License & Subscription Issues

How to Move OneDrive and Microsoft 365 Subscription Between Accounts

Maira Mehtab Sep 21, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user wants to transfer a consumer OneDrive account and a Microsoft 365 subscription from a Hotmail address to a family Outlook address without having to manually move all their files.

Product: Microsoft 365 & OneDrive
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Migrating a Microsoft 365 subscription and OneDrive cloud storage from one Microsoft account to another.
Observed behavior: Directly transferring a Microsoft 365 subscription or OneDrive storage quota between two distinct Microsoft accounts is natively unsupported.

Before you start

Verify whether your Hotmail and Outlook email addresses are completely separate Microsoft accounts or if they are simply different aliases under the exact same primary Microsoft account.

Solution 1Recommended

Manually Migrate OneDrive Files to the New Account

Since direct account-to-account file transfers are not supported, you must use file sharing or manual download/upload to move your data.

Microsoft does not offer a one-click migration tool for moving OneDrive data between personal accounts. You will need to move the files manually to retain access on the new account.

Share files from the old account

Log into your old OneDrive account, select all the folders and files you want to keep, and share them with your new Outlook email address.

Add shared files to the new account

Log into the new Outlook account, go to the 'Shared' section in OneDrive, and select 'Add shortcut to My files' so you can easily access them.

Alternative: Download and Upload

Download all necessary files from your old OneDrive to your local computer's hard drive. Sign out, sign into your new Outlook account, and upload the files manually into the new OneDrive space.

Solution 2

Repurchase the Subscription on the New Account

Microsoft 365 subscriptions cannot be transferred between accounts, so you must cancel the old one and start a new one.

Solution 3

Use an Account Alias Instead of a Transfer

If the accounts are actually aliases of the same primary Microsoft account, you can simply change your primary alias instead of migrating data.

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1. Visit the official website: Go to wps.com and click the free download button.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose my OneDrive files if I cancel my Microsoft 365 subscription?

No, you will not immediately lose your files. However, your storage limit will revert to the free 5 GB tier. If you are over that limit, you will not be able to upload new files until you free up space, but you can still download your existing files.

Can I merge two distinct Microsoft accounts into one?

Microsoft does not provide a way to merge two separate Microsoft accounts. You must manually migrate your files, contacts, and emails from one account to the other.

How do I move my emails to the new Outlook account?

You can connect your old Hotmail account to your new Outlook account via IMAP in the Outlook web settings, or use the Outlook desktop client to export your emails as a PST file and import them into the new account.

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