OneDrive “Free Up Space” Greyed Out [Why + How to Fix]

• User Case
• What Does OneDrive “Free Up Space” Use for?
• Why OneDrive “Free Up Space” Greyed Out? [7 Reasons]
• How to Fix OneDrive “Free Up Space” Greyed Out Issue [6 Solutions]
• Bonus Tip: Transfer Files from OneDrive to Another Cloud via MultCloud
• Conclusion

User Case

What Does OneDrive “Free Up Space” Use for?

The term "Free up space" generally refers to the process of freeing up storage space on a device, such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet. This action is typically taken to remove device files, including temporary files, cached data, and unnecessary application data, aiming at optimizing the available storage on the device.

After you use the “Free up space” demand, the files or folders will not be deleted on OneDrive but from your device to free up your device storage. So, you can also access these files and folders online but not offline.

To use the demand, you can follow the steps below:

Step 1: Open the OneDrive folder on File Explorer.

Step 2: Right-click on the file or folder that you want to access online and choose “Free up space” in the dropdown menu.

Why OneDrive “Free Up Space” Greyed Out? [7 Reasons]

The "Free Up Space" option in OneDrive may be greyed out for several reasons. Here are some common reasons and potential solutions:

How to Fix OneDrive “Free Up Space” Greyed Out Issue [6 Solutions]

If you're experiencing issues with OneDrive's "Free Up Space" feature, there are a few troubleshooting steps you can try to resolve the issue. Here are some potential solutions:

Way 1: Check Available Storage

Ensure that you have enough storage space on both your local device and your OneDrive account. If you're running out of OneDrive space, the "Free Up Space" option may not work correctly.

Way 2: Restart OneDrive

Step 1: Click the OneDrive icon and select the settings button.

Step 2: Choose “Pause syncing” in the dropdown menu and then choose “Quit OneDrive”. Then confirm to quit OneDrive in the pop-up window.

Step 3: Restart OneDrive to see the OneDrive “Free up space” greyed out still.

Way 3: Unlink and Reconnect OneDrive and PC

Step 1: Tap on the OneDrive icon and select the settings icon.

Step 2: Choose “Settings” in the dropdown menu.

Step 3: Navigate to the “Account” page and click “Unlink this PC”. Then choose “Unlink account” in the pop-up window to remove OneDrive from your PC.

Step 4: Click on the OneDrive icon again and reconfigure the settings.

Way 4: Check for File Conflicts

If there are file conflicts or syncing issues, resolve them manually. Check for any error messages related to specific files and address them.

Way 5: Check OneDrive Settings

Step 1: Tap on the OneDrive icon on your desktop.

Step 2: Choose the gear-shaped icon and choose “Settings” in the dropdown menu.

Step 3: Navigate to the “Sync and backup” page and click “Advanced settings”.

Step 4: Find “Files On-demand” and check the settings here.

Way 6: Update OneDrive

Make sure you are using the latest version of the OneDrive client. Updates may include bug fixes and improvements that could address the problem.

Bonus Tip: Transfer Files from OneDrive to Another Cloud via MultCloud

Except for giving the reasons and solutions to the OneDrive “Free up space” greyed out issue, we will introduce a new way for OneDrive file transfer. You can use this way to move some of your OneDrive files to another place so that you can safely free up both the OneDrive and your device storage.

The new way is using MultCloud, a free but professional cloud management service. With its “Cloud Transfer” function, you can easily migrate OneDrive files to another account or cloud without manually downloading and uploading files. Then, we will show you how to use Cloud Transfer to transfer files from OneDrive to Dropbox.

Step 1: Enter the MultCloud website and click “Get started for free” to sign up.

Step 2: Add OneDrive and Dropbox to MultCloud. To add a cloud, click “Add Cloud” and the cloud icon. Then log in to the cloud account and allow MultCloud to access your cloud files.

Step 3: Select “Cloud Transfer” and choose OneDrive as the source cloud and Dropbox as the target cloud. Finally, tap “Transfer Now” to start transferring the files.

Conclusion

This post shows 7 reasons and 6 solutions to the OneDrive “Free up space” greyed out issue. You can check the reasons and try the solutions to see if they can handle your problem. Besides, if you have a need to transfer OneDrive files from one account to another account or cloud, give MultCloud Cloud Transfer a chance and you may be surprised by its power.