Using OneCloud to synchronize files between desktop and laptop

Well I turned on after moving or removing files it did not want. I was not aware that it would delete my local files and change many of my settigns. THe worst thing is that many files were lost. I cannot explain what happend. It is fortunate that I had a one day old backup. I still not sure what all is lost. Based on moving from onedrive "backup" back to my local drive over 1000 files just seem to disappear. I will look at your recommendations but I can find no reason why the files disappeared. There is no logical order to missing files.

If there is a tool to compare 2 files systems and find differences, paid or not, I would like to have it.

Thank you for your help. I believe that the oneclould backup should clearly state what it will do to your system as a large warning. It is not what I could call a backup - it basically moves your files to the cloud and changes many many setttings on your local system. Very poor design without sufficient waring, Microsoft should not call it backup rather "move your files to cloud".

I solved the problem with my own strategy using tools. When I enabled the OneDrive backup it completely messed up my system., The outlook
favorites were lost, all the library pointers were changed, and the files were erased from my backup disk. While I can understand that some folks would like to keep their data in the cloud and work in that manner (and that should not be called "backup" - instead it should clearly say this moves all your storage in the cloud and changes your system in a major way. Again, that may be desirable for some. That is not my choice. I still have files that were lost in this process!!!! It is fortunate that I have a regular backup (on my own system) and can recover the lost files. I still do not know all the files that were lost, I am discovering them one by one. I believe that the implementation should be very clear about all the changes that will be made to your system. For me, this has been a horrible experience with things being changed that are not clearly spelled out. Yes, I got the message about deleting files but it was not clear exactly what was going on. All of the changes should be clearly listed in the documentation, and for a period they should keep things around so the user can "reverse the process".

I still have no way of finding out how many files were lost in this process and if I have the lost ones on a backup.

Hi Condry,

I'm sorry for the inconvenience caused to you. For better locate you encountered the problem, I want to confirm with you:

Do you want to use OneDrive to synchronize on your laptop? Please make sure that OneDrive is installed on your laptop and back up when connected to the Internet(If it is offline, it cannot be automatically synchronized). Or can you provide a screenshot for us so that we can discuss better?

Or if you want to change the sync folder location one your laptop:

1. Right-click the OneDrive icon in the taskbar's notification area and click Settings.
2. On the Account tab, click Unlink this PC.
3. Using File Explorer, move your current OneDrive folder (typically C:\Users*username*\OneDrive) to the new drive.
4. In OneDrive Settings, click Add an account. Sign in using the credentials for the account you removed earlier and then click Change location and specify the path to the folder where you moved the files.
5. Complete setup. Be sure you choose the same folders that are currently in the local sync folder.

When you finish OneDrive setup, the sync client will compare your current local files with those in the cloud and won't download those that match.

Feel free to post back if you need further assistance.

Best Regards

Clara Geng | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

It does not really answer my question. Yes, the desktop files are backed up in OneCloud. How do I get them onto the laptop? Yes, I can easily copy them over the network. The point of synchronization between 2 computers is that it automatically updates the latest versions. Keeping both systems in order.

To repeat:

1. I moved the .pst files to a separate directory, not under Documents.
2. On the Desktop I enabled OneDrive backup, that worked.
3. The missing step to to setup the laptop so that a copy of the files are stored there. NOTE YES, I can see them on onedrive. But that is not what I wnat, I want them locally on the laptop.

In my case, I do not use the laptop except when traveling. The new laptop has enough space to hold the entire documents directory. Using other for synchronization between 2 systems they seem to refuse just the "Documents" whole directory. Using Onedrive to do the synchonization is also fine but I want a copy on BOTH the laptop and desktop - so I do not always need an internet connnection.

Yes, I see the files on onedrive from both machines. How do I set things so they are copied onto the laptop LOCALLY

Hi Condry,

Welcome to Microsoft Community and thank you for sharing your concern with us today.

I would like to know more details about this issue. May I know that what do you mean by the last step of synchronization? Because if your computer has the same OneDrive account, then all the files you backed up can be seen on the server. Or you don't need 2 computers to be able to see it at the same time?

More about OneDrive synchronization: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive

I hope I can help you! But if something is wrong with my understanding, please pardon me. 

Feel free to post back if you need further assistance. 

Have a good day!

Best Regards

Clara Geng | Microsoft Community Support Specialist