How to Transfer Files Between Two OneDrive Accounts

Transitioning from a university or corporate Microsoft 365 environment to a personal storage plan, or simply consolidating multiple cloud drives, requires moving your data securely. Microsoft does not provide a single-click native migration tool for regular users to merge cloud storage. Therefore, moving your data directly ensures you do not lose important documents, photos, or spreadsheets. This guide covers the most effective workflows to transfer files between two OneDrive accounts using native tools.

Using Windows File Explorer for Bulk Transfers

If you have a Windows PC, using the built-in desktop sync application is the most reliable method for transferring large amounts of data. This method leverages Windows File Explorer to act as a bridge between your two cloud environments.

1. Locate the OneDrive cloud icon in your Windows taskbar system tray. Click it, then click the Gear icon (Help & Settings), and select Settings.
2. Navigate to the Account tab and click Add an account.
3. Sign in using the credentials of your second (destination) OneDrive account. Follow the prompts to choose a local folder location for this second account.
4. Open Windows File Explorer. In the left navigation pane, you will now see two distinct OneDrive folders. One will typically be named OneDrive - Personal and the other might be named OneDrive - [Company/School Name] or simply another Personal folder depending on the account types.
5. Open the source OneDrive folder and select the files or folders you want to move. Press Ctrl + C to copy them.
6. Navigate to the destination OneDrive folder in the left pane, click inside the folder, and press Ctrl + V to paste the items.
7. Leave your computer powered on and connected to the internet. Monitor the status icons next to the pasted files; a blue circular arrow indicates syncing is in progress, and a green checkmark confirms the files are successfully uploaded to the destination account.

Sharing and Copying via the Web Interface

If you cannot install the desktop client or are using a public computer, you can transfer files entirely through the web browser. This method relies on folder sharing and the native web copy command.

1. Open your web browser and sign in to the source OneDrive account at onedrive.live.com.
2. Click + New and create a Folder. Name it something recognizable, like Transfer Batch.
3. Move all the files and folders you intend to transfer into this newly created folder.
4. Select the Transfer Batch folder and click the Share button at the top of the page.
5. In the sharing dialogue, type the email address associated with your second (destination) account. Ensure the permission is set to Can edit, then click Send.
6. Click your profile icon in the top right corner and Sign out of the source account.
7. Sign in to your destination OneDrive account in the same browser.
8. In the left-hand navigation menu, click on Shared. Locate the Transfer Batch folder and open it.
9. Select all files inside this shared folder. Click the Copy to button located in the top toolbar.
10. A pane will appear on the right. Select My files, choose a specific destination folder, and click Copy here. The Microsoft servers will now copy the files directly into your second account's storage without requiring you to download them.

Downloading and Re-uploading Small File Batches

For users who only need to move a handful of specific documents or photos, a direct manual download and upload via the web browser is often the quickest path without adjusting account settings or sharing permissions.

1. Sign in to your source OneDrive account via your web browser.
2. Navigate to the specific files or folders you need. Hover over them and click the circular checkmark in the upper-right corner of each item to select them.
3. Click the Download button on the top toolbar. If you selected multiple files or a folder, OneDrive will compress them into a single .zip file. Save this file to your local computer's Downloads folder.
4. If a .zip file was downloaded, locate it on your computer, right-click it, and select Extract All to unpack the documents into a standard local folder.
5. Sign out of your current web session, then sign in with your destination OneDrive account.
6. Navigate to the directory where you want the files to live, click Upload, select Files or Folder, and choose the extracted items from your local computer. Wait for the upload progress bar in the top right corner to complete.

Editing Transferred Documents with WPS Office

WPS Office cannot alter Microsoft server configurations or directly manage the backend transfer process between Microsoft accounts. However, once you have successfully migrated your files to your new OneDrive account, you will need a capable software suite to open, edit, and organize those .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx files.

If your transition involves moving away from a paid Microsoft 365 subscription to a free personal cloud account, WPS Office provides a powerful, cost-effective alternative to manage your newly transferred documents. Because WPS Office is designed to work with standard Microsoft file extensions, you can open your synced OneDrive local folders directly from the WPS interface.

WPS Office features a tabbed document interface, allowing you to manage spreadsheets, presentations, and text documents in a single window. If your transferred cloud archive contains many scattered formats, WPS Office's built-in PDF toolkit allows you to easily convert old PDFs into editable Word documents. Furthermore, its lightweight system requirements mean that even if you are accessing your new OneDrive account on older hardware, the suite will run smoothly without consuming excessive RAM.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I merge two accounts automatically?

Microsoft does not offer a one-click merge feature for consumer or business cloud accounts. You must manually move or copy the data using Windows File Explorer, web sharing, or a third-party migration tool. The manual methods ensure you have full control over which data is kept and where it is organized.

Will transferring files keep my original sharing permissions intact?

No. When you move or copy files to a new account, they inherit the sharing and privacy settings of the new destination folder. The files become distinct, newly uploaded items. You will need to manually generate new sharing links and re-invite collaborators from your second account.

How long does it take to sync files between accounts via File Explorer?

The duration depends heavily on your internet upload and download speeds, as well as the total gigabytes of data. Because the File Explorer method downloads the files from the source and uploads them to the destination simultaneously, a 50GB transfer could take several hours. It is best to perform large migrations overnight while the computer remains awake.

Does the shared folder method take up storage space in both accounts?

Initially, the shared folder only consumes storage quota in the source account. However, once you use the web interface's "Copy to" command to permanently save those files into your second account's "My files" directory, the duplicated files will consume storage space in the destination account as well.