Back Up Your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures with OneDrive
Using OneDrive to back up files in your documents, desktop, and pictures folders is easy. OneDrive may allow you to recover deleted files and restore removed folders. And it's a great tool to easily migrate to a new computer.
Windows
If you are already signed into OneDrive, you can follow the steps below to begin backing up your desktop, documents, and pictures folders
- Click the OneDrive icon in your system tray.
- Select the settings gear in the top right corner.
- Select Settings.
- Select the Sync and backup tab and then select Manage Backup.
- Choose the local folders you would like to backup and sync to your OneDrive folder. Then select Start Backup. It may take some time to allow you to select the folders for backup.
Note: It may take a while to backup and sync your files to the cloud. Give the computer some time to complete the process. This can be done in the background as you use the computer normally. You can always check the process by clicking the OneDrive icon in the system tray.
macOS
If you are already signed into OneDrive, you can follow the steps below to begin backing up your desktop and documents folders.
- Click the OneDrive icon in the top Menu Bar.
- Select the settings gear in the top right corner.
- Select Preferences.
- Select the Backup tab and then select Manage Backup.
- Choose the local folders you would like to backup and sync to your OneDrive folder. Then select Start Backup. It may take some time to allow you to select the folders for backup.
Note: It may take a while to backup and sync your files to the cloud. Give the computer some time to complete the process. This can be done in the background as you use the computer normally. You can always check the process by clicking the OneDrive icon in the top Menu Bar.
If you are not currently using OneDrive, download the software from Microsoft. During the setup process you will be prompted to Backup your desktop, documents and pictures folders.