If you don’t already know, OneDrive is Microsoft’s online storage service that you can use with your Microsoft account. You can save your files to the cloud and access them on any PC, tablet or phone by signing in to your Microsoft account. By default, your OneDrive folder is found in your user folder, but you can change where it is located. However, it isn’t a simple cut-and-paste operation; you have to make sure the new location syncs to the cloud. Here’s how to move your OneDrive folder to a new location.
How to Change the Location of Your OneDrive Folder
When you change where your OneDrive folder is located, you’ll also have to set it to sync with your files on the cloud. You’ll have to unlink your OneDrive folder on your PC first, then move the folder to a new location, and finally re-link your PC to your Microsoft account. These steps will help you set that up.
If you’re new to the concept, check out our articles on what OneDrive is and why you should use it.
1. Unlinking OneDrive
The first thing to do is to unlink your OneDrive folder from your Microsoft account so that files on the cloud no longer sync to their current location.
Your OneDrive files on your PC will no longer synchronize to the cloud. Don’t worry; a little later you’ll be re-linking your OneDrive folder to your Microsoft account.
Once you’ve done this, you will be presented with a window to set up OneDrive. Leave this open for the moment. You will need to revisit it once you’ve moved your OneDrive folder to a different location on your PC.
2. Moving Your OneDrive Folder
With that done, you can now relocate your OneDrive folder.
- Navigate to where your OneDrive folder is currently located. It should be in your user files by default.
- Click on the Home tab on the File Explorer ribbon.
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Select your OneDrive folder and in the ribbon click on the Move to button.
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From the drop-down that appears, click on the Choose location option.
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A pop-up will appear. Browse to the location you want your new OneDrive folder to reside, and click on the Move button on the bottom of the pop-up.
- Windows will start to move your OneDrive folder and all of its contents to the new location you’ve selected. This may take a while depending on the size of the folder.
That’s it! You’ve moved your OneDrive folder to a new location on your Windows PC.
3. Re-Linking OneDrive
Now all that’s left is to re-link your Microsoft account with OneDrive on your PC, this time pointing to the new location. Follow the steps below to do that.
- Return to the Set up OneDrive window you left open earlier. (If you didn’t leave it open, or it got shut, you can pull it up again by opening the OneDrive application.) This is how you’ll re-link your OneDrive account to your PC.
- Once you’re signed in, you are presented with a screen that shows where Windows will set up your OneDrive folder. (By default, the system selects your user folder.)
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Click on the Change location link.
- Then browse to the new location where you moved your OneDrive folder on your PC, and click on the Select Folder button.
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You’ll be presented with a warning screen, telling you that files already exist in this folder. Click on the Use this folder button.
- Verify that the location you’ve selected is the correct one, and click on Next.
- You’ll be presented with a welcome screen. Scroll through it and close the setup window.
Your OneDrive folder has been moved, and any files you add, or existing ones you modify, will be synced to the cloud from this new OneDrive location on your PC.
Additionally, there are many ways to control how OneDrive syncs files on your PC, from pausing automatic sync on metered networks to stopping specific folders from syncing.
Free Up PC Storage by Moving Your OneDrive Folder
Files on your OneDrive can take up a lot of disk space. You don’t have to settle for your OneDrive folder’s default location. You can free up space on your root drive by moving it to a different location, perhaps even on a different drive.