How to find and export your SharePoint data.

SharePoint storage shows at the top of Active sites in the SharePoint admin center, and per site in the SharePoint site usage report in the Microsoft 365 admin center. SharePoint Administrators and Global Administrators can see both. Report storage used in GB; it includes file versions and recycle bin content.

At a glance

Report in: GB
Category: Files and documents
Checked: September 2026

Check your data

Where SharePoint shows how much you have.

Sign in as a SharePoint Administrator or Global Administrator.
In the SharePoint admin center, open Active sites. The storage bar in the upper right shows the storage available and the total storage for your subscription; the difference is what you use.
For totals and a trend, open the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Reports > Usage, select SharePoint, and open the Storage tab. The Total usage chart shows storage used, quota and available storage.
For per-site detail, open the Site usage tab in the same report and select Export. Sum Storage used (MB) and divide by 1,024 for GB.
If site URLs show as hidden, a Global Administrator can clear Conceal user, group, and site names in all reports under Settings > Org Settings > Services > Reports.

Plan and role. Included in Microsoft 365 Business, Enterprise and Office 365 plans. Active sites needs SharePoint admin permissions, and the usage reports need a role such as SharePoint Administrator, Reports Reader or Global Administrator.

What to report on the Polyshares intake.

Report SharePoint in GB. The intake also asks how many years the company has used it and how many seats it has.

Report SharePoint storage used in GB. SharePoint counts in binary gigabytes, and the figure includes older file versions and site recycle bins, so it reflects the full history rather than just current files. Report OneDrive on its own line and do not add it here.

For years in use, use the year your company started on SharePoint in Microsoft 365, or the year your oldest team sites were set up. If you moved older file shares in, count from the start of that history.

Seats are licensed Microsoft 365 users with SharePoint access. Tenant storage is 1 TB plus 10 GB per license on most plans, so your license count also explains the size of your quota.

Export the full history.

Add the exporting admin to the eDiscovery Manager role group in the Microsoft Purview portal under Settings > Role groups. Microsoft says that account needs a Microsoft 365 Enterprise E3 or E5 license, plus a SharePoint E3 license for SharePoint items to export as expected.
In eDiscovery > Cases, create a case and a search whose data sources are the SharePoint sites you want. On a large tenant, run Generate statistics first so the export only processes sites with results.
Select Export, choose Export items with items report, and under Select document versions pick All versions if you want the full edit history.
Turn on Organize data from different locations into separate folders or PSTs and Include folder and path of the source so each site keeps its folder structure. Use the condense paths option if folders are deeply nested.
Download the packages from Process manager within 14 days. Exports that run longer than seven days are cancelled, so split big jobs by site or date range.
For a small site, sync a document library with the OneDrive sync app and copy the files, or select files in the browser and choose Download.

The SharePoint Migration Tool only moves content into Microsoft 365, from SharePoint Server sites and file shares. It cannot export content out of SharePoint in Microsoft 365.

eDiscovery skips files restricted by DLP actions, sites that are locked with NoAccess, and files the collecting account cannot reach under SharePoint access controls. Files attached to SharePoint lists export only if you choose the list expansion option. Zip packages can be set up to 40 GB each, and exporting all versions makes packages much larger.

Browser downloads are limited to 250 GB per file and 10,000 files, and multi-file downloads create zip files capped at 20 GB overall. A download gives you the current version of each file. Microsoft recommends syncing no more than 300,000 files across all libraries on one computer.

eDiscovery (standard) for sites and files is included in Office 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E3 and above. Premium eDiscovery features need E5 or an add-on.

The intake only needs the size, so you do not have to run an export to fill it in. You also do not need to clean or scrub an export. Polyshares handles anonymization before anything moves.

Why SharePoint data has value for AI training.

SharePoint sites are where teams keep controlled documents: policies, procedures, project files, contracts and quality records. Sites are usually organized by department, client or project, so each file carries a useful label from where it lives.

Version history shows how a document moved from draft to approved. Lists on the same sites often track requests, issues or inventory next to the files that support them, which links structured records to the documents behind them.

What stays private.

You choose which sites go into the eDiscovery search, so HR, legal and executive sites can be excluded.

We anonymize identifying details before anything moves. Polyshares does that work, so your team does not have to scrub records first.

Your company keeps ownership of its data. The license is bounded to defined material and a defined use.

Polyshares is the buyer and pays your company directly. There is no fee or commission, and Polyshares reviews the record before it makes any offer.

Common questions about SharePoint data.

Does version history count toward SharePoint storage?

Yes. File versions use tenant storage, which is why Microsoft offers version history limits to reduce storage use. The site recycle bin also counts toward the organization's total until it is emptied.

Can the SharePoint Migration Tool export our sites?

No. It migrates content from SharePoint Server and file shares into Microsoft 365. To get files out, use an eDiscovery export, the OneDrive sync app or a browser download.

How much SharePoint storage does our tenant have?

Microsoft 365 Business, Enterprise and Office 365 plans get 1 TB plus 10 GB per license purchased, and you can buy more in 1 GB increments. The Storage tab of the SharePoint usage report shows used, quota and available storage.

Why does the Site usage report differ from Active sites?

Microsoft notes that some site templates and URLs are not listed on the Active sites page. Report data can also lag by a few days. Use the Total usage chart on the Storage tab as your number.

Source: Manage site storage limits in SharePoint in Microsoft 365, SharePoint Storage report, Export search results in eDiscovery. Checked September 2026.

Put your numbers on the intake.

List your systems, their sizes and your headcount in one intake. Polyshares reviews the record and prices it. There is no fee or commission to your company.