Using One Drive to automatically back up My Documents folder

Anonymous
2014-05-28T20:37:52+00:00

Hello 

I would like to automatically sync the My Documents folder to One Drive. What is the best way of achieving this ?  The online information on OIneDRive does not make this clear 

Tony

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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@CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2014-05-29T03:22:52+00:00

Perhaps the easiest way is to set the Documents folder to be saved inside your OneDrive folder.

  1. If you don't already have one there, create a folder named "Documents" inside your OneDrive folder.
  2. Right-click the original Documents folder (not the one created in step 1), and choose Properties
  3. On the Location tab, click Move, and choose the Documents folder you created in step 1.
  4. Confirm that you want to move your Documents folder.

You'll still see a Documents folder inside your C:\Users\Tony folder, but it's actually become a redirect -- anything put there will actually be inside OneDrive (both on your hard drive and, of course, synced up to OneDrive cloud).  You can even do this for your Desktop folder and other special shell folders that have a location tab on their properties.

Windows 8's Internet Explorer already syncs your bookmarks, but if you have a PC using 7 or older, this is also a great way to sync your bookmarks (Favorites).

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@CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2014-05-30T21:58:38+00:00

The "Restore Default Location" button won't be available, but you will certainly be able to put Documents back to the proper location if you decide to do so later.  That warning is actually a bit of a stretch.

It's possible (although incredibly unlikely), that you would have to go set the Documents folder path correct in the registry, but even that is actually pretty quick and easy if you needed to.

In the registry, this value controls which folder is considered the "documents" folder.  It's under HKEY_Current_User\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-06-11T10:48:34+00:00

    I don't think I'm actually replying to this post but Why do you have Documents local on the drive and Documents in OneDrive?" resonated loudly.  I installed Office 365 complete with IT/b one drive on a new PC with 1T/B memory.  It's been a nightmare; I've had three remote support sessions with MS techies none of whom seem to understand very much about onedrive.  Shawn clearly does, as well as clearly knowing deep computer stuff.

    I'd appreciate comments about what I should do.  I transferred my docs, pics and music folders from my old PC, copied them into same name folders on one drive and they automatically synced or uploaded, whatever, to the cloud.  Latest complication is that next time I opened one drive App I got a message saying that 3216 files hadn't downloaded properly.  My needs are very simple and basic.  I don't do much other than a bit of Office, keep my pics and music and watch a bit of sport.  Over the years I've been virus infected a couple of time but had things recovered, so I decided that having things automatically backed up would be a good idea, hence onedrive.  So my questions are:-

    Should I just use onedrive folders and delete contents of same name folders under "This PC" ( I know I can't delete the actual "documents" folder).

    This is all on a PC is there any point in having the one drive folder available offline.

    This is the very first time I've tried to use a forum, it's absolutely astonishing the what I see as very simple questions can't be answered by the mighty MS.

    Many thanks in advance

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  2. @CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-05-13T15:13:32+00:00

    No, since you're moving there should be no change in the amount of disk space being used.  It's probably that your OneDrive itself (in the cloud, or in this case on the company server) doesn't have enough space provisioned to upload all the data.  But as far as your computer itself, moving a folder won't make a copy in that way (move does not "copy then delete the original", in other words), so it's not your drive that's running out of space.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-05-13T07:01:22+00:00

    Hello Shawn,

    I've tried implementing this solution, on OneDrive for Business.

    When I go to MOVE the folder Windows tells me there is not enough space.

    Is that because initially the data is going to be on the local drive twice, until the copy to Onedrive folder is complete, and then the original My Documents folder is rendered empty?

    If that's the case, how can I go about doing this? I have a Surface with limited drive space.

    Thank you,

    Jonathan

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