General Move or Restore Default Location of OneDrive Folder in Windows 11


  • Staff
OneDrive_folder_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to move or restore the default location of the OneDrive folder for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

With OneDrive in Windows, you can sync files and folders between your computer and the cloud, so you can get to your files from anywhere - your computer, your mobile device, and even through the OneDrive website at OneDrive.com. If you add, change, or delete a file or folder in your OneDrive folder, the file or folder is added, changed, or deleted on the OneDrive website and vice versa. You can work with your synced files directly in File Explorer and access your files even when you’re offline. Whenever you’re online, any changes that you or others make will sync automatically.

If you like, you can move the OneDrive folder and its content to a location you want it at instead of the default location in your user profile (%UserProfile%) folder.

Reference:


Here's How:

1 Open OneDrive.

2 Click/tap on the OneDrive notification icon on the taskbar. (see screenshot below step 3)

3 Click/tap on Help & Settings (gear) button, and click/tap on Settings. (see screenshot below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-1.png

4 Click/tap on the Account tab, and click/tap on the Unlink this PC link. (see screenshots below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-2.png
Change_OneDrive_folder_location-2b.png

5 Click/tap on Unlink account to confirm. (see screenshot below)

The Set up OneDrive screen will appear (step 10); ignore it for now, but don't close it.


Change_OneDrive_folder_location-3.png

6 Open File Explorer, and navigate to your current OneDrive folder location (ex: "C:\Users\Brink\OneDrive").

7 Select the OneDrive folder, and click/tap on the Cut (Ctrl+X) icon on the command bar. (see screenshot below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-4.png

8 Navigate to where (ex: "D") you want to move the OneDrive folder, and Paste (Ctrl+V) the OneDrive folder from step 7 to move it here. (see screenshot below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-5.png

9 You can now close File Explorer.

10 In the Set up OneDrive screen, Enter your email address for your Microsoft account, or you work or school account, and click/tap on Sign in. (see screenshot below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-6.png

11 Enter the password for your Microsoft account, and click/tap on Sign in. (see screenshot below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-7.png

12 If you turned on two-step verification for your Microsoft account, select how (ex: text) you want to receive a code, fill out any other required information, and click/tap on Send code. (see screenshots below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-8.png
Change_OneDrive_folder_location-9.png

A) Enter the code you received from Microsoft, and click/tap on Verify. (see screenshot below)​

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-10.png

13 Click/tap on the Change location link. (see screenshot below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-11.png

14 Navigate to and select the OneDrive folder where you moved it at step 8, and click/tap on Select Folder. (see screenshot below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-12.png

15 Click/tap on Use this location. (see screenshot below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-12b.png

16 Click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-13.png

17 Perform one of the following actions below depending on if you want to back up your folders to OneDrive or not: (see screenshots below)
  • Select the folders you want to backup, and click/tap on Continue.
  • Unselect all folders, and click/tap on Skip.
  • (New) Turn on or off folders.
Change_OneDrive_folder_location-14.png
Change_OneDrive_folder_location-15.png
New_OneDrive_backup-3a.png
New_OneDrive_backup-3b.png
New_OneDrive_backup-2.png

18 If prompted, click/tap on Not now. (see screenshot below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-16.png

19 If prompted, click/tap on Next. (see screenshots below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-17.png
Change_OneDrive_folder_location-18.png
Change_OneDrive_folder_location-19.png

20 If prompted, click/tap on Later. (see screenshot below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-20.png

21 Click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-21.png

22 Your OneDrive folder will now open at its new location. (see screenshot below)

Change_OneDrive_folder_location-22.png


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

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Last edited:
Sorry, but this doesn't work for me.
As soon as I press ctrl+V an error pops up: cloud file provider is not running, although it is, BUT it does not have tray icon, it's only in the background, there is no option of tray icon...
OS is Windows 11 Pro 22H2.
Any other ways, please?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom, by me.
    CPU
    AMD X5900
    Motherboard
    Aorus Master X570
    Memory
    G.Skill
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 3060
    PSU
    EVGA T2 850W
    Case
    Crystal
    Cooling
    NZXT
    Keyboard
    Corsair
    Mouse
    Logitech
Sorry, but this doesn't work for me.
As soon as I press ctrl+V an error pops up: cloud file provider is not running, although it is, BUT it does not have tray icon, it's only in the background, there is no option of tray icon...
OS is Windows 11 Pro 22H2.
Any other ways, please?

Hello luka3rd, and welcome. :-)

Just to verify, were you able to open OneDrive settings and unlink your account before doing the rest of the steps?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Hello Brink, thank you! :giggle:
I did, I have OneDrive in Start menu, I opened it... but unlink is done differently, I have three dots menu top right, then Settings menu, then Reset app. There are no other options that better resemble the steps you went through.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom, by me.
    CPU
    AMD X5900
    Motherboard
    Aorus Master X570
    Memory
    G.Skill
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 3060
    PSU
    EVGA T2 850W
    Case
    Crystal
    Cooling
    NZXT
    Keyboard
    Corsair
    Mouse
    Logitech
Hello Brink, thank you! :giggle:
I did, I have OneDrive in Start menu, I opened it... but unlink is done differently, I have three dots menu top right, then Settings menu, then Reset app. There are no other options that better resemble the steps you went through.

Go ahead and post some screenshots showing what you're seeing different vs the tutorial to see what may be happening. Be sure to blank out any personal info (ex: email address) first though.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
I hope I uploaded pics correctly.
I must have broken something while initially trying to move the folder to another drive...
App is open, but it looks kind a dead.
Screenshots: In settings of the Windows it says OneDrive is not syncing, even when app is open, then on 2nd screen shot - if I click "OneDrive manage files" it opens Microsoft Store with ""odopen" not found" remark.
And app's screenshots are the last three in chronological order of accessing resetting the app.
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom, by me.
    CPU
    AMD X5900
    Motherboard
    Aorus Master X570
    Memory
    G.Skill
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 3060
    PSU
    EVGA T2 850W
    Case
    Crystal
    Cooling
    NZXT
    Keyboard
    Corsair
    Mouse
    Logitech
Sorry, I forgot to blur email.
This is 2nd screenshot.
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom, by me.
    CPU
    AMD X5900
    Motherboard
    Aorus Master X570
    Memory
    G.Skill
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 3060
    PSU
    EVGA T2 850W
    Case
    Crystal
    Cooling
    NZXT
    Keyboard
    Corsair
    Mouse
    Logitech
@luka3rd,

It looks like you are opening the different OneDrive Microsoft Store app instead of the built-in OneDrive.

Run odopen://launch in Win+R to see if it will open the built-in OneDrive.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Sorry for the late answer, I've been unusually busy.
No, it does not.
Notification pops up with: "You'll need a new app to open this odopen link", next line says "Look for an app in Microsoft Store"...
That "odopen" is strange?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom, by me.
    CPU
    AMD X5900
    Motherboard
    Aorus Master X570
    Memory
    G.Skill
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 3060
    PSU
    EVGA T2 850W
    Case
    Crystal
    Cooling
    NZXT
    Keyboard
    Corsair
    Mouse
    Logitech
Sorry for the late answer, I've been unusually busy.
No, it does not.
Notification pops up with: "You'll need a new app to open this odopen link", next line says "Look for an app in Microsoft Store"...
That "odopen" is strange?

In that case, you could see if you may be able to reinstall the built-in OneDrive app below from Microsoft.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
THANK YOU!!!
That finally "unlocked" the default OD folder in "user" folder to be moved to a new location...
All functionality is back! :giggle:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom, by me.
    CPU
    AMD X5900
    Motherboard
    Aorus Master X570
    Memory
    G.Skill
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 3060
    PSU
    EVGA T2 850W
    Case
    Crystal
    Cooling
    NZXT
    Keyboard
    Corsair
    Mouse
    Logitech
THANK YOU!!!
That finally "unlocked" the default OD folder in "user" folder to be moved to a new location...
All functionality is back! :giggle:

Great news. :party:
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
I just tried this following tutorial exactly and it worked ok, but the "free up space" option was greyed out, and I could not find way of reinstating it. Worse, it started to download all my files to local pc.

I had to restore my image backup made just before moving onedrive.

As I use Files on Demand, moving it does not help much in terms of capacity, but I wanted to move onedrive folder to a data drive that would be bitlocked afterwards and password protected without needing to bitlock OS drive i.e, onedrive would be on a secure drive.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0

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