Managing storage is a constant challenge for SharePoint Online administrators. One often-overlooked culprit in site storage consumption is the recycle bin in SharePoint Online. SharePoint uses a two-stage recycle bin (first-stage and second-stage) to ensure that accidentally deleted content can be recovered. But this safety net can significantly affect storage usage at both the site andtenant levels. In this article, we’ll explain how the two recycle bin stageswork, what admins and users can (and can not) do in each stage, how they impactstorage quotas, and how to manage them (including PowerShell scripts with examples). This article provides an immediate but short-term solution for you,if your tenant hits the SharePoint Storage limit. We’ll conclude with why a solution like ShArc can be invaluable in keeping your SharePoint storageunder control.
The two-stage recycle bin in SharePoint Online and how it works
SharePointOnline employs a two-stage recycle bin system to handle deleted content:
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First-Stage recycle bin (site recycle bin): the initial location for deleted items at the site level.
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Second-stage recycle bin (site collection recycle bin): a secondary container accessible by admins, for items removed from the first-stage or certain special deletions.
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Recycle bin retention 93 days Deleted items remain recoverable for up to 93 days in SharePoint Online (retention period is fixed). |
Second-stage capacity 200% of site quota Storage allocation for second stage (site collection) recycle bin, in addition to the site's own quota (not configurable in SharePoint Online). |
Understandingthe lifecycle of a deleted item is crucial. When a user deletes a file, listitem, document library, or even an entire subsite, it doesn’t immediatelyvanish. Instead, it enters one of these recycle bins:
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If a user deletes an item (file, folder, list, etc.): it goes into the site’s recycle bin (first-stage). The user (and site owners) can see it there and have the opportunity to restore it or further delete it.
- If an item is deleted from the first-stage recycle bin (i.e. the user or site owner empties it or deletes that entry): it moves into the second-stage recycle bin (site collection level).
- If a subsite (classic subsite within a site collection) or an entire site is deleted: it bypasses the first stage and goes directly to the second-stage recycle bin. (In SharePoint Online’s modern architecture, deleting an entire site collection is handled via the admin center “Deleted Sites,” but conceptually it’s similar: a soft-delete that an admin can undo.)
Each deleted item is tagged with a retention period of 93 days from the time of itsoriginal deletion. Importantly, this 93-day countdown does not reset or extendwhen an item moves between recycle bins. That means an item will be permanentlyremoved 93 days after you first delete it, regardless of whether it’s in the first or second stage at the time. The only exceptions are if an admin manually deletes it sooner, or if Microsoft’s system purges it due to storage limits (more on that shortly).
First stage recycle bin in SharePoint Online (site level)
The first-stage recycle bin is the one end users interact with on the SharePointsite. It’s often just called “Recycle Bin” in the site interface. Here’s how it works and what to know:
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Visibility & Access: Regular site members can view and manage their own deleted items in the first-stage recycle bin. For example, if John deletes a document, John can go to the site’s Recycle Bin and see that document listed. Site collection administrators (and in many cases site owners with full control) can see and restore all items deleted by any user on that site, whereas a user without admin rights typically only sees content they deleted themselves.
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Retention: Items stay here for up to 93 days from the deletion date (unless removed earlier). If nothing else happens, the item will sit in the first-stage bin for the entire retention period. After 93 days, it will be purged from SharePoint entirely (unless it was moved to second-stage earlier; in that case, it might already be gone from first-stage).
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User Capabilities: End users or site owners can restore items from the first-stage recycle bin back to their original location. This is the primary purpose: to easily undo deletions. Users can also permanently delete items from the recycle bin, which actually means moving them to the second-stage (they’ll get a prompt warning they are about to permanently delete; to the end user it appears final).
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Storage Impact: Critically, content in the first-stage recycle bin still counts against the site’s storage quota. SharePoint treats these like “soft deleted” items that remain in the site’s database. If a site has a lot of data sitting in the recycle bin, it can consume the site’s allocated storage and potentially lead to quota issues. For example, if a site has a 100 GB quota and users deleted 20 GB of files (which are now in the recycle bin), the site is effectively using that 20 GB plus whatever is in active use. In fact, as long as those 20 GB remain in the first-stage bin, the site’s used storage will include them. This can catch administrators off guard. You might have expected free space after deleting files, but SharePoint doesn’t free that space until the recycle bin is emptied or the retention period expires.
Note: The first-stage recycle bin’s contents obey the standard list/library item limits, like the list view threshold. In extreme cases (thousands of items), viewing oremptying the recycle bin via the web UI can be slow or hit thresholds; this is where PowerShell techniques (discussed later) help.
| Aspect | First-stage recycle bin (site level) | Second-stage recycle bin (site collection level) |
| Who can access? | Siteusers (for their own deleted items); site owners (limited) | Site collection administrators only (not visible to ordinary end users) |
| How items get here | Items deleted from lists, libraries, pages, or Teams channels on the site | Items deleted from the first-stage recycle bin; entire subsites or site collections deleted |
| Retention period | Upto 93 days from deletion (item stays here unless user empties it) | Remainder of the 93-day period (no reset upon entering second stage) |
| Storagequota impact | Countsagainst the site’s storage quota (occupies site storage until removed) | Does not count against the site’s quota (uses separate storage up to 200% of site quota) |
| Accessibleby end-users? | Yes,users can view their own deleted items, restore them, or delete them (sendingto second stage) | No, end-users cannot access second-stage. Only admins see this bin |
| Actions available | Restore item to original location, Delete item (moves it to second-stage) | Restore item to original location, Delete (permanently remove from SharePoint) |
| Automatic cleanup | None (items remain until manually deleted or retention time expires). | Oldest items purged automatically if second-stage exceeds its storage capacity (200% quota) |
Note: Inmodern SharePoint Online, when an entire site (site collection) is deleted, itappears under the SharePoint admin center’s “Deleted Sites” section, where aSharePoint admin can restore it within 93 days. This is conceptually similar tothe second-stage recycle bin at the tenant level. (For classic subsites, asmentioned, they show up in the parent site’s second-stage recycle bin.)
The Bottom Line
Microsoft’s SharePoint storage add-on gives organizations flexible scalability, but it comes with a price: approximately 0.18€ per gigabyte per month for extra space beyond your included quota.
Understanding how storage accumulates and what it costs lets you make smarter decisions whether that’s cleaning up file sprawl, adjusting governance policies, or planning capacity and budgets more effectively.
Try the Layer2 Cost Calculator now and see how much money you can save on SharePoint storage cost with offloading unused data.
