Backup Computer to OneDrive – Whether It’s Files, Folders or Hard Drives

Why Backup Computer to OneDrive?

Cloud storage has become one of the most common ways to store data because of its multiple benefits, including convenience, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Unlike local/physical storage such as hard drives, memory cards or pen drives, when you upload a file to the cloud, it is stored on remote computers (also called servers) located in data centers in multiple regions around the world. With cloud computing, you can access these servers from anywhere and on any device over the Internet.

OneDrive is a cloud service provided by Microsoft that allows you to save, synchronize and share your files over the Internet. What are the benefits of backing up to OneDrive?

🥎 Automatically back up the content on your device. You really don't need to worry about uploading your content because everything you put on your desktop/documents/pictures will be uploaded automatically.
🥎 Protect your device from ransomware attacks because OneDrive supports in-place file recovery. In the event your device is lost or stolen, you can download the files from your OneDrive backup or access them via a web application.
🥎 OneDrive provides easy access to your backup files and folders from any device.

Preparation for Backing Up Your Computer to OneDrive

As one of the cloud services, Microsoft OneDrive allows you to simply back up your local files to the cloud. To achieve this, you can take a variety of approaches. But in any case, it's best to set up the OneDrive desktop app. If you are backing up your computer to OneDrive for the first time, you need to set up the OneDrive desktop app to backup and sync.

1. The OneDrive app comes pre-installed on your computer in Windows 8.1 and above. All you need to do is search for OneDrive and check if it is already installed. If you are running Windows 7 or older, go to the official website, download the OneDrive desktop application and install it on your computer.
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account. If you don't have one, sign up for free.
3. By default, the application will create a OneDrive folder.

🎇 Notes:

• The OneDrive application does not support Windows XP.
• When you set up OneDrive for the first time, you can choose which OneDrive folders to sync to your computer. Or you can change it later in Help & Settings > Settings > Accounts > Change Folders.

In the next section, I will provide you with three common ways to backup computer to OneDrive.

3 Effective Ways to Backup PC to OneDrive in Windows 10

Here I will introduce you three methods to backup your computer to OneDrive. The first two methods are to use OneDrive desktop program or web version, and the third method is to use third party software to backup your computer. Note that the first two methods only support backing up files or folders, if you want to back up entire computer to OneDrive, we suggest you to use the third method.

Method 1. Backup Computer to OneDrive with Desktop App

The most straightforward way to back up your computer to OneDrive is to use the desktop application. Installing it will automatically create a folder on your computer. You can use it to easily upload files or folders.

1. After you have set up OneDrive with the above preparations, double-click on the OneDrive icon in the taskbar in the bottom right corner or click on it and select Open folder.

2. Copy, or drag and drop the files/folders on the computer you want to back up to this folder. It will be uploaded automatically.

Method 2. Backup Computer Files to OneDrive with the Website

If you can't or don't want to use the desktop application, you can try uploading files and folders through the official website.

1. Launch and login to the official OneDrive website. Once you've entered the correct account information, you'll jump to My Files.

2. You can click Upload and then select the files or folders you want to upload. Or you can drag files directly from your computer to OneDrive My files.

Method 3. Backup Hard Drive to OneDrive with Third-Party Software

Even though OneDrive supports you to create automatic backups to back up your computer to the cloud, you can only back up files or folders. If you want to back up your entire computer (entire disk), you need to use the help of third-party software.

AOMEI Backupper Standard is an all-in-one backup and sync software. You can use it to backup files, folders, partitions or disks on your computer. It supports different cloud services, including OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, SugarSync, hubiC and Cloudme. In addition to the cloud, it supports you to backup to external disks, network locations, NAS devices, etc.

Learn how to back up your entire computer to OneDrive with the following illustrated tutorial. First, download and install AOMEI Backupper Standard. For Windows Server users, you can turn to AOMEI Backupper Server for help.

1. Start AOMEI Backupper, select Backup in the left panel, and then select Disk Backup in the right side.

🎇 Note: Typically, backup means creating an image file that takes up less space and requires a recovery process before it can be used. And sync means creating a copy with the original format that can be accessed directly. You can also choose Basic Sync to back up the files on your computer.

2. Then click Add Disk to select the hard drive you want to backup to OneDrive.

3. Then select OneDrive as the backup destination in the box below. The default path for OneDrive is C:\Users\UserName\OneDrive.

✨ Helpful Tips: Before clicking Start Backup, you can customize your backup task.
🔍 Options. You can write any comments for your task to distinguish it from other backups and set up email notifications.
🔍 Schedule Backup: It allows you to set automatic backup frequency, such as daily, weekly, monthly. After upgrading to Pro version, you can also use two features: Event Triggers and USB Plug In.
🔍 Backup Scheme: There are three backup options for you to choose from - full backup, incremental and differential backup. You can also choose to automatically delete old backup images to free up storage space. Differential backup and automatic deletion of old backups are available in the Pro version.

4. Once you've determined all your settings, click Start Backup to backup entire computer to OneDrive with the best free backup tool.

Wrapping Thing Up

In this article, you can learn three effective ways to back up your computer to OneDrive. While the first two are the most common methods, you can only back up specific folders. If you use the third method, it will not only help you backup specific files or folders to OneDrive, but you can also backup the whole disk, which is relatively easier and faster.

Besides backing up files and disks, you can also use AOMEI Backupper to back up your system to OneDrive. So you don't have to worry about data loss and any system problems. Once something bad happens, you can use this system backup to quickly restore your computer to its previous state with the help of AOMEI Backupper.