File Size Limits in SharePoint Online and SharePoint 2019/2016

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You need to be aware of the maximum file size and storage limits when uploading and storing large files in SharePoint site libraries. In this article, we will look at the most important file size limits in SharePoint Online and on-premises SharePoint Server 2019/2016.

File Size Limits on SharePoint Online (Microsoft 365)

Limit Category	Value	Notes
Document name length	256 characters	Maximum file name length
File path length	400 characters	Includes folders + file name
Maximum file size	250 GB per file	Current Microsoft 365 limit (may change over time)
List item attachment size	250 MB	Applies to attachments in lists
Copy/Move file limit	100 GB	Some OneNote files limited to 2 GB
Maximum items per library	30 million items	Performance degradation may occur much earlier
Recommended library size	100,000 items	Practical limit for stable performance

Max SharePoint site size

25 TB (once this limit is reached, the site goes into read-only mode until items are deleted from the site, including the site’s Recycle Bins)

Understanding SharePoint Online Tenant Storage

Keep in mind that the 25 TB limit applies to an individual site. However, the tenant must also have sufficient available SharePoint storage quota. Note that a site cannot grow beyond the amount of storage available in the tenant storage pool.

How SharePoint Online Storage Is Calculated

SharePoint Online storage is allocated at the tenant level. Note that the available storage quota depends on:

• Microsoft 365 subscription type
• Base tenant storage allocation
• Additional licensed users
• Purchased extra SharePoint storage

For example:

Base tenant storage + Per-user storage allocation + Additional purchased storage = Total available SharePoint storage.

You can review current storage allocation in the SharePoint Admin Center (under Active Sites and Storage Management settings).

SharePoint vs OneDrive Sync Limits

Keep in mind that even in case a file is supported by SharePoint Online, sync through the OneDrive client may be affected by:

• path length
• invalid characters
• sync performance limits
• number of synced items

Version History and Storage Consumption

One of the most common causes of unexpected SharePoint storage growth is file version history. When versioning is enabled, SharePoint stores previous versions of a document whenever users save changes. Note that each version consumes additional storage space.

Here is an example:

100 MB file × 500 versions = 50 GB of storage consumed

Another important thing to mention is that large documents that are frequently modified (CAD files, design files, archives, project documentation, spreadsheets, and similar content) can generate hundreds of versions over time and significantly increase site storage usage.

In order to review version history settings, follow these steps:

1. Open the document library;
2. Select Library Settings;
3. Open Versioning Settings;
4. Review the number of major and minor versions being retained.

In environments with limited storage, you should periodically review version retention settings and remove unnecessary historical versions.

Important. SharePoint storage consumption is calculated using both current files and their retained versions. A document library containing relatively few files can still consume large amounts of storage in case extensive version history is enabled.

Version History Limits

SharePoint supports large version histories, but keep in mind that retaining excessive versions can significantly increase storage consumption and impact library management.

You should define version retention policies based on business requirements instead of retaining unlimited versions whenever possible.

Check how much storage space each SharePoint Online site uses

You can find out how much storage space each SharePoint Online site uses by using the SharePoint Admin Center.

1. Sign in to SharePoint Admin Center and go to Sites > Active Sites;
2. The right-hand corner shows the total amount of storage available;
3. The amount of storage space used in GB is also calculated for each site;

   

4. For the Teams sites, you can get information about the used storage size for each of the channels. Click on the link with the number of channel sites. The total storage usage for each channel is displayed on the page that opens.

   

By default, you can store up to 25TB of data in SharePoint Online sites. The available space will be distributed across all of your tenant’s sites. In this case, any SharePoint site could potentially grow to 25 TB and consume all available storage in the tenant.

SharePoint Recycle Bin and Storage Usage

Note that deleted files continue consuming storage until they are permanently removed from both stages of the SharePoint Recycle Bin. When troubleshooting storage shortages, you should review the following:

• User Recycle Bin
• Site Collection Recycle Bin

Setting the storage limit for each SharePoint site

You can change the default settings and set the storage limit for each SharePoint site.

1. Go to SharePoint Admin Center > Settings > SharePoint Site Storage Limits;
   

   

2. Change the setting from Automatic to Manual and click Save;
   

   

3. Now you can set storage limits for existing and new SharePoint sites. Go to Active Sites and select a site. The Storage button should appear in the top. Click it;
4. Set the maximum available storage space for this site.
   

   

Site Owners will see warnings at the top of the page when this limit is exceeded:

No free space. This site is out of storage space and changes can’t be saved. To free up space, delete files you don’t need and empty the recycle bin.

Before increasing site storage limits, you should review document version history. In many cases, excessive version retention consumes more storage than active content. You can free up significant space without requiring additional SharePoint storage allocation by reducing unnecessary file versions.

SharePoint Server 2019 and 2016 File Limits

On-premises SharePoint Server 2019 and 2016 have several file-size and total storage-related limits:

• Max File Path Length — 400 characters (increased from 260 characters in previous SharePoint version)
• Default file size limit — 2 GB
• Hard file size limit SharePoint 2019 — 15 GB (large files can affect SharePoint farm performance)
• Hard file size limit in SharePoint 2016 — 10 GB
• Max files per container (folder) — 5000
• Max files per document library — 30 million
• Maximum upload size for a list item attachment — 50 MB

Most of SharePoint limits are fixed and cannot be reconfigured. The administrator can only change the values of SharePoint thresholds, which are configurable limits (but this increase could affect the performance of the server).

Increase SharePoint Server upload file size limit

You can increase SharePoint Server upload file size limit for a site from SharePoint Central Administration UI:

1. Open Application Management > select your web app > Click General Settings from ribbon;

   

2. Scroll down to the Maximum Upload Size option;
3. Increase the value on up to 15 GB.
   

   

Check and set limit of maximum upload file size with PowerShell

You can also check and set limit of maximum upload file size using PowerShell:

# Get current file upload size:

$WebApp = Get-SPWebApplication "http://your_web_app_URL"

$WebApp.MaximumFileSize

# Set new limit value

$webApp.MaximumFileSize = 10240

$WebApp.Update()

Note that the value is displayed in MB. For example:

• 2048 = 2 GB
• 10240 = 10 GB
• 15360 = 15 GB