Share via

Setting up One Drive on multiple devices and Document Folder

Anonymous
2024-07-09T02:43:48+00:00

I have been using One Drive on my laptop and purchased a new desktop PC and have just installed the One Drive app on the new desktop too. I want to be able to work on documents across both devices and also have copies of the documents saved on each device (as well as backed-up on One Drive). I use Windows 11 Home on both devices.

I am not sure if I have set this up correctly.

On my laptop, file explorer I can see One Drive > MyUserName - Personal. This contains my Documents folder with all the documents I work on. On the same laptop I can see This PC > Windows (C:) > Users > MyUserName > and there is a Documents Folder and a separate OneDrive Folder that also contains a Documents folder within it. This Documents folder also contains all of the same documents as the other document folder. Is that the correct set-up?

If I want to work on a Document on my laptop and save it both on the laptop and onto One Drive, which folder am I meant to be working out of?

I then set-up the new PC with One Drive using my same Microsoft account. On the new PC, When I look at This PC > Windows (C:) > Users > MyUserName > there is a Documents Folder and a separate OneDrive Folder that also contains a Document folder within it. However the first Documents Folder is empty but the Documents folder contained within the OneDrive Folder contains all my document files.

I am confused by the set-up and not sure from where I should be opening my documents from to work on and save, to make sure that documents are synchronised and saved across both devices and on the Cloud.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

  1. EmilyS726 227.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2024-07-09T03:26:52+00:00

    Hello, this is Emily.

    To make sure the Documents folder synced between the two devices via OneDrive, you will need to do the following:

    Make sure OneDrive desktop app is running on both computers, and signed in using the same Microsoft account.

    Right click on the cloud icon from Taskbar on lower right > settings > backup & sync tab > Manage backup. Make sure Documents folder toggle is turned on.

    Once you have the above setup, you want to always use the Documents folder that's nested under OneDrive folder. Any folder that's not nested under OneDrive folder will not sync. In addition, when you view the folder, you would see a unique status column with OneDrive status icons - that's your indication that the folder is in OneDrive and is synced.

    3 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments

2 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2024-07-22T18:43:04+00:00

    This does not backup the file structure from my PC. I want to backup the structure as well as the files.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2024-07-09T06:10:45+00:00

    I have been using One Drive on my laptop and purchased a new desktop PC and have just installed the One Drive app on the new desktop too. I want to be able to work on documents across both devices and also have copies of the documents saved on each device (as well as backed-up on One Drive). I use Windows 11 Home on both devices.

    The easiest way is to store your documents in your OneDrive, instead of storing them on your computers' hard drives. When you do this, you can work on your documents from any computer in the world.

    When you store your documents in your OneDrive, you can use the online version of Microsoft 365. I will admit that the online version doesn't yet have all the features of the downloaded version of Microsoft 365, but it's getting closer all the time. The online version of M365 (that is included with your subscription) is impressive, and it may have all the features that you really need. You can still use the downloaded version of Microsoft 365 on files stored in your OneDrive, if that's what you prefer.

    This is what we mean by the term 'cloud computing', i.e., storing your files in the cloud and working on your files with online apps. This is the way Google's software has always worked, and this is the direction where Microsoft is going with its software. The whole idea behind the OneDrive app is to help Microsoft's customers transition to the cloud.

    My only goal here was to introduce this alternative and explain how it works. You should do whatever works best for you. But it's nice not to have to worry about where you stored your documents or keeping things in sync. I wish you the best of success.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments