Understanding Storage Calculation in Azure: Differences Between SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams

In the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Teams are tightly integrated to provide seamless collaboration, file storage, and sharing functionalities. Despite their synergy, understanding how storage is calculated across these services—especially within Azure—can be challenging. This article provides a comprehensive technical explanation of how storage is managed and calculated for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams, along with an overview of how they interact.

1. SharePoint Online

SharePoint Online is primarily used as a content management system (CMS) and collaboration platform. It acts as the backend for file storage and document management across multiple Microsoft 365 services, including Teams and OneDrive.

Where SharePoint Stores Files

• Team Sites and Communication Sites: SharePoint stores files within document libraries that are part of team and communication sites.
• Microsoft 365 Groups: When you create a Microsoft 365 Group, a corresponding SharePoint site is automatically provisioned. This site stores all group-related documents and files.

Storage Calculation for SharePoint Online

SharePoint Online uses a shared storage pool for the entire organization. Each tenant receives a default storage quota, generally 1 TB plus 10 GB per licensed user. This storage can be expanded by purchasing additional space.

The storage usage for SharePoint is calculated based on the total volume of documents, metadata, and site content across all SharePoint sites within the organization. Administrators can monitor usage on a per-site basis through the SharePoint Admin Center.

2. OneDrive for Business

OneDrive for Business provides personal storage for each user in the organization. It is tightly integrated with other Microsoft 365 services but operates independently of the shared SharePoint storage pool.

Where OneDrive Stores Files

• Individual Storage: Each user gets their own dedicated OneDrive storage space. By default, this is typically 1 TB, but it can scale up to 5 TB or more depending on the license and storage limits.
• Integration with Teams: Files shared in private chats within Microsoft Teams are stored in the OneDrive of the user who shared the file. These files are placed in a specific folder called “Microsoft Teams Chat Files”.

Storage Calculation for OneDrive

Storage in OneDrive is calculated per user and does not affect the shared pool of SharePoint storage. Each user has a separate quota that they can monitor via their OneDrive settings. Administrators can monitor total usage across the organization in the OneDrive Admin Center.

3. Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a collaboration platform that integrates messaging, video conferencing, and file sharing. While Teams itself does not have standalone storage, it leverages SharePoint and OneDrive for file storage.

Where Teams Stores Files

• Team Channels: Files shared in team channels are stored in the corresponding SharePoint document libraries associated with the team. Each team in Microsoft Teams has a SharePoint site automatically provisioned for it, and the files are stored there.
• Private Chats: Files shared in private chats are stored in the OneDrive of the user who shared the file, specifically in the “Microsoft Teams Chat Files” folder.

Storage Calculation for Teams

Since Teams relies on SharePoint and OneDrive for storage:

• Files shared in team channels are stored in SharePoint and count against the organization’s SharePoint storage.
• Files shared in private chats are stored in OneDrive and count against the individual’s OneDrive quota.

The Teams Admin Center does not directly manage storage but controls policies related to file sharing and permissions. The actual storage calculation for Teams is distributed between SharePoint and OneDrive.

4. Administration and Storage Management

Managing storage across SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams can be confusing due to their tight integration. Here’s an overview of the main administrative interfaces and their roles:

• SharePoint Admin Center: This is where you monitor and manage organization-wide storage. You can track which sites consume the most space and manage site quotas.
• OneDrive Admin Center: This admin center lets you view per-user storage consumption for OneDrive users across the organization.
• Teams Admin Center: While Teams does not handle file storage directly, the Teams Admin Center provides control over file sharing policies and permissions. File storage for Teams still depends on SharePoint and OneDrive.

5. Azure Storage Backend

All storage for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams is hosted on the Microsoft Azure infrastructure. Here’s how Azure manages these storage systems:

• SharePoint Online: Operates as a multi-tenant cloud service with a central storage pool for each tenant. Azure handles replication, backup, and redundancy at the infrastructure level, providing durability and scalability.
• OneDrive for Business: Each user’s storage is isolated within the Azure backend, ensuring that user files are independently stored and managed.
• Microsoft Teams: Since Teams does not store files directly, its storage backend is shared between SharePoint (for team channels) and OneDrive (for private chats). Azure handles the backend replication, ensuring that files are accessible and backed up.

6. Storage Expansion and Quota Management

Organizations can expand their SharePoint storage by purchasing additional space through the Microsoft 365 admin portal. This added storage is reflected in the shared pool used by SharePoint sites, and administrators can allocate quotas to individual sites as necessary.

OneDrive storage is assigned on a per-user basis. If a user requires more storage, admins can assign larger quotas (e.g., moving from 1 TB to 5 TB). In the case of Teams, since storage is handled by SharePoint and OneDrive, expanding either service will inherently benefit Teams users.

7. Summary Table

Conclusion

While SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Teams are different services, they are closely intertwined. The key takeaway for storage management is understanding the shared and individual storage dynamics between these platforms:

• SharePoint manages organizational storage through a shared pool.
• OneDrive provides personal storage for users.
• Teams leverages both SharePoint (for team files) and OneDrive (for private chat files).

By utilizing the SharePoint Admin Center and OneDrive Admin Center, administrators can efficiently manage and track storage across the organization. Expanding storage is straightforward, but understanding where and how files are stored ensures that administrators can make informed decisions.