How to back up Desktop and Documents with OneDrive on Windows 11

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

OneDrive folder backup moves your Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Music and Videos folders into OneDrive, so that everything you save there is also stored online. If the laptop breaks or is stolen, the files are still there. Many PCs switch this on during setup without making it very clear, so it is worth knowing how to check and how to turn it off.

These steps are for Windows 11.

Step by step

1. Open the OneDrive settings

   Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area at the right of the taskbar. If it is hidden, click the small arrow first. Click the gear icon and choose Settings.

   Done

2. Open Manage backup

   Select the Sync and back up tab and click Manage backup.

   Done

3. Choose the folders

   The window lists Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Music and Videos, each with a switch. Turn on the ones you want protected and click Save changes.

   Done

4. Wait for the first upload

   OneDrive uploads the contents. A blue circling icon on a file means it is syncing, and a green tick means it is done. Files that are open in a program are skipped until you close them.

   Done

5. Find the files elsewhere

   On another PC, in the OneDrive app on a phone, or at onedrive.com in a browser, the folders appear after you sign in with the same Microsoft account.

   Done

6. Check the space

   A free Microsoft account has only a few gigabytes of OneDrive storage. Under the Account tab of the OneDrive settings you see how much is used. Pictures and videos fill it fastest, so leave those folders off if space is short.

   Done

7. Turn the backup off

   Open Manage backup again and switch the folder off. Windows asks where the files should stay: only in OneDrive, or only on this PC. Choose only on my PC if you want them back in the normal local folder. Files that are online-only have to be downloaded before the backup can be stopped.

   Done

Good to know

After switching on the backup, the real location of the folders is inside the OneDrive folder. Programs with fixed save paths may need to be told.

Files with names that start with a space, or contain characters such as * ? : " < > |, cannot be synced. Rename them.

A deleted file is deleted on all devices. It can be restored from the OneDrive recycle bin for 30 days on a personal account.

To save disk space with the same folders: how to free up disk space with OneDrive Files On-Demand.

A cloud copy is one backup. A second one on a drive at home is safer: how to back up files with File History on Windows 11 and how to back up a Windows 11 PC with Windows Backup.

In short: OneDrive icon, settings, Sync and back up, Manage backup, switch folders on, Save changes. To stop: same place, switch off and choose where the files stay.