Copying OneDrive Content to an External Drive

Tags OneDrive

When to Use?

The best practice for copying your Documents folder from OneDrive to an external drive involves ensuring all files are locally available and then performing a simple copy. This avoids complications with OneDrive's "Files On-Demand" feature.

Procedure

Best Practices

  1. Ensure Local Availability (Critical Step): Before copying, verify that all files in your Documents folder are fully downloaded to your computer. OneDrive's Files On-Demand may mark files as "Online-only," which means copying them will force a download, potentially slowing down the process, consuming unnecessary local disk space temporarily, and risking transfer errors.
  2. Check Sync Status: Confirm that your OneDrive is "Up to date" and there are no sync errors before you begin. Look for the OneDrive cloud icon in your taskbar/notification area.
  3. Use Drag-and-Drop/Copy-Paste: For a straightforward copy of a file or folder, use Windows File Explorer to copy the folder from your local OneDrive location to your external drive.
  4. Verify the Copy: After the process finishes, check the folder on the external drive to ensure all files are present and can be opened.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Connect External Drive and Check OneDrive Status

  1. Connect your external hard drive to your computer.
  2. Check OneDrive Status: Look at the OneDrive cloud icon in your taskbar/notification area.
    • It should be a solid cloud with no syncing arrows, indicating it is "Up to date."
    • If it has circular arrows, wait until syncing is complete.
    • If there are red icons, resolve any sync errors first.

2. Ensure Documents Folder is Downloaded Locally

Since you are copying the entire Documents folder, you need to make sure the data isn't just "Online-only" (represented by a blue cloud icon next to the files).

  1. Open Windows File Explorer.
  2. Navigate to your local OneDrive folder.
  3. Right-click on the Documents folder.
  4. Select "Always keep on this device" (Windows).
  5. Wait for the folder and all its contents to finish downloading. The status icons for the files inside should change to a solid green circle with a white checkmark meaning they are "Always available on this device." This step can take a long time if your Documents folder is very large.

3. Copy the Documents Folder

  1. In File Explorer or Finder, locate your OneDrive folder.
  2. Right-click on the Documents folder within the OneDrive folder.
  3. Select Copy (or press Ctrl+C).
  4. Navigate to the desired location on your external drive.
  5. Right-click on a blank area and select Paste (or press Ctrl+V).

4. Verification

  1. Once the copy is complete, open the Documents folder on your external drive.
  2. Spot-check a few files to ensure they open correctly and that the total size and number of files match the original OneDrive folder.

 

Alternative for Large Volumes of Online-Only Files

If you have a very large Documents folder that is mostly "Online-only," you might prefer to download the files in batches or use the OneDrive website to avoid filling up your computer's local hard drive:

  1. Go to the OneDrive website and sign in.
  2. Navigate to the Documents folder.
  3. Select the folder and choose the Download option. OneDrive will likely compress the folder into a ZIP file before downloading.
  4. Set your external drive as the download location in your browser settings or download the ZIP file to your computer and then move the ZIP file to the external drive.
  5. Once on the external drive, extract the contents of the ZIP file.
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