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OneDrive is Microsoft 365’s built-in cloud storage service, and it’s one of the most seamless ways to keep your files backed up, accessible across all your devices, and easy to share with others. Every Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscriber gets 1 TB of cloud storage per person, and Microsoft 365 Business plans include OneDrive for Business with the same 1 TB per user. This guide walks you through setting up OneDrive on every platform, sharing files confidently, and making the most of features like Personal Vault and Files On-Demand.

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Setting Up OneDrive on Desktop

OneDrive is built directly into Windows 10 and Windows 11 — you don’t need to install anything extra. It just needs to be connected to your Microsoft account.
1

Find the OneDrive Icon in the Taskbar

Look for the cloud icon in the system tray (bottom-right corner of your taskbar). If you don’t see it, click the upward arrow (^) to reveal hidden icons, or search for OneDrive in the Start menu and open it.
2

Sign In With Your Microsoft Account

Click the cloud icon and then Sign in. Enter your Microsoft 365 email address (personal or work/school) and your password. Complete multi-factor authentication (MFA) if your organization requires it.
3

Choose Which Folders to Sync

During setup, OneDrive will ask you which folders to sync to your PC. You can sync everything, or selectively choose folders like Documents, Photos, and Desktop to keep synced locally. You can always change these selections later in OneDrive Settings.
4

Enable Files On-Demand

When prompted, turn on Files On-Demand (it’s usually enabled by default on Windows 10/11). This lets you see all your OneDrive files in File Explorer without actually downloading them to your hard drive — they download automatically when you open them. This saves significant disk space, especially if you have hundreds of gigabytes in OneDrive.
With Files On-Demand, files show a cloud icon (☁) when stored online-only, a green checkmark when synced locally, and a white checkmark in a green circle when “always kept on this device.” Right-click any file and choose Always keep on this device or Free up space to control this.

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Setting Up OneDrive on Mobile

The OneDrive mobile app lets you access, upload, and share your files from anywhere — and it automatically backs up your camera roll so your photos are always safe.
1

Download the OneDrive App

Search for Microsoft OneDrive in the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android) and install it. The app is free.
2

Sign In

Open the app, tap Sign in, and enter your Microsoft 365 email address and password. Complete MFA if prompted.
3

Enable Camera Backup (Optional but Recommended)

When asked if you’d like to enable Camera Backup, tap Turn on. This automatically uploads every photo and video you take to OneDrive, protecting them from device loss and freeing up local storage.

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Sharing Files and Folders

OneDrive makes collaboration simple. You can share a file or folder with just a few clicks and control exactly what others can do with it. To share a file or folder:
  1. Right-click (Windows/Mac) on the item in your OneDrive folder or on the web at onedrive.live.com
  2. Select Share
  3. Choose your permissions:

View Only

Recipients can open and read the file but cannot make changes. Ideal for sharing reports, presentations, or reference documents.

Can Edit

Recipients can open, edit, and save changes to the file directly in the browser or in the desktop app. Perfect for collaborative documents.

Copy Link

Generate a shareable link to send via any messaging platform. You control whether the link is restricted to specific people, anyone in your organization, or anyone with the link.

Send Email Invite

Enter recipients’ email addresses directly in the share dialog. They’ll receive an email with a direct link, and you’ll see who has access in the sharing panel.
Deleting a file from your OneDrive folder — whether on the web, desktop, or mobile — removes it from all synced devices. If you only want to remove it from one device, right-click the file and choose Free up space instead of deleting it. Deleted files go to the OneDrive Recycle Bin and can be recovered within 30 days (93 days for business accounts).

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Personal Vault

Personal Vault is a special protected area within OneDrive that requires an extra layer of identity verification to access — even if your device is unlocked or your Microsoft account is compromised. To set up Personal Vault:
  1. Open OneDrive (desktop app or onedrive.live.com)
  2. Click on Personal Vault in the left sidebar
  3. Follow the prompts to verify your identity via the Microsoft Authenticator app, a text message code, or your PIN/biometrics
  4. Move sensitive files (passports, financial documents, legal files) into the vault
Personal Vault automatically locks after a period of inactivity (20 minutes by default on desktop, sooner on mobile), protecting your files even if you step away from your device.
On Microsoft 365 Personal and Family plans, Personal Vault has no storage limit within your 1 TB. On the free OneDrive plan, Personal Vault is limited to 3 files.

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Syncing SharePoint Libraries and Teams Files

If your organization uses Microsoft Teams or SharePoint, you can sync those document libraries directly to your desktop through OneDrive — they’ll appear right in File Explorer or Finder, just like your personal OneDrive. To sync a SharePoint library:
  1. Open the SharePoint site in your browser
  2. Click Documents (or any document library)
  3. Click the Sync button in the top toolbar
  4. OneDrive will add the library to File Explorer/Finder under your organization’s name
This means files your team stores in Teams channels and SharePoint sites are accessible offline, and any changes you make sync back automatically.

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Managing Your Storage

Keeping an eye on your storage usage ensures you never hit your limit unexpectedly. How to check your storage usage:
  • Web: Go to onedrive.live.com and look at the storage bar in the bottom-left corner
  • Desktop (Windows): Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the taskbar → Settings → Account tab — your usage is displayed here
  • Mobile: Tap your profile photo in the top-left → storage usage is shown below your name
What counts toward your storage:
  • Files in OneDrive (including Personal Vault)
  • Files in SharePoint (for Microsoft 365 Business plans)
  • Emails and attachments in Outlook (for personal @outlook.com accounts — note this does NOT apply to most Microsoft 365 work accounts, which have separate mailbox limits)
  • OneNote notebooks stored in OneDrive
To free up space:
  1. Empty the OneDrive Recycle Bin — deleted files still count toward your quota until permanently removed. Go to Recycle Bin in the left panel and click Empty recycle bin.
  2. Identify large files by going to My files → Sort by size on the web
  3. Upgrade your storage plan under microsoft365.com/myaccount if needed

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Frequently Asked Questions

Storage depends on your plan:
  • Free Microsoft account: 5 GB
  • Microsoft 365 Personal: 1 TB per account
  • Microsoft 365 Family: 1 TB per person (up to 6 people)
  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic/Standard/Premium: 1 TB per user
  • Microsoft 365 Business with SharePoint: Additional pooled SharePoint storage per organization
You can also purchase additional OneDrive storage as an add-on from microsoft365.com.
On Windows, right-click the OneDrive cloud icon in the taskbar and select Settings → Account → Choose folders. Uncheck any folder you don’t want synced — the files will remain in the cloud but won’t be downloaded to your PC. On Mac, click the OneDrive menu bar icon → Preferences → Account → Choose Folders and do the same. Note that this only affects whether the folder is synced locally; it doesn’t delete anything from the cloud.
OneDrive is your personal cloud storage — it’s for files that belong to you individually. SharePoint is team or organizational cloud storage, designed for files that belong to a group, department, or entire company. In Microsoft Teams, each team’s Files tab is actually backed by a SharePoint document library. Think of OneDrive as your personal hard drive in the cloud, and SharePoint as a shared network drive for your organization. You can sync both to your desktop through the OneDrive app.
Yes. Any file or folder you’ve marked as Always keep on this device will be available offline. On Windows and Mac, right-click the file in your OneDrive folder and select Always keep on this device. On mobile, open the file, tap the three-dot menu, and select Make available offline. Changes you make offline will sync automatically when you reconnect to the internet.