Will OneDrive work with Windows 7?

If you are trying to install or update OneDrive on Windows 7, you may find that you can't do it. This is because starting January 1, 2022, according to the announcement, Microsoft has ended support for the OneDrive desktop application on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 in an effort to focus resources on new technologies and operating systems and to provide users with an up-to-date and secure experience.

And after March 1, 2022, file synchronization is also no longer supported for installed desktop OneDrive. Microsoft recommends that you update the operating system to Windows 10 or Windows 11 to avoid file syncing interruptions.

If your Windows 7 computer doesn't support system updates, can't you backup Windows 7 to OneDrive? Of course not! Here, we will introduce two methods for you to create an auto backup to OneDrive on Windows 7.

Method 1. Backup Windows 7 to OneDrive using the Website

Unlike OneDrive App, the OneDrive website allows you to manually upload files to the cloud from your computer without system limitations. But it should be noted that the maximum file upload size is 250 GB per file. Here is how to let files backup to OneDrive in Windows 7 using its web:

Step 1. Navigate to the OneDrive page and log in with your Microsoft account.

Step 2. Click on the Upload button on the main screen, then select the Files or Folder option.

Step 3. Choose the items you wish to backup to OneDrive and hit Upload.

Method 2. Backup Entire Windows 7 Computer to OneDrive Automatically

Except for using the OneDrive web, you can use the free cloud backup service CBackup to backup your files and folders to OneDrive automatically. Compared to OneDrive web, this free desktop backup utility has more features and runs faster:

It offers a Backup function to use OneDrive for backup only to save computer data and your Windows system files.

It provides a Sync feature to upload files and folders to OneDrive without syncing locally, saving your hard drive space.

Besides OneDrive, you are able to sync/backup files to Google Drive, Dropbox, and more public clouds.

You are allowed to auto backup files to OneDrive on Windows 7 in four flexible modes - One time only, Daily, Weekly, and Monthly.

It is widely compatible with all Windows operating systems, including Windows XP, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11.

How to backup Windows 7 to OneDrive using CBackup? You can download and install this freeware and go ahead with the step-by-step guide below:

Step 1. Sign up for a free CBackup account and log in to the desktop app.

Step 2. Click the Storage tab and select OneDrive. Then, hit Authorize Now to complete the authorization.

The Security of CBackup

CBackup’s authorization system is based on OAuth authorization protocol, so CBackup will not save the username and password of the added cloud drive account.

256-bit AES encryption for SSL is applied during data transfer, which encrypts data client-side for privacy.

Step 3. Tap Backup and then Backup PC to Public Cloud.

Step 4. On the New Backup Task screen, select Windows 7 files and folders for backup. You can select to backup hard drive to OneDrive, as well as a whole computer. Then, choose OneDrive as the backup destination.

Step 5. Click Settings, and set up how often you wish to set up OneDrive auto backup for Windows 7 files in the Scheduler tab. Finally, click Start Backup to auto backup Windows 7 to OneDrive effortlessly.

Secure Workaround to Backup Windows 7 Computers 

Two ways to solve this problem - how do I backup my entire computer to OneDrive on Windows 7, have been listed above. Actually, there is another method that you can use to backup Windows 7 computers securely, saving to CBackup Cloud.

CBackup Cloud is a secure online backup space, unlike OneDrive, which is a sync tool. It gives 5GB of free backup space for every account and 1TB/5TB of subscription storage.

Step 1. Run the CBackup freeware.

Step 2. Click Backup > Backup PC to CBackup Cloud.

Step 3. Pick files to be backed up, and tap on Start Backup.

More features of CBackup may be helpful to you:

File Filter: You can exclude or only include certain files for backup with file extensions.

Email Notification: You can configure an email notification for task progress.

Backup OneDrive to other clouds: It allows you to backup OneDrive to Dropbox, Google Drive, another OneDrive account, and FTP/SFTP without downloads and uploads.

Increase OneDrive storage for free: You could merge multiple OneDrive accounts to get 1TB or even unlimited OneDrive storage free of charge.

The Bottom Line

On this page, we explained how to backup Windows 7 to OneDrive with two free and effective methods. It is worth mentioning that, to avoid unnecessary data loss, we always suggest you backup folder to OneDrive on Windows 7 automatically.

Besides, we list one more Windows 7 computer backup solution for you - CBackup Cloud. It is easy to use and free.