How to Change the Location of your OneDrive Folder in Windows 10
OneDrive is a free online storage service that comes bundled with Windows 10. You can use OneDrive with your Microsoft account to save your files there and you'll be able to get to them from any PC, tablet, or phone.
Windows 10 syncs your OneDrive online with the OneDrive folder on your PC.
By default, Windows stores your OneDrive folder in your account's %UserProfile% folder (ex: "C:\Users\Brink").
You can change where files in this OneDrive folder are stored to another place on the hard drive or another drive.
See also: Change the location of your OneDrive folder | Microsoft Office Support
This tutorial will show you how to change the default location of your OneDrive folder to where you want in Windows 10.
For a Windows 11 version of this tutorial, see:
Move or Restore Default Location of OneDrive Folder in Windows 11
Here's How:
1 Right click or press and hold on the OneDrive icon on the taskbar notification area, click/tap on the menu (3 dots) button, and click/tap on Settings. (see screenshot below)
If OneDrive is currently not running to show this icon, then run: %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\OneDrive\OneDrive.exe
2 Click/tap on the Account tab, and click/tap on the Unlink this PC link under OneDrive. (see screenshot below)
3 Click/tap on Unlink account to confirm. (see screenshot below)
4 OneDrive will now be unlinked from this PC and stop syncing files to your account in Windows 10. Leave this Set up OneDrive window open for now. You will need to return to it later at step 9 below. (see screenshot below)
5 Open the location (ex: "%UserProfile%") of where your OneDrive folder is in File Explorer, click/tap on the Home tab, and click/tap on the Move to button in the ribbon. (see screenshot below)
6 Click/tap on Choose location in the drop down. (see screenshot below)
7 Browse to and select the location (ex: "E:" drive) where you want to move your OneDrive folder, and click/tap on Move. (see screenshot below)
8 The OneDrive folder and all of its contents will now start moving to the new location (ex: "E:" drive). (see screenshot below)
9 When it has finished moving, return to the Set up OneDrive window from step 4 above, enter the email address for your Microsoft account, and click/tap on Sign in. (see screenshot below)
10 Enter the password for your Microsoft account, and click/tap on Sign in. (see screenshot below)
11 If you have turned on two-step verification for your Microsoft account, select how (ex: text) you want to receive your code, fill out any other required information, and click/tap on Send code. (see screenshots below)
A) Enter the code you received from Microsoft, and click/tap on Verify. (see screenshot below)
12 Click/tap on the Change location link. (see screenshot below)
13 Browse to the location (ex: "E:" drive) where you moved your OneDrive folder from step 7 above, select the OneDrive folder, and click/tap on Select Folder. (see screenshot below)
14 Click/tap on Use this location. (see screenshot below)
15 Verify that the new location (ex: "E:\OneDrive") is correct, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
16 When finished, looking through the Welcome to OneDrive guide, you can close the Microsoft OneDrive setup window. (see screenshots below)
17 Your OneDrive folder is now at the new location (ex: "E:\OneDrive" ) syncing the folders you had chosen in step 16 above. (see screenshots below)
That's it,
Shawn Brink
Related Tutorials
- How to Link or Unlink OneDrive with Microsoft Account in Windows 10
- How to Hide or Show User Profile Personal Folders in Windows 10 File Explorer
- How to Choose Folders for OneDrive Selective Sync in Windows 10
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- Mark OneDrive Files as Always keep on this device for Offline Use in Windows 10
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Change Location of OneDrive Folder in Windows 10
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New #1
After doing this procedure, the option to free space appears grayed out:
Before doing it, it didn't appear that way, is that normal?
Now to free space I have to go directly to each of the files:
Is this a consequence of changing the Onedrive folder to another disk?
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New #2
Hello Leo,
It does indeed appear to be a consequence of changing the OneDrive folder location.
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New #3
Am not sure what will happen in the following scenario:
Desktop PC - change location to a free partition that has space for 1TB
One adds a few hundred GB to that OneDrive, say 500GB
OneDrive on laptop is very limited though, say 100GB free space
Assume it will start producing errors?
It starts synchronizing...
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New #4
Hello @tfwul,
This OneDrive folder is where the files are stored at on your PC. As long you have space available for where it's location, you should be fine.
If you sync with OneDrive online (cloud), then it would depend on how much space you have available for it if would be able to sync it all or not.
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New #5
@Brink
It is difficult to find information about the following scenario and maybe it is worthwhile considering to add this to this tutorial and/or to the 'fresh install' tutorial.
Relocating the OneDrive to another drive, based on above tutorial that shouldn't be too much trouble.
However, where it starts to become a little vague is the following.
After having relocated OneDrive and then start a new Windows install (on a formatted drive), Windows will obviously create OneDrive on C: and will start synchronising the (worst case scenario 1TB Office 365) OneDrive from server with the small C: SSD OneDrive.
Windows probably doesn't know that it has been relocated.
What will happen then?
Will Windows notice that the large OneDrive folder on the server will not fit on C and will ask whether a different folder should be used?
Or stop synchronizing pending users actions?
Or should the user stop the sync process?
Thanks.
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New #7
Hi Mr. Brink. I'm so happy to be here.
Just want to say that I've tried eaven this guide to move the onedrive folder location, but each time I find myself with a double OneDrive folder: one in the new path indicated in the change process (like this guide) and the other one that unfortunately always reappears in the default path ("C:\%UserProfile%")
I wonder: it's normal or it just doesn't work for me?
I've followed all the possible guides (not only this).
P.S.
The "old default folder" works, because if I delete a file in the new location it's deleted from the default location too.
As You can see in the picture, the default folder is still there whit its's 1,22 GB of occupied space.
I've tried it even in a new installation of Windows 10 Pro (1903).
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New #8
Hello @Giomarinaio, and welcome to Ten Forums.
Do you have anything that saves into the OneDrive folder? If so, it may still be saving to the old location instead of the new.
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New #9
Sorry Brink,Hello @Giomarinaio, and welcome to Ten Forums.
Do you have anything that saves into the OneDrive folder? If so, it may still be saving to the old location instead of the new.
it was my fault. I make a mistake. I was looking in the wrong folder.
I explain: in case you have moved the default OneDrive location if you look in the Userprofile folder located in the Desktop, you will find a "link" of the folder of OneDrive, but if you go to the default directory of the Userprofile you will not find the OneDrive folder.
My mistake was I was looking the OneDrive folder link located in the Userprofile folder in the Desktop.
If you see the folder of OneDrive in this location it dos't have the shortcut arrow, and this deceived me.
So this guide work, it was my error.
Sorry for that, and I hope that my English is understandable.
Change Location of OneDrive Folder in Windows 10
How to Change the Location of your OneDrive Folder in Windows 10Published by Shawn BrinkCategory: Customization
04 Dec 2022
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