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Need clarification with OneDrive and how it interacts with files

backs it up 0 Reputation points
2026-05-05T17:14:06.1566667+00:00

I've become a bit paranoid for my files' safety so I was juggling between OneDrive and another backup place to put my little files in. I went to OneDrive first, not knowing the things I'm about to get entangled into. I've come into a bit of a problem that I will unfortunately need to elaborate on in very lengthy manners. I also wanna apologize if it sounds messy, verbalizing has been a struggle lately, but I digress:

I chose OneDrive since it seemed like a better option at the time. I copied and pasted (ctrl c, ctrl v) the folder I wanted to save into the Drive folder on my laptop, but then I hit a wall with the storage limit. I shrugged it off and went to delete the failed upload, but it showed me that little warning that if I delete it on that folder, it's gonna tickle my local files too. I ended up unlinking my laptop from ODrive and saving the folder elsewhere before I even conceived the thought of touching the folder, then deleted it on both the web and the folder after unlinking it. I saved the local files, but I read somewhere that once I open up the linking again, whatever I did to the folder will reflect onto my machine.

With all that being said my question here is, since that folder I pasted in the ODrive folder is a copy, does it affect the original folder that sat on my Desktop, or is it treated as a separate folder? I'm worried that if I open up OneDrive again, since I deleted the failed upload of my 11gb folder onto the ODrive folder, all of the files that were in the folder prior to me unlinking will be deleted on my machine as well the moment I link it again.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | Other | Windows
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  1. Bulldog 2,305 Reputation points
    2026-05-05T19:30:16.8666667+00:00

    OneDrive is cloud storage: a place on the internet where you can store files. OneDrive is simply Microsoft's branded cloud storage, just like Google Drive is Google's branded cloud storage and iCloud is Apples' ... you get the idea. They're all the same thing: a place on the internet to store files. Think of it as your personal hard drive on the internet.

    The OneDrive app is different. That's an app that helps you work with your cloud storage. For example, the OneDrive app lets you sync your files with your OneDrive or backup your files to your OneDrive, if you want to. Nobody has to sync their files with their OneDrive, or backup to their OneDrive. You can if you want to. Google has its own Google Drive app which works the same way.

    The truth is, nobody needs an app to access their cloud storage. You can upload files to your cloud storage or download files from your cloud storage completely on your own. No app needed.

    To use cloud storage effectively, you have to decide which of your files you want to keep in the cloud, which you want to keep on your computer, and which you want to sync between your cloud storage and your computer. Nobody has to sync anything at all, but it comes in handy from time to time.

    The problem with the OneDrive app - not everyone thinks it's a problem, and they're entitled to think like that - is that Microsoft sets up the app to automatically sync all your files. Whether you want that or not. Whether you understand file syncing or not.

    File syncing means that everything you do with a file in one place, whether in the cloud or on your computer, is automatically replicated in the other place. Created a file on your computer? It's also created in your OneDrive. Deleted a file in your OneDrive? It's also deleted on your computer. This is what messes people up. Things happen to their files that they weren't anticipating and never wanted to happen.

    By explaining all this I hope I have helped you understand what's going on with your files when you move them or change them. And how to use the OneDrive app to your advantage, if you want to use it at all. No one has to sync their files, and no one has to backup all their files to cloud storage. You can if you want to, but my suggestion is not to do that until you have a good understanding of how file syncing works.

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  2. Rodrigo Queiroz 77,920 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-05-05T17:51:31.68+00:00

    Hi, I'm Rodrigo, and I will help you.
    If you are sure that these files are on another folder outside the OneDrive folder, it will not affected in any way by OneDrive.
    Only the files on the OneDrive folder are affected by sync, if you have the OneDrive backup enabled, the desktop, Documents and other user folders may be stored on the OneDrive folder.

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