How to Export OneDrive Files to Another Drive

Moving your data out of Microsoft's cloud infrastructure to a local disk, external SSD, or flash drive gives you complete offline control over your personal and professional documents. If you are preparing for a hardware migration, creating redundant local backups, or clearing cloud storage quotas, export OneDrive Files to Another Drive is an essential data management skill. Because OneDrive utilizes a "Files On-Demand" feature that stores placeholder links on your computer rather than the actual files, simply dragging and dropping folders without preparation can sometimes result in corrupted or empty copies. The following methods provide exact workflows to ensure your data is properly downloaded and exported to your chosen destination.

Export OneDrive Files to Another Drive

When dealing with small to medium-sized folders, downloading directly from the cloud via your web browser is the most reliable approach. This method bypasses the Windows sync client entirely, ensuring that you receive the actual files compressed in a single archive directly onto your target drive.

• Step 1: Open your preferred web browser and navigate to the official OneDrive website. Log in with your Microsoft account credentials.
• Step 2: Click on the My files section using the left-hand navigation pane to view your entire directory.
• Step 3: Hover your cursor over the files or folders you want to export. Click the circular checkbox that appears in the upper-right corner of each item to select it.
• Step 4: Click the Download button located on the top command bar. OneDrive will automatically compress the selected items into a single ZIP file and save it to your computer's default downloads location.
• Step 5: Open Windows File Explorer and locate the downloaded ZIP file. Right-click the file and select Extract All.
• Step 6: In the extraction window, click Browse and navigate directly to your destination drive (such as your D: drive or an external USB). Click Extract to unpack the files and finalize the export.

Always keep on this device

For users with massive data libraries or those who already use the desktop application, utilizing Windows File Explorer is the most efficient way to handle large transfers. To successfully execute export OneDrive Files to Another Drive locally, you must first force the client to download the full files to your local system.

• Step 1: Open Windows File Explorer and click on the OneDrive folder in the left-hand navigation pane.
• Step 2: Inspect the Status column next to your files. A blue cloud icon means the file is online-only. A green checkmark means it is available locally.
• Step 3: Highlight all the files and folders you intend to export. Right-click the selection and click Always keep on this device from the context menu.
• Step 4: Wait for the synchronization process to finish. The status icons will change to a solid green circle with a white checkmark, indicating the physical data is now stored on your local drive.
• Step 5: Keep the fully downloaded files selected, right-click, and select Copy.
• Step 6: Navigate to your target drive in File Explorer. Open the destination folder, right-click an empty space, and select Paste. Verify the transfer by checking that the total folder size in the destination drive's properties matches the source.

Alternative Approach: Moving the Default Sync Folder

If your goal is not just to make a one-time backup, but rather to permanently change where your cloud data lives on your computer, you can relocate the entire synchronization directory. This is a fundamentally different approach to export OneDrive Files to Another Drive, as it reroutes live synchronization directly to the new disk.

• Step 1: Click the OneDrive cloud icon located in your Windows taskbar notification area.
• Step 2: Click the Gear icon to open the Help & Settings menu, then select Settings.
• Step 3: Navigate to the Account tab and click the Unlink this PC link. Confirm the action when prompted. Your local files will remain, but live synchronization will stop.
• Step 4: Open File Explorer, locate your existing OneDrive folder (typically found in C:\Users\YourUsername), and manually cut and paste the entire folder to the root of your new drive.
• Step 5: Open the OneDrive application from your Start menu and sign back in with your Microsoft credentials.
• Step 6: On the "Your OneDrive folder" setup screen, click Change location. Select the folder you just pasted on the new drive. Click Use this folder when warned that files already exist, then click next to complete the setup wizard.

Managing Exported Documents with WPS Office

Once you have successfully learned export OneDrive Files to Another Drive, you will likely need a capable software suite to interact with your local documents. If you have exported a large repository of Microsoft Office formats to an offline drive, WPS Office provides a broadly compatible and lightweight environment to open, edit, and organize these files without relying on cloud connectivity or active Microsoft accounts. Additionally, WPS includes built-in PDF features that streamline document archiving directly on your new storage media.

• Step 1: Launch the WPS Office desktop application. From the main workspace dashboard, click Open in the left navigation panel.
• Step 2: Click Browse and navigate to the external or secondary drive where you exported your OneDrive files. Double-click any Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or PowerPoint presentation to open it within the unified WPS tabbed interface.
• Step 3: To convert an exported document into a secure, uneditable format for long-term storage on your new drive, open the document and click the Tools tab on the top ribbon.
• Step 4: Select the Export to PDF button. In the resulting dialog box, ensure the export path points to a dedicated folder on your external drive, adjust the export quality settings, and click Export. This creates a broadly compatible archive copy directly alongside your exported source files.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my exported OneDrive files showing up as 0 bytes on the new drive?

This happens because the "Files On-Demand" feature was active during the transfer. When this feature is toggled on, Windows File Explorer only copies the tiny placeholder shortcut rather than the actual data. To fix this, you must return to your original OneDrive folder, right-click the problematic files, select "Always keep on this device," wait for the physical download to complete (indicated by a solid green checkmark icon), and then recopy them to the new drive.

How can I verify that I successfully exported all OneDrive files to another drive?

The most accurate way to verify a complete transfer is to compare the system properties of the source and destination folders. Right-click the original fully-downloaded folder in your OneDrive directory and select "Properties" to view the exact "Size" and "Contains" (number of files and folders) metrics. Repeat this process on the newly exported folder on your destination drive. The numbers must match exactly to ensure no data was left behind.

Can I export OneDrive files to another drive on a Mac using the same methods?

Yes, the underlying logic is identical on macOS, though the interface labels differ. You can use the web browser method to download ZIP files directly to an external drive connected to your Mac. Alternatively, using the Finder app, you can navigate to your OneDrive directory, right-click the files, and choose "Always Keep on This Device." Once the cloud icons disappear, you can safely drag and drop the files onto your external Mac-formatted drive.

Does exporting OneDrive files to an external drive delete them from the cloud?

No, copying files to an external drive does not remove the originals from the cloud. If you use the standard copy-and-paste method in File Explorer or the web browser download method, you are simply creating a duplicate offline version. The original files remain correctly intact and synchronized in your cloud storage. However, if you specifically use the "Cut" command instead of "Copy" within the locally synced folder, Windows will permanently remove them from the cloud.