Microsoft Offers 15GB Free Storage To OneDrive Users

Microsoft has slashed the cost of OneDrive subscriptions, and simultaneously more than doubled the amount of free storage it offers from 7GB to 15GB, as the cloud storage price wars intensify.

The company says the changes reflect that users are not just storing files in the cloud, but now want to collaborate and perform more activities.

The company says its data shows that three quarters of all PC users have less than 15GB of files on their machine, so even when accounting for files stored on other devices, this should be enough for users to collect all of their documents, videos and photos in one repository.

OneDrive price reduction

For those who require more than 15GB, Microsoft has reduced the cost of 100GB from $7.49 a month to $1.99 and 200GB from $11.49 to $3.99. The price cuts will come into effect from next month and existing subscribers will have their bill altered accordingly.

Office 365 subscriptions will now come with 1TB of OneDrive storage as standard. A home subscription provides 1TB for up to five users for $9.99 a month, while an Office 365 Personal or University subscription will support one user.

“We want to provide a complete experience that brings in the power of Office and lets you do more with everything you put in your OneDrive — whether it’s sharing your favourite photos with the people you care about in one simple click or working together in real time on an important project,” explains Omar Shahine, OneDrive group program manager.

Microsoft hopes the changes will make the platform more attractive to consumers amid fierce competition in a market populated by the likes of Google, Box and Dropbox. Canonical says the current free storage wars are unsustainable and will close its own Ubuntu One cloud service at the end of July.

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