Drive C (C:) is the main hard disk partition that is used for storing the operating system, system files, and other applications and their related files. In later versions of Windows, the C: drive is marked as "Master Drive" or "Local Disk" and can be accessed by opening the "My Computer" folder by default. 

Should I backup my C drive? Can I backup C drive to OneDrive? If you have similar questions, you are in the right place. Read the article patiently to understand the easy way to backup C drive to OneDrive.

Can you backup C drive to OneDrive?

Of course, you can backup C drive files and folders to OneDrive and make it easier to access files without the limitations of time and place. However, you cannot put the entire C drive into OneDrive for backup and sync.

OneDrive is a cloud storage service provided by Microsoft. It is specifically for storing documents and files that are important to you. However, computer settings and applications cannot be saved, meaning that OneDrive cannot backup Windows 10 system to OneDrive directly. But don’t be upset, you can learn how to backup your C drive files to OneDrive to protect the files that are crucial for your computer in the following contents.

Why backup C Drive files to OneDrive?

Since C drive contains the system operation and system-related files, it is important to backup C drive in Windows 11,10, 8, and 7 so that you can recover your system operation and related files when you encounter terrible situations like virus attacks, system crashes, disk bad sector problem, natural disasters and so on.

In the past, most users prefer to backup C drive to external hard drive just in case. But nowadays, users are suggested to backup C drive to cloud storage like OneDrive because backing up C Drive to the cloud storage has many advantages.

• Cloud storage will automatically backup your files without the disadvantage of always plugging in an external hard drive. 

• Cloud storage is regarded as safer than external hard drives. The data stored in cloud storage is far away from your local hardware so you don’t need to worry about the problem of hardware failure.

• And data stored in cloud storage can be accessed easily. If there is anything wrong with your system or important system files, you can restore your C Drive files from OneDrive anytime, anywhere. 

• What’s more, compared with the external hard drive, the price of cloud storage is more affordable. And OneDrive can offer enough backup space for your C drive as long as you upgrade your account for a larger capacity.

How to backup C drive files to OneDrive in Windows

There are three methods for backing up entire C drive to OneDrive, you can choose one way to follow. But you should make sure that the storage space of OneDrive is enough to contain all the files that you want to back up:

• If 5GB of storage isn't enough, you can grab an Office 365 bundle that comes with 1TB of OneDrive storage or grab 100GB for about $2 per month directly.
• You can also get more OneDrive storage and backup your entire C drive directly through the first way for free.

Method 1. Backup C drive files to OneDrive via free cloud backup tool

Some cloud backup tools can help you backup C drive files to OneDrive directly and automatically. Here, we will take a free cloud backup service - CBackup as an example to show you how to backup C drive to OneDrive with ease.

CBackup, a free online cloud backup service with scalable backup storage, automatically backs up files from an unlimited number of computers to a secure cloud.  In addition, the tool uses 256-bit AES encryption to secure data in transit. You don't need to worry about data security. 

With a simple interface, you can backup C drive files and folders to OneDrive or other public cloud easily:

1. Download CBackup, install, and launch it. Create a CBackup account and sign in.

2. Click the "Storage" tab, and then choose OneDrive, click "Authorize Now" to add your OneDrive account.

3. After logging in, click on the "Backup" and click on the Backup PC to Public Cloud button to create your OneDrive auto backup task.

4. Select the C drive files that you want to backup to OneDrive. And choose OneDrive as the backup destination.

5. After selecting, click "Start Backup" to backup C drive to OneDrive easily.

Besides, CBackup could help you backup hard drive to OneDrive or backup the entire computer to OneDrive to protect your important files safely. How do you backup entire computer to OneDrive easily? just select the entire computer files as the source in the above step 5, and other settings are the same.

Method 2. Backup C drive files to OneDrive with desktop app

The Folder Protection feature of OneDrive allows you to verify the local folders that you want to backup to OneDrive automatically. You can set to backup your C drive folder to OneDrive cloud with the steps below:

1. Open the OneDrive app on your Windows PC. Right-click inside the OneDrive folder that opens, and left-click on "Settings".

2. Go to the "Backup" tab and Choose "Manage Backup".

3. In the Back up your folders dialog box, you can choose to backup the "Desktop, Pictures, Documents, and User folder, and then click "Start Backup" to backup files to OneDrive.

Method 3. Backup C drive files to OneDrive via File Explorer

As you know, after installing, OneDrive will create a desktop folder on your computer and you can drag and drop files to this folder directly to let OneDrive automatically sync these files to the cloud. Therefore, you can copy and paste your C drive files to this OneDrive folder to backup your files to OneDrive.

1. Type "OneDrive" in the search bar and open your OneDrive folder in File Explorer.

2. Copy your C drive files and go to the OneDrive folder to paste them. Then, OneDrive desktop app will sync C drive to OneDrive automatically.

✿ Two tips for OneDrive running out of storage

☛If your OneDrive account doesn't have enough space to store all of C drive's data, you can use CBackup Cloud as your backup destination, which offers 10GB cloud storage, and there is a chance that you will get a gift of 1TB or 5TB of CBackup Cloud storage. 

☛If you are still more inclined to use cloud storage services to store C drive files, you can add multiple cloud drive accounts to CBackup and combine the space of these accounts to back up data. If you have enough accounts, you can even combine unlimited OneDrive storage for free.

Workaround to protecting your C drive files

The C drive files stored in OneDrive may be really important for you. However, according to the feedback of OneDrive users, they find that OneDrive is not working sometimes, and the files in C drive are still at risk of loss due to technical problems. Therefore, you are suggested to backup C drive files to a more secure and stable and secure cloud server - CBackup Cloud to protect your C drive files.

CBackup cloud is the cloud server provided by CBackup. Besides backing up files to clouds like OneDrive, CBackup also allows you to backup Windows PC files to its own CBackup Cloud directly with huge backup space. So, if you worry about the security of OneDrive, you can use CBackup to protect as many C drive files as you have. 

Furthermore, CBackup also offers cloud-to-cloud backup and cloud-to-cloud sync features and many useful backup settings. Many cloud storage like Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc. is supported. With just a few steps, it can help you backup files between cloud storage quickly and easily. 

Backup C dive to CBackup Cloud

To backup C drive files to CBackup Cloud with CBackup, please refer to the steps below:

1. Sign in to CBackup account. After logging in, click on the "Backup" tab and click on the "Backup PC to CBackup Cloud" button.

2. Select the C drive files that you want to backup to CBackup Cloud. After selecting, click "Start Backup".

Sync Files Between Clouds

To sync data between clouds with CBackup, please refer to the steps below:

1. Sign in to your CBackup account on CBackup website.

2. Click “+” next to My Storage under the “My Storage” tab, select your clouds, and click “Add”. Then sign in to your account and authorize CBackup to access and manage your files on the cloud.

3. To sync files between cloud storage, click on the “Sync Tasks” tab on the left, then, click the “New Task” button. 

4. Name your backup task, click the “Add Source” button to add one cloud storage as the backup source, and click “Add Destination” to another cloud storage. Click “Start Backup” in the lower right corner to move files between clouds.

★Tips: There are some settings you could configure in the Settings for the cloud-to-cloud backup task before clicking Start Backup:

Scheduler: You could enable schedule backup for one-time backup, or backup files daily, weekly or monthly, saving your time and repeated operation.

Email Notification: Once you set up, the backup task successes or fails, you will get an email alert for the backup result.

File Filter: With it, you could exclude the file types you don't want to backup, include the file types you like, or backup all file types.

Conclusion

You can follow the methods above to backup C drive to OneDrive with ease. Don’t forget to backup your files in OneDrive with the help of CBackup. Besides cloud to cloud backup, it also allows you to add multiple accounts and merge OneDrive accounts to combine a huge backup space for your files.

FAQs on How to Backup Entire C Drive Folder to OneDrive

1. How to sync a C drive folder to OneDrive?

To sync a C drive folder to OneDrive, right-click it, select "Move to OneDrive," or drag it into the OneDrive folder in File Explorer. Make sure OneDrive is running and signed in.

2. Is OneDrive a good backup solution?

OneDrive is a good backup solution for personal files, offering cloud storage, file versioning, and easy access across devices, but it may not replace full system backups.

3. Should I backup my entire C drive?

Backing up your entire C drive can be beneficial to preserve system settings, installed programs, and personal files, especially before major updates or changes. However, assess your storage needs and backup strategy.