OneDrive Manual: Complete Guide for Windows Users

OneDrive is a fantastic tool for storing and sharing files, and as a Windows user, you're in luck because it integrates seamlessly with your operating system.

You can access OneDrive from the taskbar, making it easy to upload, download, and manage your files.

To get started, you'll need to create a Microsoft account, which is free and takes just a few minutes.

Once you've signed up, you can install the OneDrive app on your Windows device, which will sync your files across all your devices.

Remember, OneDrive offers 5 GB of free storage, which is a great starting point for most users.

To get started with OneDrive, you need a Microsoft account, which you can sign up for free if you don't already have one.

If you have a company that uses Microsoft 365 or an Outlook.com account, you already have a Microsoft account.

You get 5GB of OneDrive storage with a free Microsoft account.

Upgrading to 100GB storage or more is possible by subscribing to a Microsoft 365 plan, starting at $2 per month.

Business customers can subscribe to a 1TB OneDrive for Business plan for $5 per user per month, or opt for a Microsoft 365 plan.

You can interact with OneDrive in File Explorer just like any regular storage drive connected to your PC. Simply drag and drop files or folders into it from another location, or save a document to it from an application.

OneDrive appears in the navigation pane on the left when you open File Explorer. Files and folders in OneDrive are synced to the cloud, and deleting a file or folder in OneDrive will delete it from the cloud as well.

If you change a file or folder and save it in OneDrive, the new version will replace the older version stored in the cloud. If you're offline when you make changes, the newer version will be synced to the cloud when your PC connects to the internet again.

Here are the OneDrive file status icons you'll see in File Explorer:

You can view a log of recent syncing actions done to files and folders in your OneDrive by clicking the OneDrive icon on the notification area of the taskbar.

You can store and sync files and folders to OneDrive in Windows by interacting with it like a regular storage drive. This means you can drag and drop files or folders into it, or save files to it from an application.

OneDrive appears in the navigation pane on the left when you open File Explorer. If you put a file or folder into your OneDrive, it is synced to the cloud, and if you delete it, it's deleted from the cloud as well.

If you change a file or folder and save it in OneDrive, the new version will replace the older version stored in the cloud. This means that any changes you make will be synced to the cloud, keeping your files up-to-date.

You can also view a log of recent syncing actions done to files and folders in your OneDrive by clicking the OneDrive icon on the notification area of the taskbar.

The sync status of files in your OneDrive is denoted with small icons beside their names. Here's what each icon means:

If you're experiencing OneDrive sync problems, you can manually sync files to OneDrive by dragging and dropping them into the OneDrive folder, or uploading them to the OneDrive site.

Disable OneDrive Files On-Demand to fix sync issues.

Microsoft has a temporary solution to fix OneDrive sync issues by disabling the Files On-Demand option.

Tap the OneDrive icon on the system tray or menu bar, then choose the Help & Settings icon> Settings.

Under the Sync and backup tab, scroll down to click the Advanced settings.

Scroll down and hit the Download all OneDrive files now button under the Files On-Demand section, and click Continue on the pop-up window.

All your OneDrive files and folders will be downloaded to this PC, and your OneDrive will restart automatically, download all OneDrive files to the computer, and force OneDrive to update files.

Offline access is a game-changer for OneDrive users. You can make your OneDrive files or folders available offline by right-clicking on them and selecting Always keep on this device.

This feature is super useful when you know you'll need to access files or folders when you're not connected to the internet. To download a single file or folder, right-click it and select Always keep on this device.

Be aware that downloading all the files and folders in your OneDrive to your PC can take a while, especially if some are large in size. Right-click your OneDrive in the navigation pane on the left and select Always keep on this device to download everything.

To revert a downloaded file or folder to cloud-only, right-click it and select Free up space. This frees up the space on your PC's storage drive that the file or folder took up.

You can also change all files and folders in your OneDrive to cloud-only by right-clicking your OneDrive, selecting OneDrive and Settings, and then clicking Sync and backup.

Syncing your files and folders with OneDrive is a seamless process. You can access your OneDrive files and folders in File Explorer, and interact with them just like any regular storage drive connected to your PC.

To force OneDrive to sync, you can use one of the following methods. Restarting OneDrive is a simple way to get it to update the latest files and folders. To do this, you can restart the OneDrive desktop app.

Pausing syncing and resuming it can also force OneDrive to sync the latest files and folders. To pause syncing, tap the OneDrive icon on the system tray or menu bar, select the Help & Settings icon, and then select Pause Syncing. You can choose to pause syncing for 2 hours, 8 hours, or 24 hours.

If you need to manually sync OneDrive, you can drag and drop files and folders to the OneDrive folder, or upload to the OneDrive site. This will perform OneDrive force sync manually.

Here is a summary of the sync status icons you may see in OneDrive:

You can view a log of recent syncing actions done to files and folders in your OneDrive by clicking the OneDrive icon on the notification area of the taskbar.

To share a file or folder with all co-workers, click the gear icon to the right of the "Copy link" button at the bottom of the Share panel.

You'll see a "Link settings" panel appear, where you can select "People in [your organization name]" to share the file or folder with everyone in your organization.

This option is only available if you're using a Microsoft 365 account owned by your company, as individual accounts may have restricted options.

You can fine-tune access permissions in the "More settings" area, changing options like "Can edit" to "Can view" as needed.

Click the Apply button to return to the Share panel, where you can click Send to send the invitation email.

The "Link settings" panel allows you to change who you invite and fine-tune access permissions, making it easy to share files or folders with your co-workers.

To manage your OneDrive account, you can sign in to the OneDrive website with your Microsoft account credentials. This will allow you to access your files and folders.

You can also change your account settings, such as your profile picture and email address, by clicking on your profile picture in the top right corner of the screen and selecting "View account".

To reset your password, click on the "Forgot password" link on the sign-in page and follow the prompts.

Manual account migration can be a bit of a hassle, but it's a viable option if you need to transfer your files from one OneDrive account to another.

To start, you'll need to download the files from your old account to your computer. This can be done by selecting the file or folder you want to download and clicking the "Download" button in the top menu.

The download process can take a while, especially if you have a large account with over 10 GB of content, and may take up to several days or even weeks to complete.

You'll also need to upload the files to your new OneDrive account, which can be done by following the same steps you used to download the files.

One thing to keep in mind is that the manual method described here has several significant downsides. Consider the following:

Here's a quick rundown of the manual migration process:

One thing to note is that you will have to download the files and folders that are shared with you separately, which can add extra time and effort to the process.

You can hide folders in your OneDrive from appearing in File Explorer.

To do this, right-click your OneDrive in the navigation pane on the left and select OneDrive and Settings. This will open a panel where you can customize your OneDrive settings.

Click Account in the left column to view your OneDrive account settings. You'll see a list of options, including the ability to choose which folders appear in File Explorer.

Uncheck the folders you don't want to appear in File Explorer, and click the OK button to save your changes.

Manual backup of OneDrive files to an external hard drive is a viable option, but it's not without its drawbacks. You can manually back up your OneDrive files to your external hard drive/computer to keep them safe in case your Microsoft 365 account is compromised.

This method requires regular effort, as all movements are manual, which can be time-consuming and prone to errors. If something goes wrong with the computer/hard drive, the backup may be lost. OneDrive recovery can get complicated if the amount of data is large.

Here are some key limitations of manual backup:

You can also use the OneDrive app to backup data to the hard drive, but even this method has its limitations. The OneDrive app can only temporarily back up existing OneDrive data to the external hard drive, and it requires a lot of free space to store the data.