Microsoft OneDrive: Set Up Sync and Folder Backup on Your PC

On Windows 10 and 11, OneDrive is already installed. Many people only notice it when a pop-up offers to back up their Desktop. Set up deliberately, it is a convenient way to keep office files safe and available on every device.

Useful features

• Files On-Demand: See all your files in File Explorer while only downloading the ones you open.
• Folder backup: Protect the Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders by syncing them to OneDrive.
• Sharing: Send a link to a file or folder and set whether people can view or edit.
• Office co-authoring: Word, Excel and PowerPoint files in OneDrive can be edited by several people at once.
• Personal Vault: A protected area that requires extra verification to open.

Getting and setting up OneDrive

1. The Download button opens Microsoft’s official OneDrive download page. On Windows 10 and 11 it is usually already installed; download it again only if it is missing.
2. On a Mac, install OneDrive from the Mac App Store or Microsoft’s download page.
3. Sign in with a personal Microsoft account or a work or school account, choose the OneDrive folder location and decide which folders to back up.

Storage

A free Microsoft account includes 5 GB of OneDrive storage, shared with Outlook.com attachments. Microsoft 365 subscriptions include much more, typically 1 TB per person. When OneDrive gets full, syncing stops, so check usage now and then.

A word on folder backup

Turning on Desktop and Documents backup moves those folders into OneDrive. If storage runs out or you turn it off later, files can seem to “disappear”; they are in the OneDrive folder. Microsoft 365 subscribers get the most out of OneDrive, and Dropbox is an alternative for mixed Windows, Mac and Linux offices.