How to Manage, Sync, and Share Files in Microsoft OneDrive (2024)

You can house your files in the cloud at a variety of online storage sites—including Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, and iCloud—but only Microsoft OneDrive is built directly into Windows. With OneDrive, you can store documents, photos, and other files online and sync them across multiple computers and devices. You can also share any files on OneDrive with other people.

To use OneDrive, you need a Microsoft Account, which you can set up through the Microsoft account website. You also need the right type of storage plan for your needs. A free basic plan offers you 5GB of OneDrive space. For $1.99 a month, you can score 100GB of real estate. A subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal ($6.99 a month or $69.99 a year) grants you a hefty 1TB of OneDrive space, while Microsoft 365 Family ($9.99/month or $99.99/year) doles out 1TB each for up to six users.

OneDrive works the same in Windows 10 and Windows 11. However, there are some changes introduced in the 22H2 version of Windows 11, which was released in late 2022. The changes mostly affect how you access OneDrive’s settings.

How to Set Up OneDrive

OneDrive is automatically available and ready to use in both versions of Windows. In fact, when you go through the Windows setup process, you are asked if you want to use OneDrive. If you missed that opportunity, you should still see a OneDrive icon in the System Tray. Click the icon to access the service.

If the icon does not appear, you will need to trigger it manually from the OneDrive exe file. To do this, open File Explorer and click View > Hidden items, then drill down to the following location: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneDrive\. In that folder, double-click the OneDrive.exe file, and the icon will appear in the System Tray.

If you have not yet set up your account, you will be prompted to sign into OneDrive. Click the Sign in button, then enter your Microsoft account email address and password.

A window for Your OneDrive folder points to the default location for your local OneDrive folder. Click Change location to pick another destination or click Next. The folder will then be created if it does not already exist. If it does exist, click the Use this folder button.

Review the subsequent screens to complete the initial setup. At the end, you may be prompted to open your OneDrive folder, which you can do if you wish. The next steps will vary somewhat based on whether or not you are running the 22H2 update to Windows 11.

Add Folders and Files to OneDrive

Your next task is to select the folders and files you wish to add to your OneDrive location in File Explorer. For example, if you use a folder called Word Documents for your Microsoft Word files, move that entire folder into OneDrive (so that typically would be C:\Users\[username]\OneDrive\Word Documents).

Follow the same steps for any other folders you wish to include as part of your OneDrive synchronization. You can also create new folders that you want to sync in OneDrive.

You then need to set up the folders you want to back up and sync to OneDrive. In Windows 10 and prior versions of Windows 11, click the OneDrive System Tray icon, select Help & Settings > Settings, then choose the Account tab and Choose folders. Here you can see all the files and folders stored in your OneDrive folder.

If you wish to sync everything stored in your OneDrive folder, click the checkbox for Make all files available (Sync all files and folders in OneDrive in Windows 11 22H2).

Otherwise, check the individual folders you wish to sync and uncheck any folders you do not want synced. Any folders you leave unchecked will remain on OneDrive but will be removed from your current PC.

Back Up With OneDrive

After OneDrive is up and running, you can use it to back up important folders. In Windows 10 and earlier versions of Windows 11, open the OneDrive settings menu and click the Backup tab. You can opt to back up your desktop, pictures folder, and documents folder. Check the items you wish to back up and click Start backup.

You can also enable options that will automatically upload photos, videos, and screenshots to OneDrive storage.

In Windows 11 22H2, select the Sync and backup category and then click the Manage backup button. Turn on the switches for the folders you want to back up—Documents, Pictures, and Desktop—and then click Save changes.

You can enable Save photos and video from devices and Save screenshots I capture to OneDrive if you want to automatically save photos, videos, and screenshots from your PC to OneDrive.

Change Local Storage and Sync Settings

Once your files are uploaded to OneDrive, they are deleted from storage by default. The files you decide to remove from local storage will continue to appear in File Explorer. When you double-click the icon to access it, the file is downloaded on the fly from OneDrive to your computer.

You can change this option in Windows 10 and earlier versions of Windows 11 by opening OneDrive settings and clicking the Settings tab. The Files On-Demand setting to remove your OneDrive files from local storage on your computer should be enabled by default.

In Windows 11 22H2, you go to the Sync and backup category and click the drop-down link for Advanced settings. Turn on the switch next to Files On-Demand, if it is not already turned on.

While this feature will save space on your drive, it also means you need to be online to access your files. We recommend turning off this option if you have plenty of drive space, but enabling it if you are running low.

You can also decide on a case-by-case basis, allowing you to store certain files online only while others are stored both online and locally. To set this up, you can do one of the following:

• Right-click a folder or file stored only in the cloud and select Always keep on this device to permanently keep the file on your PC.

• Right-click on a folder or file stored locally and select Free up space to remove the file from your PC and store it online only.

How to View Your Folders and Files

Want to view your OneDrive files? You can see your locally saved folder and files if you right-click on the OneDrive System Tray icon and select Open folder. This will open a windows in File Explorer that shows all the OneDrive folders and files that are saved directly on your computer.

To see your online files, select View online instead and sign in with your Microsoft account. Up pops a page displaying the files and folders contained in your online OneDrive space.

From this page, you can open a folder by clicking on it. Right-click a folder or file to access a pop-up menu with commands such as Download, Delete, Move To, Copy To, and Rename.

Set Up a Personal Vault

(Credit: Microsoft)

You can add an extra layer of security to certain files by putting them in a virtual OneDrive Vault. Accessing any files stored in your Personal Vault requires the same two-factor authentication used to secure your Microsoft account. Otherwise, the vault remains locked, thereby protecting its files from intrusion.

To fully use the vault, you will need a subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal or Family. Without that, you can store only three files in the OneDrive Vault. You should also protect your Microsoft account with a physical security key or authenticator app, such as Microsoft Authenticator.

Set up the Personal Vault by right-clicking the OneDrive System Tray icon and selecting View online. Sign in to OneDrive, then double-click the Personal Vault folder under My Files. You will be asked to authenticate this access via your security key or authenticator app. Now move your folders and files to the Personal Vault area.

Your next step is to customize the Personal Vault settings. Open OneDrive Settings, then click Account and click the Personal Vault drop-down menu. Choose the duration during which time the vault will remain open after you have unlocked it and have stopped using it—20 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, or 4 hours.

When you want to unlock the vault, click the OneDrive System Tray icon, select the Gear icon, and then choose Unlock Personal Vault. Approve the two-factor authentication request, and you can then open the vault through File Explorer or another app.

When done, wait for the vault to automatically lock again or click the OneDrive System Tray icon and select the Lock Personal Vault button to manually lock it.

You can also share your OneDrive files with other people. In File Explorer, right-click the file you wish to share and choose Share in Windows 10 or OneDrive > Share in Windows 11. To share a file from OneDrive online, right-click the file and click Share, or select it and click Share from the top toolbar.

Type the name or email address of the person with whom you want to share the file and then click Send to forward the link. You can also click Copy to grab a link to the file that you can freely share elsewhere.

Unlink Your Account

If you want to remove a PC from OneDrive, first you may want to ensure that all the files you need are synced. Once all your files are backed up to your PC, open OneDrive settings and click Account > Unlink this PC. At the prompt, click the Unlink account button, and now your PC will no longer sync with OneDrive.