About OneDrive

With the development of online storage technology, more and more users prefer to store files on cloud storage. As one of the most popular online cloud storage provided by Microsoft, OneDrive provides convenient ways to keep your file safe and gives each Microsoft account 5GB of free storage space and multiple options for upgrades. And many users are looking for ways to backup files to OneDrive.

OneDrive can now automatically backup your data with an appealing and straightforward design for Windows, Android, iOS, and Mac users and enables you to access your files from any device with an offline access option, so you can work both in and out of the office. And as a part of Microsoft Office 365, OneDrive is encrypted using SSL to keep your files safe.

Another great thing about OneDrive is the ability to allow users to increase the security of file-sharing by adding passwords and expiration dates when you create links to shared files, and also with access, review and edit options aside. Plus, the system shares real-time notifications whenever a file is viewed or edited. Drag-and-drop, document scanning options make the uploading process easy and fast way.

The benefits of backing up files to OneDrive

Backing up files to OneDrive can bring you benefits as below:

☛Backing up files to OneDrive can prevent your files from accidentally losing due to hardware failure, malware attacks, and any other unexpected things.

☛Backing up files to OneDrive can help you free up some storage space as long as you delete the original files locally after backing up.

☛Files stored on OneDrive can be accessed, edited, downloaded, etc. from any PC, phone, or tablet even without an Internet connection.

☛OneDrive allows users to easily share the files stored on OneDrive with friends and family by setting the file to “public”.

4 Ways to backup files to OneDrive on Windows and Mac

To help you back up files from Windows PC or Mac to OneDrive with ease, OneDrive provides two ways: web version and desktop app. The web version allows you to upload your computer files to the OneDrive cloud, but you have to select and add the files manually. This method may be time-consuming if there are too many files that need to be uploaded. To save time and effort, OneDrive releases a desktop app to sync files between the local computers and the OneDrive cloud.

You can go to the OneDrive website to download and install the corresponding version of the new OneDrive sync app on your computer. When you set up the OneDrive app on your computer, you will be asked to choose the folder that you want to sync to OneDrive, here, you can choose all the local folders to be synced to OneDrive. Actually, this can be regarded as an effective way to sync files to OneDrive.

However, if you want to backup files to OneDrive, it's not easy. Because OneDrive only allows you to back up Desktop, Pictures, and Documents folders automatically to OneDrive. If you want to backup other files and folders to OneDrive, please check the steps below to learn how to backup computer to OneDrive:

Way 1. Sync files to OneDrive automatically via OneDrive desktop app

Backup files to OneDrive on Windows 11/10/8/7

Step 1. Download the OneDrive desktop application and install it.

★Tips:

If you're using Windows 10 or Windows 11, your computer already has the OneDrive app installed. If not, download and install the corresponding version of the new OneDrive sync app.

Step 2. Open the OneDrive program, when OneDrive Setup starts, enter your personal account, or your work or school account, and select “Sign in”.

Step 3. Select "Next" to accept the default folder location for your OneDrive files on the "This is your OneDrive folder screen". If you want to change the folder location, select "Change location".

Step 4. You’ll now be prompted to select the online OneDrive folders to sync to your computer. Only the ones that you tick will be available offline. Press the “Next” button to get to the final setup screen which confirms everything is ready to sync.

 Backup Files to OneDrive on Mac

1. Sign in to your Microsoft account. When prompted for where this email address is used, click "Personal" or "Work or school".

2. Click “Choose OneDrive Folder Location” to select the folder that you will sync to OneDrive. Select a location for your OneDrive folder and then click “Choose this location”.

3. Choose what you want to sync from your OneDrive folder to your Mac and which folder you want to automatically backup to OneDrive on Mac and then click “Next”. Then, the process is completed.

Way 2. OneDrive Automatic Backup Specific Folders

If you have set up your OneDrive already on your desktop, there are some different steps to backup files to OneDrive using the OneDrive desktop app. Please refer to the following steps:

1. Please log in to your OneDrive desktop app, and then click the OneDrive icon on the system tray, press the Help & Settings icon (gear icon), and select Settings.

2. Click the Sync and Backup tab, then tap the Manage Backup button.

3. Tick all the folders that you want to perform OneDrive auto backup, and click the Start Backup button to backup files to OneDrive.

However, this way only allows to backup files in Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders to OneDrive, it's not easy for users to backup any folders to OneDrive.

Way 3. Upload files to OneDrive manually via OneDrive official website

Step 1. Go to the OneDrive website and log in to the website.

Step 2. On the main page of OneDrive, click the "Upload" option to select the files you want to upload to OneDrive. It will backup selected files to OneDrive.

Way 4. Backup Files to OneDrive Automatically with CBackup

If you encounter the OneDrive sync app problems like OneDrive not syncing, OneDrive isn't connected, etc, you might have a hard time uploading files to OneDrive in both ways, otherwise, it would take a lot of time to fix the problem, which is obviously not worth it.

It's highly recommended to try the free cloud backup service CBackup, which allows you backup any folders to OneDrive automatically and easily. 

It allows you to back up the C drive, hard drive, and even the computer to OneDrive as long as OneDrive has enough cloud space.

You can set up scheduled backup files from your PC to the cloud without having to open the program every time and start the task again. 

Besides, it also can backup files to Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. as well as increase cloud storage space for mainstream clouds, like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.

Please follow the steps to backup files to OneDrive automatically in Windows 11/10 with CBackup.

1. Please create a new account with CBackup and sign in to the CBackup desktop app.

2. Select the Storage tab on the left panel, select OneDrive and click Authorize Now. then follow the steps to grant access to CBackup.

3. Tap the Backup > Backup PC to Public Cloud to create OneDrive automatic backup.

4. Rename the Task Name, choose the files you want to backup, then select the added OneDrive account as the backup destination.

5. (Optional) Click the Settings on the bottom left, then tick Set a backup schedule for automated backup under the Scheduler tab, and choose an interval to backup files to OneDrive automatically, like one time only, daily, weekly, or monthly.

★Tips: There are some other features you could set up in Settings:

Email Notification will send you the email after the backup is finished, no matter if the backup fails or succeeds once you set it up.

File Filter helps you exclude the file types you don't want to backup. Of course, you could let OneDrive backup specific folders and files.

6. Press Start Backup to initiate the OneDrive auto backup as you set.

 Best way to backup files to OneDrive on your mobile devices

OneDrive provides a fast and hassle-free way to back up your files and access them on cloud not only for Windows and Mac devices but also for mobile devices. Here are the steps of how to back up files to OneDrive on your mobile devices, you can check if needed.

Step 1. Install the OneDrive app on your mobile device from Google Play or App Store.

Step 2. After installing, login to your OneDrive Account.

Step 3. In the OneDrive app, tap OneDrive add icon at the top of the screen.

Step 4. Tap on the "Upload" option and then select the files you want to upload to OneDrive.

Bonus Tip: Backup your files in OneDrive in case of losing

In recent years, most users have had more than one cloud storage to get more free cloud storage or enjoy different features provided by different cloud storage. If you are using two or more cloud storage, you are advised to back up files in OneDrive to another cloud storage in case of accidentally losing them. 

Though OneDrive is a safe place for your files, chances are that you may accidentally delete your important files or find your files are missing in OneDrive for technical issues sometimes. Therefore, it is necessary for you to back up your important files on OneDrive to another cloud storage, and CBackup could also help you a lot.

CBackup helps you back up files from OneDrive to Google Drive, Dropbox, FTP/SFTP, and so on with flexible backup settings. To backup OneDrive files to another cloud storage with CBackup, please refer to the steps below:

1. Go to the CBackup desktop app or the CBackup web app for the next steps. Just add your other cloud drives (like Google Drive) as the above steps to add OneDrive to CBackup.

2. Click Backup > select Backup Public Cloud to Public Cloud in the Cloud to Cloud Backup section.

3. Modify the Task Name, and choose OneDrive as the backup source, select Google Drive or other clouds you added as the backup destination.

4. Click Start Backup in the lower right corner to backup OneDrive files to Google Drive or other clouds.

Moreover, you can download the CBackup to protect local data to a larger backup space - CBackup Cloud. It provides free 5GB of CBackup Cloud, 1,024GB (1TB) or 5,120 (5TB) cloud storage space of CBackup Cloud for advanced users, professional backup mode, secure transfer mode, and a variety of backup Settings to help you back up your data, meeting the needs of the vast majority of users.

Conclusion

That's all about how to backup files to OneDrive, you can follow the steps above to manually or automatically backup files via website, CBackup, or desktop app. For your data security, don't forget to back up files in OneDrive to another cloud storage with CBackup. Besides cloud to cloud backup, CBackup also allows you to combine multiple cloud storage accounts owning one or different brands of cloud to get more free cloud storage and enjoy different features provided by different cloud storage. What's more, it is free, don't hesitate to use it.