How do I keep a local copy or back-up of my OneDrive files?

There may be times you want a local copy of some or all of your OneDrive files — to work offline on a snow day, from somewhere with poor connectivity, or to keep your own copy of important work. Here is how to do both, and why they are not the same thing.

Instructions

WARNING: Sync should only be used for data that is not restricted under the UMS Data Classification policy (External Link), or otherwise disallowed by your department. Direct questions to the Information Security Office (External Link).

Keep a local copy for offline use

By default, OneDrive keeps most files online only. They appear in File Explorer or Finder with a cloud icon, but the contents download when you open them. Marking a file or folder to always stay on your device downloads it and keeps it there.

  1. Open your OneDrive folder in File Explorer on Windows or Finder on macOS.
  2. Find the file or folder you want available offline.
  3. Right-click it and select Always Keep on this Device.

A green circle with a white checkmark means the file is fully downloaded. To reverse it later, right-click and select Free Up Space. For what each icon means, see Microsoft's guide to OneDrive sync icons (External Link).

IMPORTANT: A local copy is not a backup. Files in your OneDrive folder are synced, so deleting one on your computer deletes it in the cloud as well. To keep a copy that is genuinely separate, follow the steps below.

Make a real backup

  1. Mark the files you want to keep with Always Keep on this Device, using the steps above.
  2. Wait until every item shows a green circle with a white checkmark. Anything still showing a cloud icon has not downloaded.
  3. Copy those files to a location outside your OneDrive folder.
  4. Copy them again to an external drive or another cloud service. This is what makes it a backup rather than a second copy on the same machine.

When choosing where to put the copy, avoid anywhere already syncing to OneDrive, including Desktop, Documents and the "OneDrive - University of Maine System" folder. Make sure your destination is appropriate for the classification of the content.

WARNING: If you are backing up because your account is closing, check every file individually before your access ends. Files that still show a cloud icon exist only as placeholders. Once the account is gone, they cannot be downloaded, even though the file names still appear on your computer.

Environment

  • Microsoft 365 (UMS)
  • OneDrive
  • Windows
  • macOS
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