How To Download Online Onedrive Files Onto My PC

Nikodem Wezowski 20 Reputation points
2026-01-05T11:54:10.1833333+00:00

As the title says, I'm trying to download the online-only files that are on my Onedrive onto my computer so that I can then free up space in my Onedrive folder. I mistakenly backed up effectively all of my pc and some crucial files relating to games and whatnot are now online-only, meaning just simply disconnecting Onedrive from my PC and stopping syncing wouldn't keep them on my PCs memory. TLDR; how do I download all my online-only files onto my PC. Thanks.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Recovery and backup
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Rodrigo Queiroz 78,735 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-01-05T12:51:57.4233333+00:00

Hi, I'm Rodrigo and I will help you.
If you enabled the OneDrive Backup option, it changes the location of the backed up folders on the computer, this may affect some games, since most of them stores the save files on the Documents folder.

Did you already unlink your account on OneDrive? If yes, please, open OneDrive and reconnect it, it will make it easier to fix this.

After entering your account, open the OneDrive folder, select the files you want to keep locally, right click and select "Always keep on this device". This will download the files. The files stored locally will show the green checkmark on the icon, confirming the sync.

Confirm that the backup option is disabled on OneDrive Settings > Sync and backup > Manage Backup.
Check the folder paths on File Explorer, right-click the user folders (Documents, Pictures, Desktop,) > Properties > Location tab. If it is not the default path (C:\Users(You user name)), select "Restore default" > OK. It will prompt to move the files, select no and manually move the files from the OneDrive folder.

If the instructions above does not reflect any situation on your computer, please share the screenshots for better understanding, so I can guide you to the best solution.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-01-05T11:54:20.5933333+00:00

    To download online-only files from OneDrive to your PC, you can follow these steps:

    1. Open OneDrive: Click on the OneDrive icon in your taskbar to open the OneDrive menu.
    2. Access Settings: Select Help & Settings and then click on Settings.
    3. Enable Files On-Demand: Ensure that the Save space and download files as you use them option is checked. This allows you to manage your files effectively.
    4. Download Files: Navigate to the OneDrive folder in File Explorer. Right-click on the online-only files you want to download and select Always keep on this device. This will download the file and make it available offline.
    5. Verify Download: You can check the status of the files to ensure they are now locally available. Files that are downloaded will have a green check mark icon next to them.

    By following these steps, you can download your online-only files and free up space in your OneDrive folder.

    References:

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