Microsoft’s changes to its cloud storage service, OneDrive, will make it more expensive for many users. OneDrive is well integrated into Windows and is often used as photo storage. However, starting October 16, 2023, Microsoft will change the way it calculates storage space usage. This could cause problems for many users.

OneDrive offers 5 GB of free storage, with additional storage available through subscriptions. The paid versions of OneDrive are particularly suitable for photo storage. However, starting October 16, 2023, Microsoft will change the way it calculates storage space usage. Some photos will be counted twice, depending on how they are organized.

OneDrive displays photos in a gallery view and allows users to create albums. Until now, organizing photos in albums has not affected storage space usage. However, starting October 16th, Microsoft will count photos twice if they are in both the gallery and an album. Microsoft is currently informing users of this change by email.

To help users avoid exceeding their storage limit, Microsoft is offering a special bonus on storage space. However, this bonus expires after a year. As a result, some users may find that their OneDrive storage space is no longer sufficient.

OneDrive users should check their storage usage and consider deleting duplicate or unnecessary photos. Microsoft’s new calculation method highlights a disadvantage of cloud storage: providers have control and can make changes that negatively impact users. Local photo backups do not have this problem.