Microsoft 365 Migration

Should You Migrate SharePoint Libraries to OneDrive? Risks and Best Practices

Aamir Naveed Akram Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user is considering moving large departmental SharePoint file libraries into a single user's OneDrive account to gain more storage space and avoid the cost of purchasing additional SharePoint storage.

Should You Migrate SharePoint Libraries to OneDrive?

Product: Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Evaluating cloud storage migration options to accommodate a department that wants to preserve its existing folder structure without archiving older files.
Observed behavior: Seeking a workaround for SharePoint storage limits by utilizing the 5TB to 25TB storage allocations available in OneDrive, despite concerns about future capacity and synchronization issues.

Before you start

Before attempting to move large volumes of departmental files, review your organization's data governance policies and check the current storage capacity in your SharePoint Admin Center.

Solution 1Recommended

Keep Departmental Files in SharePoint

SharePoint is structurally designed for team-owned files, whereas OneDrive is meant for individual users. Keeping files in SharePoint ensures proper governance, retention, and business continuity.

Moving shared departmental content to a single user's OneDrive is highly discouraged. While OneDrive offers large individual storage allocations (up to 5TB or 25TB), it lacks the robust team-level permission management and continuity features of SharePoint.

Relying on a single OneDrive account for a whole department can lead to severe synchronization conflicts, especially if multiple users attempt to sync the account simultaneously through File Explorer.

Review Current Storage Usage

Navigate to the SharePoint Admin Center, select 'Active sites', and review the storage limit and current usage column for your departmental sites to see exactly where space is being consumed.

Clean Up Unnecessary Content

Instruct department heads to audit their folders in SharePoint and delete obsolete documents, redundant file versions, and duplicate records.

Evaluate Additional Storage Costs

Go to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, navigate to Billing > Purchase services, and check the pricing for 'Office 365 Extra File Storage' to properly weigh the cost against the risks of a OneDrive workaround.

Account Ownership Risk: OneDrive is inherently tied to an individual employee's lifecycle. If the user account hosting the departmental files is deleted or disabled when they leave the company, all shared files could be permanently lost.

Solution 2

Implement an Archiving Strategy in SharePoint

Instead of moving active files to a single OneDrive account, implement a structured archiving strategy to free up valuable primary SharePoint storage.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if multiple users sync a single OneDrive account?

Syncing a single individual's OneDrive account across multiple users via File Explorer frequently causes severe synchronization conflicts, version control issues, duplicate files, and potential data corruption.

Can I get 25TB of storage on a single OneDrive account?

Yes, Microsoft allows expanding OneDrive storage allocations up to 5TB by default, and potentially up to 25TB for specific enterprise plans via Microsoft Support. However, this massive space is strictly intended for individual user data, not as a replacement for departmental SharePoint file servers.

How does file ownership differ between SharePoint and OneDrive?

In SharePoint, files are owned by the site, group, or team; if an employee leaves the company, the files remain safely in the SharePoint library. In OneDrive, files are tied directly to a specific user's Microsoft 365 identity, meaning if their account is deleted upon departure, their OneDrive files are also flagged for deletion.

Migration & Recovery