How Do I Automatically Upload My Desktop to OneDrive?

“I have saved some common-used files on my Windows desktop. I want to sync my entire Windows desktop onto OneDrive automatically so that whatever files I add to the desktop would get uploaded onto OneDrive without me having to move them manually. How can I auto sync desktop to OneDrive?”

OneDrive is a file hosting service operated by Microsoft, which allows you to auto backup files to OneDrive, access cloud files through any internet-connected devices, and share files with others through links.

For ease of use, many people like to save recently used files on the desktop. If you let OneDrive sync desktop and documents, you can easily access your desktop data from other devices. And when your desktop files get deleted accidentally, you can easily restore files from cloud. So, how do I sync my desktop with OneDrive?

How to Sync Desktop to OneDrive Effortlessly

In the following, we will list 4 effective solutions to sync desktop and documents to OneDrive. Keep reading and choose the method that suits you best to complete your OneDrive desktop sync.

Way 1. Auto Sync Desktop to OneDrive with CBackup - Easy and Free

Sometimes, OneDrive not syncing may happen on the OneDrive desktop application. To avoid OneDrive desktop not syncing, it's a wise decision to turn to the professional cloud backup service - CBackup to create auto synchronization for your desktop files.

This tool allows you to sync folders to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and other public clouds for free. There is no limit to the speed and file size of synchronizing files, and you can also set scheduled sync for OneDrive to automatically run synchronization tasks according to specific time/daily/weekly/monthly.

Please directly click the download button below to install CBackup on your Windows computer. Then add desktop to OneDrive sync with the following steps:

Step 1. Create an account for CBackup and log in to its desktop app.

Step 2. Click Storage > select OneDrive > Authorize Now, then follow the on-screen guide to connect your OneDrive account to CBackup.

Step 3. Click on the Sync tab on the left menu and tap on Sync PC to Public Cloud.

Step 4. Tick the Desktop folder on the Source tab (you can also upload certain files under the Desktop folder). Then, click the > position to choose a OneDrive subfolder as the sync destination.

Step 5. (Optional) Hit Settings to enable the Set a Sync schedule for automated Sync option in the Scheduler tab, and then, choose an appropriate sync schedule to click OK.

Step 6. Click on Start Sync to begin an auto sync desktop to OneDrive right now.

Other Powerful Features of CBackup Backup Service:
✔ It allows you to use Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive as backup only.
✔ It offers a file filter to backup and sync certain types of files in a huge folder.
✔ It gives 5GB of free cloud storage for its CBackup Cloud and provides huge storage space at a pretty low price.
✔ It provides you to merge multiple OneDrive accounts to increase cloud storage for free.

Way 2. Sync Desktop to OneDrive via OneDrive Sync Client

You can add your desktop folder to OneDrive sync with the OneDrive desktop application, which allows you to auto sync certain computer folders including Desktop, Pictures, and Documents. How to automatically sync desktop with OneDrive desktop client? Here is a simple guide:

Step 1. Click the OneDrive icon on the taskbar > Click the gear button > Choose Settings.

Step 2. Head to the Backup tab and hit Manage backup.

Step 3. On the Back up your folders screen, tick the Desktop folder and others needed to backup, then click Start Backup.

Way 3. Sync Desktop to OneDrive with OneDrive folder

Another way to let OneDrive sync desktop files is through the OneDrive folder. As we all know, launching the OneDrive program on your PC will create a OneDrive folder for local files backup and sync. You can copy and paste files from your desktop to the OneDrive folder whenever you add or make changes to original files.

To set up scheduled OneDrive sync for desktop files, you can change your Desktop folder location to the OneDrive folder. As the process is a bit complex, follow and try this method carefully:

Step 1. Create a new folder and name it “Desktop” in the OneDrive folder.

Step 2. Locate your Desktop folder on your computer (usually, it is C:\Users\username\Desktop). Right-click it and choose Properties.

Step 3. Navigate to the Location tab and click on Move to find the newly-created Desktop folder inside the Dropbox folder. Then, click Select Folder > Apply in the lower right corner.

Step 4. Tap Yes to confirm the modification.

Way 4. Sync Desktop to OneDrive Using Mklink Command

You can also use the mklink command to create a symbolic link and make OneDrive sync desktop folder through the Windows command line.

The basic format of the mklink command is mklink /d "%UserProfile%\OneDrive\Folder Name" "Full path of source folder". For example, if you want to sync desktop folder to OneDrive, your mklink command should be like mklink /d "C:\Users\username\OneDrive\Desktop" "C:\Desktop".

Step 1. Search for “Command Prompt” or “cmd” in the Windows search box and select Run as administrator.

Step 2. Paste the specific mklink command in the Windows command prompt, and click Enter.

Step 3. The desktop folder will be synced to the OneDrive cloud then.

In the End

If you want to sync desktop to OneDrive, the four solutions mentioned in this post will be helpful for you. It is highly recommended to do auto sync desktop with OneDrive using CBackup. With this tool, you can sync any local folder and files to OneDrive with a few clicks.

If you want to stop syncing desktop to OneDrive, you can just stop the auto sync task on CBackup, then no files will be uploaded to OneDrive anymore.