OneDrive can protect your Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders so they survive a lost or dead PC. This guide follows Microsoft’s Support instructions, with the limits that most often make the backup fail.
Before you start
- You must be signed in to the OneDrive sync app on the computer.
- A personal Microsoft account can’t protect folders connected to a domain. Contact your IT administrator in that case. Work or school accounts shouldn’t have this issue.
- Microsoft’s page doesn’t list OS version requirements or a storage quota. Check your OneDrive plan’s quota separately.
Turn on backup in Windows
- Select the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area, then Help & Settings > Settings.
- Open the Sync and backup tab.
- Select Manage backup.
- Turn on the toggle for each folder marked Not backed up.
- Select Save changes.
If Pictures shows a “folder isn’t selected for syncing” error, open Choose Folders in OneDrive settings and make sure Pictures, Screenshots and Camera Roll are all selected (or don’t exist).
What blocks a folder from being protected
| Limit | Detail |
|---|---|
| File size | OneDrive can’t sync files over 250 GB. |
| Path length (Windows) | The full path, including the file name, must be fewer than 260 characters. |
| File names | Can’t start with a space or contain \ : / * ? < > ” | |
| Links | Folders containing reparse points (junctions or symlinks) can’t be protected. |
| Nested folders | An important folder inside another important folder must be moved before protection. |
Access your files afterwards
Once files finish syncing they’re backed up, and you still open them from Documents or Desktop. Desktop items roam to other devices where you run OneDrive. You can also reach them through File Explorer or the OneDrive mobile app.
On a Mac
Microsoft gives prerequisites rather than separate on/off steps: use the standalone OneDrive sync app (not the Mac App Store version), enable Full Disk Access for OneDrive in the system privacy settings, and note that on a work or school account your IT admin may have disabled the feature through device restrictions.
Stop backing up a folder
- In Manage backup, turn off the toggle for the folder.
- Choose whether to keep the files only in OneDrive (removed from the PC) or only on this PC (removed from OneDrive).
Cloud-only files block the move, so set them to Always keep on this device first. Open files can’t be moved: save and close them. OneNote notebooks can’t be moved to your computer.
Quick checklist
- Signed in to the sync app
- Long paths, odd file names and symlinks fixed
- Toggles on for Desktop, Documents, Pictures
- Sync finished before you rely on it
