How to Switch Between Personal OneDrive 5GB and 100GB Accounts
Question details
The user needs a reliable way to switch between two different personal OneDrive accounts (a 5GB free account and a 100GB Microsoft 365 Basic account) without browser shortcuts automatically opening the wrong one.
- Product
- OneDrive
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Accessing and managing multiple personal OneDrive accounts sequentially on the same computer.
- Observed behavior
- Browser shortcuts and web sessions cache the login credentials for one account, causing the computer to repeatedly open the 100GB account even when the user attempts to access the 5GB account.
Ensure you have the exact login credentials (email address and password) ready for both your 5GB free OneDrive account and your 100GB Microsoft 365 Basic account before proceeding.
Use Private Browsing or Separate Web Browsers
Using an Incognito/InPrivate window or a completely different web browser prevents session caching from automatically logging you into the wrong OneDrive account.
Web browsers automatically save cookies and session data to keep you logged in. When you click a OneDrive shortcut, it uses this saved data to open the most recently accessed account.
By utilizing a private browsing window or dedicating a separate browser (like Edge for the 100GB account and Chrome for the 5GB account), you can isolate these sessions and ensure the computer recognizes them separately.
Launch your preferred web browser and open a private session (Ctrl+Shift+N for Chrome/Edge or Ctrl+Shift+P for Firefox).
Go to the official OneDrive login page (onedrive.live.com).
Enter the credentials for your 5GB personal account. This session will not interfere with the 100GB account logged in on your standard browser window.
Sign Out and Use the Account Selector
Manually sign out of the active account and switch to the secondary account using the OneDrive web interface to clear the active session.
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- 1. Download the App: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the free software for your device.
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- 3. Connect Your Cloud: Navigate to the 'Cloud' section in the sidebar to link your preferred cloud storage accounts directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my computer keep opening the same 100GB OneDrive account?
Web browsers use cookies to remember your active session. If you do not explicitly sign out of the 100GB account, any generic OneDrive shortcut you click will automatically authenticate using those saved cookies, bypassing the login screen.
Can I link a 5GB personal account and a 100GB personal account in the OneDrive desktop app simultaneously?
No. The official Microsoft OneDrive desktop application only allows one personal account to be linked at a time. You can link one personal account and one work/school account simultaneously, but not two personal accounts.
How do I fix my OneDrive desktop shortcut so it asks which account to open?
You cannot force a standard shortcut to ask for an account if a browser session is already active. However, you can create a shortcut that forces a private browsing session. For example, setting the shortcut target to `chrome.exe -incognito https://onedrive.live.com` will always prompt you for login credentials.
