How to Change Microsoft OneDrive Folder Location

This video walks you through how to change your Microsoft OneDrive folder location. As part of this, I’ll also show you how to move your Microsoft OneDrive folder location to an external hard drive.

See more videos by Max here: https://www.youtube.com/c/MaxDalton

Video Transcript:
Hi. I’m Max Dalton, and in this video I’m going to talk through how to change your Microsoft OneDrive folder location. As part of this, I’ll also show you how to move your Microsoft OneDrive folder location to an external hard drive.

The Microsoft OneDrive application that comes bundled with Windows is a great way to easily access and interact with your OneDrive account. However, the default location inside of your Users folder may not be where you want it — for a few different reasons. While OneDrive files are synced to your computer by default, they are downloaded locally when you decide to open them, which means they’ll take up hard drive space. And if you have a smaller hard drive, that’s a problem. Moving the location of the Microsoft OneDrive folder to an external hard drive is one way to solve that problem.

And now, the steps to change the location of your Microsoft OneDrive folder in Windows.

Step 1. Ensure the OneDrive application is running on your computer. You can verify the OneDrive application is running by looking in the notification tray in the lower right corner of your computer. If you see the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification tray, then the application is running. If you don’t see the OneDrive cloud icon, you can launch the application by opening the start menu, navigating to OneDrive in your list of applications, and then clicking “OneDrive.” You’ll see the cloud icon in your notification tray.

Step 2. Right-click the OneDrive icon in your notification tray, and then click “Settings.” A Microsoft OneDrive dialog box appears.

Step 3. Select the “Account” tab, and then click “Unlink this PC” in the OneDrive section. An Unlink Account On This PC? dialog box pops up. Click “Unlink Account.” A Set Up OneDrive screen appears. Close that window for the time being.

Step 4. Open Windows Explorer, and then navigate to C:Users(PC NAME). OneDrive will appear in this folder.

Step 5. Single click to select “OneDrive.” Click “Move To” in the ribbon along the top of the Windows Explorer screen. A list of folders appears along the left side of your screen. If you don’t see the folder you’re looking for where you want to move OneDrive to, click “Change Location” at the bottom of the list. This will bring up a Move Items dialog box where you can navigate to the specific location you want to move OneDrive to.

Step 6. Select the location you want to move the OneDrive folder to, and then click “Move.” I’m going to choose to move the OneDrive folder to an external hard drive. If you currently have files in your OneDrive folder, you may see a copy dialog box appears that shows the progress of copying those files to the new location. After any files are successfully copied, you’ll see the OneDrive folder in its new location. Now, you need to re-link the Microsoft account associated with your OneDrive account to this computer.

Step 7. Double-click the OneDrive folder in the new location you moved it to. The Set Up OneDrive window appears. Enter your email address, and then click “Sign In.” A screen prompting your for your password appears. Enter your password, and then click “Sign In” again.

Step 8. The next screen informs you where it currently identifies your OneDrive folder as being located, which will be associated with your old location and not your new one. Click the blue “Change Location” link. The Choose Your OneDrive Location explorer window appears. Navigate to and select the new location of your OneDrive folder, and then click “Select Folder.” The new location will now be reflected on the This is Your OneDrive folder screen. Click the blue “Next” button.

Step 9. The next series of screens will walk you through a high-level overview of how to use Microsoft OneDrive. You’ll eventually land on a screen that says you’re good to go. Click the “Open My OneDrive Folder” link that appears on that screen. An explorer window will open to your new OneDrive folder location.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully changed the location of your Microsoft OneDrive folder.