License & Subscription Issues

Can You Buy Temporary OneDrive Storage with Office 2024?

Camila Milosovich Sep 29, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to know if temporary OneDrive storage can be purchased alongside Office 2024 and how to manage files when transitioning from Microsoft 365.

Can You Buy Temporary OneDrive Storage with Office 2024?

Product: Microsoft Office 2024
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Migrating files from Microsoft 365 cloud storage to local computer storage before ending a subscription and switching to a one-time purchase of Office 2024.
Observed behavior: Office 2024 is a one-time purchase that does not include the standard 1TB OneDrive cloud storage, requiring users to find temporary solutions to manage and move their synced files.

Before you start

Ensure you have sufficient local hard drive space on your computer to accommodate all the files you plan to download from your OneDrive account before beginning the migration process.

Solution 1Recommended

Purchase Temporary OneDrive Storage and Move Files Locally

Since Office 2024 does not include bundled cloud storage, you can purchase a standalone OneDrive storage plan temporarily to safely migrate your files to a local drive.

Office 2024 Home and Business is a one-time purchase and does not include the 1TB OneDrive subscription found in Microsoft 365. OneDrive is handled as a separate service.

You can purchase a basic OneDrive storage plan on a monthly basis to hold your files temporarily. Before you cancel your Microsoft 365 subscription entirely, you must turn off the folder backup feature and manually move files to your local drive to avoid data loss or sync errors.

Purchase standalone OneDrive storage

Visit the Microsoft storage upgrade page and select a monthly standalone OneDrive plan (such as Microsoft OneDrive Basic 100GB) to maintain temporary cloud access to your files.

Access OneDrive settings

Click the OneDrive cloud icon located in the Windows system tray (bottom-right corner of the taskbar), click the gear icon, and select 'Settings'.

Turn off folder backup

In the Settings window, navigate to the 'Sync and backup' tab and click on 'Manage backup'. Toggle off the switches for the folders you no longer want to back up to OneDrive (e.g., Desktop, Documents, Pictures).

Move files to local storage

Open File Explorer and navigate to your OneDrive folder. Select the files and folders you wish to keep locally, right-click and select 'Cut' (or 'Copy'), and paste them into a local directory on your PC such as your C: drive.

Purchase Temporary OneDrive Storage and Move Files Locally

Important Backup Notice: When you turn off folder backup, the files that were previously backed up remain in your OneDrive folder. You must manually move them back to your local PC folders if you want them stored locally instead of in the cloud.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Office 2024 come with OneDrive storage?

No. Office 2024 Home and Business is a one-time purchase software license. It does not include the 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage that comes with a Microsoft 365 subscription.

What happens to my OneDrive files if I cancel my Microsoft 365 subscription?

When you cancel Microsoft 365, your OneDrive account reverts to the free 5GB limit. If you are over this limit, your files will become read-only. You will still be able to view and download them for a short period, but you won't be able to upload or sync new files until you free up space or buy more storage.

Can I buy OneDrive storage separately without an Office subscription?

Yes. Microsoft offers standalone OneDrive subscription plans, such as the OneDrive Basic 100GB plan, which you can purchase independently on a monthly or yearly basis to handle your cloud storage needs.

Where do my files go when I stop backing up a folder to OneDrive?

When you stop backing up a folder (like Documents or Desktop) to OneDrive, the existing files remain in the OneDrive folder. You must manually open the OneDrive folder in File Explorer and move the files back to your local PC folders.

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