OneDrive for large files: a comparison
"I already pay for Microsoft 365 and have 1 TB in OneDrive. Why would I pay for sending files as well?" That is the best objection we get, and it deserves a straight answer: often you really do not need to. This page tries to show exactly where that answer stops.
We read the Microsoft figures below from Microsoft's own documentation on 27 September 2026, and the links are at the end of the page.
What OneDrive costs and how much storage comes with it
The first trap in "I already have 1 TB" is that 1 TB does not come with every Microsoft plan. The figure depends on your plan, and between the free account and a Personal plan there is two hundred times the space:
| Plan | OneDrive storage |
|---|---|
| Free OneDrive account | 5 GB |
| Microsoft 365 Basic | 100 GB |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | 1 TB |
| Microsoft 365 Family | 1 TB per person, up to 6 TB |
| Microsoft 365 Premium | 1 TB per person, up to 6 TB |
| Microsoft 365 Business | 1 TB per user |
We quote no Microsoft amounts here. Read them on the Microsoft 365 plan comparison. If you are on Basic, you have 100 GB, not 1 TB. If you are on the free account, you have 5 GB, less than a single video project. It is worth checking before you treat the problem as solved.
What OneDrive does better than us
It is already paid for. If your organisation runs on Microsoft 365, the account exists, the app is set up, and your colleagues are there anyway. For a file going to a colleague, the OneDrive link is the right choice and costs nothing extra.
Very large files. A single file can be up to 250 GB, in OneDrive and SharePoint, according to Microsoft's documentation, which recommends the sync app rather than the browser for anything larger than a few gigabytes.
The file stays there. It does not expire, does not disappear, and syncs to your computer. For a document you work on together, that is exactly what you want.
Where the difference is: shared storage is not delivery
The basic difference is not a number, it is a category. OneDrive is your storage, shared; it is not a delivery channel. That has three practical effects:
The file stays in your quota. A project handed over three months ago still takes up your 100 GB or your 1 TB until you delete it. The delivery has no natural end, only a clean-up you may or may not remember.
Link control does not come with the free account. Microsoft's documentation marks both the password and the expiration date as only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers. And when you share, "Allow editing" is on by default, so a delivery link starts with permission to change the file, not just to read it.
On work accounts the rules are not yours. The link type that lets the recipient download without signing in, "Anyone", is a setting in the SharePoint admin center. The administrator can limit it to view only, make it expire after a number of days, or turn it off completely. That is good security policy, and a real obstacle when you have to hand a file to an outside client at 6 pm on a Friday.
Comparison table
| What you are comparing | OneDrive | Transferify |
|---|---|---|
| What it is built for | Storage, sync and collaboration | File delivery |
| Free storage | 5 GB on the free account | Active storage included on free accounts; it frees up when you delete a transfer |
| Largest single file | 250 GB, within your storage | Up to 1 TB on Premium; peer-to-peer free up to 5 GB, then a one-off payment per transfer; no limit on a paid plan |
| What happens after delivery | The file stays in your quota until you delete it | You choose the expiry; on Premium, no expiry is an option too |
| Account for the recipient | No, with an "Anyone" link; on work accounts the administrator decides whether that link type is available | No, never |
| Account for the sender | The files live in your OneDrive, so you sign in with a Microsoft account | Email confirmation with a code, no password to choose |
| Password on the link | Only for Microsoft 365 subscribers | From Basic |
| Link expiry | Only for Microsoft 365 subscribers; on work accounts the administrator can cap it | Your choice: 1–3 days free, 1–7 days on Basic, 1–30 days on Plus; on Premium 1–30 days or no expiry |
| Download confirmation | Viewer information on the file, controlled by the administrator | From Basic |
| Who holds the encryption key | Microsoft; its documentation says each file's key is encrypted with master keys stored in Azure Key Vault | Us; with the zero-knowledge mode on the Premium plan, only you |
| Where the prices are | On the Microsoft 365 plan comparison | On the pricing page, monthly and yearly |
Where Transferify wins
Delivery follows your deadline. The link lasts 1–3 days on the free plan, 1–7 days on Basic, 1–30 days on Plus, and on Premium you can choose 1–30 days or no expiry. With a set expiry the transfer disappears on the date you picked. With no expiry it stays in your active storage until you delete it.
Recipients with no account, with no exceptions. Whoever gets the link downloads in the browser, without signing in, and no administrator can switch that off. Only the sender confirms an email address, with a one-time code.
Control and proof, from the first paid plan. A password before download, a download limit and a confirmation when someone has downloaded, all from Basic. On the free plan you have 50 downloads in total per calendar month, and the number of transfers is not capped.
Encryption you choose. Hosted files are encrypted on your device with AES-256-GCM before upload. By default we hold the key, wrapped by a cloud-managed encryption key, so a lost link can be recovered. With the zero-knowledge mode, available on the Premium plan, the key never reaches us: we cannot read the file, but we cannot recover it for you either. Peer-to-peer transfers are end-to-end encrypted and never touch our servers.
It does not use the space you already pay for. A transfer you send with Transferify does not go into your OneDrive quota and does not force anyone to clear space.
About money
We are not asking you to give up Microsoft 365, because we do not sell the same thing. Microsoft 365 Basic buys storage; our Basic buys control over a delivery: a password, an expiry you choose, a download limit and a confirmation. Those are two different purchases, and if you do not need the second one, do not make it.
We quote no amounts here, ours included. Read your amount on the Microsoft 365 plan comparison. Our plans are listed monthly and yearly, and the current amounts are on the pricing page, read from the same catalogue used at checkout.
How to choose
Pick OneDrive when the recipient is a colleague in the same organisation, when the file has to stay available for the long term, when you work on it together, or when nobody would gain anything from another tool.
Pick Transferify when you deliver outside the organisation, when the link should expire on its own, when you need a password and download confirmation without asking the administrator for anything, or when the file has no business staying in your storage after the handover. The full process is on the page about how to send large files, the difference between the two transfer modes on the features page, and the other storage products are compared on Google Drive and Dropbox.
Sources and review date
We read the Microsoft facts at the source on 27 September 2026:
- The storage on the free account and on each Microsoft 365 home plan: Microsoft storage quotas
- The 1 TB per user on the Microsoft 365 business plans: the OneDrive service description
- The plan amounts we do not print here: the OneDrive plan comparison
- The 250 GB maximum for a single file and the sync app recommendation: restrictions and limitations in OneDrive and SharePoint
- Password and expiry only for subscribers, editing on by default, and downloading without signing in: share OneDrive files and folders
- The administrator's control over "Anyone" links and the viewer information: manage sharing settings for SharePoint and OneDrive
- The unique key for each stored file and the master keys in Azure Key Vault: how OneDrive safeguards your data in the cloud
The Transferify figures come from the plan catalogue the product enforces, published on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
How much storage do I get in OneDrive?
It depends on the plan, and the gap is large. The free account has 5 GB. Microsoft 365 Basic has 100 GB, Personal has 1 TB, and Family and Premium have 1 TB per person, up to 6 TB. The Microsoft 365 business plans list 1 TB per user. Checked on 27 September 2026.
How large can a file uploaded to OneDrive be?
250 GB for a single file, in OneDrive and SharePoint alike, according to Microsoft's documentation. For files larger than a few gigabytes, Microsoft recommends the OneDrive sync app over uploading in the browser. Checked on 27 September 2026.
I already pay for Microsoft 365, so why pay for something else?
For many sends you do not need to. If the recipient is a colleague in the same organisation, the OneDrive link is the right choice and already paid for. The difference shows with a one-off delivery to someone outside, where you pay for control over the link and for the file not using your paid space after the handover.
Can I put a password on a OneDrive link?
Yes, but not on the free account. Microsoft's documentation marks both the password and the expiration date as only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers. On work accounts, the organisation's administrator decides which link types are allowed. Checked on 27 September 2026.
Does the recipient need a Microsoft account?
It depends on the link type. With an "Anyone" link, people can view, copy or download without signing in. On work accounts, the administrator can restrict that link type or turn it off completely. With Transferify the recipient never needs an account.
What does Transferify add on top of a OneDrive link?
An expiry you choose, a download limit, a confirmation when someone has downloaded, and the zero-knowledge mode on the Premium plan, where the encryption key never reaches us. And the delivered file does not stay in your storage.