Microsoft 365 Family plans now come with 4TB less of OneDrive storage than they did until this week. Microsoft details the change in a support document.

That document frames the change as a positive because it means storage is allocated to users who need it automatically, but the public has had a different reaction. I've received several messages from disappointed users, and other outlets are rightly highlighting consumer outrage. Some people I know have already said they plan to cancel their subscription due to the change.

Regardless of how much storage an individual family actually uses, Microsoft 365 Family now includes substantially less cloud storage than it did before while costing the same amount.

I keep track of the best Microsoft 365 deals and update my piece with discounts regularly. If you know when to hunt, you can get a year of Microsoft 365 Family for $99.99 despite the normal price being $129.99 (the price of Microsoft 365 went up in January 2025). But with the massive 4TB reduction in OneDrive storage, there is no way to retain the value of Microsoft 365 Family. Even if you got it at a discount, you'd be getting less than before.

Considering Microsoft can roll out this change immediately for new and upgraded subscriptions, I understand why some people may hesitate before subscribing to Microsoft 365. Based on the Microsoft support document, Microsoft 365 Family plans will be moved to the shared storage model upon your first renewal on or after May 2, 2027.

Here is the exact phrasing from Microsoft:

"For existing Microsoft 365 Family and Premium subscribers, this change generally takes effect after the first subscription renewal on or after May 2, 2027, unless an eligible plan change occurs earlier."

I interpret that to mean that renewals made before that cutoff should not force you to the shared storage model. If that's accurate, you should be able to stack some time onto your subscription to keep a total of 6TB for a bit longer.

I'd suggest checking with Microsoft before making any purchases. If you receive confirmation from Microsoft that stacking subscriptions delays the change, please let me know. I have also reached out to Microsoft.

Windows Central take

I actually understand Microsoft's argument for having shared storage across a family. I use much more cloud storage than my wife, so it would be convenient to have more than 1TB of storage accessible through my account. My daughter, who is a toddler, only "uses" cloud storage through the photos and videos I back up for her.

But sharing a pool of storage does not make up for reducing the total storage across the plan by 4TB. For my use, I'd be okay with sharing 5TB across the entire family. But any forced reduction in storage is difficult to justify.

Now, during a cost of living crisis, many people will have to look at alternatives to OneDrive or pay to have more cloud storage.

Gears of War: E-Day modding is here, and as a Halo fan, I’m quite pleased with what’s already on display. It hasn’t even been a week since the game’s full release, but creator @WH40kWorkshop, who is known for mods for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, has turned their eyes to Gears of War. Their first mod, Incursion (PC Only), replaces the character models for the main cast.

Of course, if you’re a Warhammer fan, you can swap Marcus, Dom, Lucas, and Mags for Space Marine characters. But what excites me more is that you can replace the entire cast with the Noble Team from Halo: Reach. The only exception is Noble 6, who is instead replaced by Master Chief.

It doesn’t stop at Warhammer and Halo, either. You can also become a Stormtrooper from Star Wars, or what seems to be (I haven't tested it myself just yet) any other character from E-Day’s campaign, including Tai, and more.

For now, other mods don’t do much. You can find improvements to the HUDs and several mods that claim to improve performance, though I haven’t tested those either.

If you want to install the mod, follow these instructions:

1. Download the mod from here on Nexus Mods.
2. Unzip the mod to a safe location.
3. Navigate to Gears of War: E-Day’s installation directory (this will vary depending on whether you’re using Steam or Xbox PC).
4. Copy the contents of the mod folder directly into the game’s installation directory and click Merge if prompted.
5. The mod should work when you next load up the game.

Gears of War: E-Day is a great game. I actually managed to finish it on Insane with a friend and even got all the collectibles, which just shows how much I enjoyed it. For little mods like this, I think they’re great, and I do hope we get official skins at some point in the future. Whilst mods like this aren't essential, it’s just good fun to see Master Chief killing hordes of Locust.

In any case, let me know your thoughts on E-Day and this mod in the comments, and don’t forget to take part in our poll!

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Gears of War: E-Day is out, and I’m personally having a fun time with it. I’ve been running through the campaign on Insane with a friend, and while it hasn’t been a struggle, collecting everything has genuinely been fun.

So much fun, in fact, that I’d be disappointed if the next Gears of War was years away. Luckily, we might not have to wait that long. In a recent interview with the BBC, The Coalition studio head Mike Crump discussed what it means for the series to be exclusive to Xbox, whilst also hinting that the development timeline could be shorter going forward.

“The next game will not take nearly as long,” Crump said, noting that E-Day provides a “great foundation” for future entries.

There have, of course, been concerns floating around online about whether Gears will perform at the level it needs to, with some even speculating about potential layoffs at the studio.

Critics have questioned the exclusivity strategy given the game’s long development cycle and estimated budget, arguing that keeping it away from other platforms could make it harder to recoup those costs. However, contrary to that, I believe titles like this are essential in proving that Xbox deserves to stay around.

That said, current numbers seem to be good. According to Circana, E-Day is off to a strong start on console. That’s without even mentioning its solid performance on Steam, where it peaked at 30,000 concurrent players.

I’m currently enjoying the game through Game Pass on my PC, but it’s definitely a title worth purchasing. As I typically do when I enjoy a game on Game Pass, I’ll probably pick it up at some point. Who knows, I might even grab the physical version thanks to Xbox’s generous disc-to-digital program.

As for Crump’s remarks on exclusivity, he emphasized the franchise’s long history with the console. “Gears has been an exclusive franchise to Xbox for 20 years now. It's sort of entwined deeply with the brand... and we’re proud of that,” he said. He added that the series gives people a “reason to be in the Xbox ecosystem.”

It’s great to see one Xbox flagship franchise deliver this year. Yes, I am a longtime Halo fan, and I can’t resist taking a slight jab at a franchise I’ve seen butchered over the years, but at least Gears of War fans have been treated well, and I really do hope the next installment is no more than three years away at most.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Are you enjoying E-Day, or are you finding it a slog?

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