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
    2015-12-07T01:54:18+00:00

    Ok. But, I would have to be concerned with accidental erasure. If I set things up this way, any work I do in my documents I'm actually doing in the back-up. I don't want that. I want to Windows to back-up my documents daily (nightly) by copying them to the One Drive. Years ago, at work, we backed-up our servers overnight to a server farm. There has to be a way to use Windows Home in the same manner.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-06-29T04:51:06+00:00

    I did this, and then saw I had two one drive shortcuts so deleted one.  Now I fear it has deleted the contents?  How can I recover?

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-06-01T17:09:55+00:00

    Hi Shaun

    Many thanks for that. Not being desperately confident with detailed level computer stuff, I'd be reluctant to get into a situation where I was having to amend registry values. 

    But do I understand from what you say that if I switch the location of my Documents sub- folder  from the This PC folder   to the  OneDrive folder , while I wouldn't be able to 'Restore Default Setting;' I WOULD still be able to go into the location tab under Properties of the my Documents folder and change it back from 'OnDRive' to 'This PC' ?

    Also just one other question - Once the Documents sub-folder is transferred to  my OneDrive folder how does the syncing of folders happen with OneDrive on the web ? If  I change a document in the Documents folder on my computer will it automatically just sync this change on the cloud storage ?  Will it automatically sync the other way as well. Eg if I am out and about and change a file in the Documents folder on my cloud storage will it sync to the Documents folder on my computer ?

    Many thanks for your help

    Tony

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