How to Sync Any Local Folders to OneDrive (2 Ways Included)

Why to sync local folders to OneDrive?

As free online storage offered by Microsoft, OneDrive enjoys great popularity among Windows users. With OneDrive, you can sync files between your computer and the cloud easily. 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 may sync folders to OneDrive for the following reasons:

• Access your files from anywhere. After you sync local files to OneDrive, you can get to them from any PC, tablet, or phone with your Microsoft account.
• Keep a backup copy of your files and folders.
• Share files with others easily with the built-in “Share” feature.

Quick Navigation:
How to use OneDrive to sync folders in Windows 11/10/8/7
Easier way to sync PC folders to OneDrive🔥
Common OneDrive error codes

How to use OneDrive to sync folders in Windows 11/10/8/7

In Windows 11/10/8.1, OneDrive app is already installed. For Windows 8/7 users, you have to download OneDrive app and install it by yourself. Follow the instructions below to sync or backup local folders with OneDrive:

Step 1. Search for “onedrive”.

Tap the Search button on the taskbar and type “onedrive” in the search box. Click the top result and sign in with your Microsoft account.

Step 2. Confirm OneDrive folder location.

On the This is your OneDrive folder screen, select Next to accept the default folder location for your OneDrive files.

Tip: If you want to change the folder location, select Change location. This is the best time to make this change because you haven’t sync any files up to now.

Step 3. Access your OneDrive folder.

Click Open my OneDrive folder to get to your OneDrive folder.

Step 4. Sync files/folders with OneDrive.

Drag and drop or copy and paste the files/folders you want to sync into the OneDrive folder. The client will automatically sync them to the OneDrive website.

✎ Notes:

① If you want to change or add folder to OneDrive sync, right-click the cloud icon, select Settings, Account, then Choose folders to make your changes.

② There's a useful feature to help you backup your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders with OneDrive. Just follow the steps below:

• Select the OneDrive icon in the Windows notification area and select Help & Settings > Settings.
• In the next window, select the Backup tab and click on the Manage backup button.
• Select the folders that you want to backup and click Start backup.

After adding local folders to OneDrive, your files are available both online at OneDrive.com and offline on your PC. The operations aren’t complicated. However, you may find it inconvenient in the following situations:

• If the files/folders you want to sync are located in different paths, it would be a tedious work to drag and drop or copy and paste files/folders repetitively. 

• If you want to sync changes from your PC to the cloud, you must edit files in the OneDrive folder. If you edit files in their original location such as desktop, the changes won’t be synced.

Easier way to sync PC folders to OneDrive🔥

How to make it easier to sync folders from different locations to OneDrive, and sync subsequent changes to the cloud? How to make OneDrive backup specific folders automatically? AOMEI Backupper Standard, the best free file sync software, is the answer.

Learn how to sync local folders to OneDrive via AOMEI Backupper below:

1. Download, install and run AOMEI Backupper.

2. Click Sync on the left pane and select Basic Sync.

Note: If you upgrade to AOMEI Backupper Professional, you can enjoy the other three sync modes.
>> Mirror Sync: it will keep the destination folder exactly the same as the source folder. If there are files only existing in the destination folder, they will be deleted.
>> Real-Time Sync: it will synchronize file changes almost without delay.
>> Two-Way Sync: it will sync changed files from the source directory to the destination directory as well as the other way around.

3. Name the task so that you can distinguish it from other sync tasks. Click Add Folder to select the folder you want to sync.

Tip: If you want to sync multiple folders simultaneously, click the “+” icon after you add the first source folder.

4. Click the inverted triangle at the right edge of the second bar and choose Select a cloud drive.

5. Select OneDrive cloud and click OK. If you cannot find OneDrive in the list, then go back to Step 4 and manually navigate to the OneDrive local folder by clicking the folder shaped button in the second bar.

6. Click on Start Sync to perform the operation.

Tips:
● You can click Options in the lower-left corner to write a comment for your sync task so that you can figure out the specific sync contents; you can also enable email notification here.
● Don’t modify the name of the source folder(s) after doing file sync, or the program cannot synchronize it (them) anymore.

★Bonus tip: sync files to a 1 TB cloud drive (free trial)

When doing file sync with OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox, the challenge is free users only have a few GB of storage space. To sync or backup a large number of files, you may try the Cloud Backup feature in AOMEI Backupper.

It enables you to backup folders to AOMEI Cloud, which offers you 1TB of free storage from the time you sign up until 15 days. And the process is automatic, so you don't need to worry about data loss due to forgetting backup.

Common OneDrive error codes

OneDrive users sometimes encounter various error codes. Here are some common ones and their potential solutions:

1. Error Code 0x8004de40:

• Description: This error indicates that OneDrive is having trouble connecting to the internet.
• Solution: Check your internet connection, disable any VPN or proxy settings, and ensure that your firewall or antivirus software is not blocking OneDrive.

2. Error Code 0x8004def7:

• Description: This error usually appears when your account has been temporarily suspended.
• Solution: Sign in to your OneDrive account on the web to check for any notifications or issues with your account. Follow any instructions provided to resolve the suspension.

3. Error Code 0x80070005:

• Description: This error is often related to permission issues.
• Solution: Ensure you have the correct permissions to access the files or folders. Running OneDrive as an administrator can sometimes resolve this issue. You might also need to check the file or folder properties to ensure they're not read-only.

4. Error Code 0x8004de80:

• Description: This error indicates a problem with the OneDrive application.
• Solution: Try resetting the OneDrive app. To do this, press Windows + R, type %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset, and press Enter. If the OneDrive icon doesn’t reappear after a few minutes, press Windows + R again, type %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe, and press Enter.

5. Error Code 0x8004de85:

• Description: This error often appears when there's a problem with the sign-in process.
• Solution: Sign out of OneDrive and then sign back in. Ensure that your account credentials are correct. If the problem persists, you might need to unlink and relink your OneDrive account.

If you encounter an error code not listed here, please check the official OneDrive support page.

Verdict

Now you know how to sync local folders to OneDrive in Windows 11/10/8/7. AOMEI Backupper provides you with an easier way to finish the task—you can sync folders from different locations to OneDrive in one sync task and you can sync changes to the cloud after you edit files in their original location. 

What’s more, AOMEI Backupper owns the features of backup, restore and clone. You are allowed to backup files to external hard drive, run block level incremental backup, clone SSD to larger SSD in Windows 10 via AOMEI Backupper. Don’t hesitate to give it a try!