How can I find the folder on my computer that is actually on my PC hard drive and not on One Drive?

Anonymous
2024-08-22T20:33:07+00:00

Split from this thread.

"I am subscribed to 1 TB OneDrive to backup my computer's D and E inner drives sized 979 GB and 883 GB respectively.

After having backup-ed the drives in OneDrive, the data reappear again in the C: OneDrive folder clogging it with 507 GB and not leaving room for additional programs. Why do I have the same data twice in the computer? Please, what solution is suggested?"

The OneDrive folder by default is on the C drive unless you move it to another drive. Your files are synced to the online OneDrive from that folder. If you choose to keep it on the C drive then use the "Free up space" option suggested in the reply above.

How to change the location of the OneDrive folder: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/change-the-location-of-your-onedrive-folder-f386fb81-1461-40a7-be2c-712676b2c4ae

Thanks but I am trying to remove my duplicates - except I want to select the folder on my actual computer, *not* my OneDrive and yet it's masking it as OneDrive, there is no way to select my actual folder on my pc, why? I want to back it up on hard drive because I don't trust OneDrive. How can I find the folder on my computer that are actually on my PC hard drive and *not* One Drive?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

65 answers

Sort by: Oldest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2024-08-23T20:43:00+00:00

    Hi Craig,

    I just moved my laptop from home to a library and now there are even *more* files on my desktop, to the point that I can't find my application files. This is a real nightmare. Thank you for explaining to me that my onedrive takes up space on my C drive, I had no idea! Why don't they ask you permission whether you even want that? When I am buying a laptop, I am purchasing 2TB of what I think is space for *me* not for OneDrive. I had no idea that I was paying OneDrive for space! Now I am a bit screwed it seems because I seem to have more than 1TB of files and I only have 2TB of purchased space so it seems impossible to have a) a personal C manila folder space and b) a onedrive space that I never asked for. I can't afford to buy more space simply for the purposes of accommodating Onedrive for taking up unnecessary space. How do I do this now? And how do I get out of my desktop situation with files I never asked to clutter up my desktop, suddenly cluttering it up? The checkmark is unselected, how did this happen? Please help me and please don't close the ticket if I don't respond within a certain timeframe because I am in a different time zone and it's the weekend. I will confirm once I want the ticket closed. For now, nothing is resolved, my files keep "updating" forever and ever, and I have no idea when they will finish. For months, they couldn't sync up until you provided me with the link to unlink my onedrive. I was seriously hoping that my digitial archive project would take shorter but the important thing is not to lose these files as there is much sentimental information about my family members who died. So I cannot lose this data. Thank you for your help. Let me know next steps. Paulina

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2024-08-23T20:46:33+00:00

    This is what my desktop looks like now, some of these files are blank or null, I don't know. Please see my former message that I just posted. Thank you, Craig. Paulina

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2024-08-23T21:16:27+00:00

    Another question, Craig - can I somehow set up the backup of pictures on my new phone (I'm moving from Google Pixel 4a to Samsung S23 Ultra - can I set it up so that in the event of either my phone being stolen or broken, my phone pictures get backed up to OneDrive (and don't get compressed like Google Photos compresses them) but I avoid using OneDrive on my laptop PC? Can I *just* use OneDrive for phone backup purposes?

    Thanks again, please note other earlier notes.

    Paulina

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2024-08-23T21:32:01+00:00

    Oh my god, how do I get off of this never ending thread? I have unsubscribed like ten times since yesterday and I am stilling getting emails every time something is posted.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  5. Anonymous
    2024-08-23T23:29:16+00:00

    I'm sorry Daniel, I have no idea. I posted something to the thread I had with Craig, apologies that it got redirected to your thread.

    Craig - please help sort this out.

    Paulina

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments