How to Transfer OneDrive Files to Another Account [2026]

• A Brief of OneDrive Cloud Storage
• Why Transfer OneDrive Files to Another Account?
• Checklist for Switching or Transferring OneDrive Files to Another New Account
• Transfer Files from OneDrive to Another Account: Methods and Tools Compared
• Step-by-step Guide to Migrate Data Between OneDrive Accounts
• Summary
• FAQs

A Brief of OneDrive Cloud Storage

OneDrive is a file hosting service and synchronization service that Microsoft runs as part of its web version of Office. It was first launched in August 2007, allowing you to store files and personal data (such as Windows settings or BitLocker recovery keys) in the cloud, share files, and sync files across Android, Windows, and other devices.

OneDrive offers 5 GB of storage space free of charge and if you need more space, then you need to purchase its subscription. With the OneDrive cloud service, you can:

✔️Sync files between the cloud and local folders.

✔️Access files from multiple devices.

✔️Make a data backup and restore to previously saved versions from the cloud when necessary.

✔️Share files, photos, and even entire folders with friends, colleagues, and family members.

Why Transfer OneDrive Files to Another Account?

However, as convenient as OneDrive is, many users eventually run into situations where they need to move all files from one OneDrive to another account. Common reasons include:

✅ Account issues or access problems

The current OneDrive account is not working properly, making it necessary to move important data to a new account.

✅ Insufficient storage space

Even after freeing up space on OneDrive, your account (especially a work or professional account) may not have enough storage, requiring you to transfer files to another OneDrive account or even another cloud storage.

✅ Account upgrade or replacement

You may need to switch accounts due to job changes (e.g., moving to a new company account), upgrading from a personal account to a business account, or replacing an old email account.

✅ Data consolidation and management

Managing multiple OneDrive accounts can be inconvenient, so combining files into a single account helps improve organization and efficiency.

✅ Shared file ownership transfer

You may have important documents stored in shared folders and want to transfer them to another account to maintain ownership or long-term access.

✅ Data backup and security

Transferring files, documents, and videos to another account can serve as a backup strategy to prevent data loss.

Checklist for Switching or Transferring OneDrive Files to Another New Account

Before you start to transfer files from one OneDrive account to another, it’s important to make proper preparations. A clear migration plan can help you avoid data loss, permission issues, or incomplete transfers—especially when dealing with large folders or business-critical files.

✅ Audit and organize your files

Review all files and folders in your current OneDrive account. Delete unnecessary data, rename unclear files, and group related content into folders. This not only reduces transfer time but also keeps your new account well-organized from the start.

✅ Check available storage in the target account

Make sure the destination OneDrive account has enough space to receive all your data. If storage is limited, consider cleaning up files to free up OneDrive space beforehand or upgrading your plan.

✅ Verify file types and size limits

Ensure that the files you plan to transfer comply with OneDrive’s upload limitations (such as maximum file size and supported formats). Large files may require a stable connection or specialized tools to transfer smoothly.

✅ Check sharing permissions and ownership

If you are migrating shared folders, review who has access and what permissions they have (view/edit). Some sharing settings may not carry over automatically, so you may need to reconfigure them after the transfer.

✅ Prepare login credentials for both accounts

Ensure you have full access (username, password, and verification methods) to both the source and destination OneDrive accounts. This is especially important if you plan to use third-party migration tools.

Transfer Files from OneDrive to Another Account: Methods and Tools Compared

Choosing the right migration method is crucial, as it directly affects transfer speed, data integrity, and overall convenience. Below are the most common ways to transfer files between OneDrive accounts, along with their pros and limitations:

Method	Ease of Use	Speed	Requires Local Storage	For Data Size	Advantages	Limitations
Manual Download & Upload	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐	✔️	Small	No tools needed	Very slow, depends on internet risk of interruption
Drag & Drop via Desktop Apps	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	✔️	Small to Medium	Drag-and-drop convenience, familiar interface	Sync conflicts, still limited by local storage
OneDrive Share	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	❌	Medium	No download needed, relatively faster	Permissions not preserved, manual steps required
Professional Cloud Transfer Tool	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	❌	Large / Bulk	Automated, supports large-scale migration	Needs account authorization

Step-by-step Guide to Migrate Data Between OneDrive Accounts

Now, we’ll walk through all the above methods to transfer OneDrive files to another account step by step.

1. Manually Download and Re-upload via Web

If you only need to transfer a small amount of data from one OneDrive account to another as a one-time task, this method is the simplest and most straightforward option.

Step 1. Log in to your first OneDrive account, and tick all files and folders you'd like to move, tap Download from the top menu.

Step 2. All the selected files will be downloaded in your Downloads folder within a ZIP folder.

Note:✎...

It's highly recommended to unzip the zip folder before uploading, or you can't preview, edit these files in OneDrive as you usual.

Step 3. Go to your another OneDrive account, choose a folder to store these files, tap the "＋Add New" button, choose "Files upload" or "Folder upload" to upload these files.

2. Drag and Drop via Desktop App

If you need to transfer a moderate amount of data and prefer a more visual and efficient method, using the OneDrive desktop app is a better choice than manual download and upload. By syncing both OneDrive accounts to your computer, you can directly move or copy files between them just like handling local folders.

Step 1. Install and open the OneDrive desktop app on your computer (if not already installed).

Step 2. Sign in to your first OneDrive account and complete the sync setup. A local OneDrive folder will appear on your computer.

Step 3. Add your second OneDrive account (work or personal) in the app and sync it as well. You will now see two separate OneDrive folders on your device.

Step 4. Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac), then drag and drop files or folders from one OneDrive folder to the other.

Step 5. Wait for the files to sync automatically to the cloud in the destination account.

3. Transfer with OneDrive’s Share

If you want to transfer files without downloading them to your local device, using OneDrive’s built-in Share feature is a practical alternative. This method allows you to "hand off" files between accounts through sharing and copying.

Step 1. Log in to your source OneDrive account.

Step 2. Select the files or folders you want to transfer(you can move them all into only one folder), then click Share from the top menu.

Step 3. Enter the email address of your target OneDrive account and send the sharing invitation (or generate a shareable link).

Step 4. Log in to your target OneDrive account and open the shared files under the Shared section.

Step 5. Select the shared files/folders and click "Add shortcut to My files" or Copy to your own OneDrive space.

4. Professional Cloud to Cloud Transfer Tool

For users who need to migrate a large amount of data or transfer entire OneDrive accounts efficiently, a professional cloud-to-cloud transfer tool is the most recommended solution. Unlike manual methods, these tools can directly move files between cloud services without downloading them to a local device.

One popular option is MultCloud, a web-based cloud file manager that supports OneDrive and many other cloud storage services. With MultCloud, you can connect two OneDrive accounts in one platform and transfer files directly in the cloud with just a few clicks.

👉How to Quickly Move Large Folders Between OneDrive Accounts?

How to move or copy files from one OneDrive to another without manually download? "Cloud Transfer"feature in MultCloud is designed specifically for this purpose. It enables users to migrate data directly between two cloud accounts, making it ideal for large-scale OneDrive to OneDrive migrations.

Step 1. Log in to your MultCloud account.If you don’t have one, sign up for free first.

Step 2. Add both OneDrive accounts to MultCloud by authorizing access.

Step 3. Click "Cloud Transfer" from the main dashboard.

Step 4. Select the source OneDrive account and choose the files or folders you want to move.Select the destination OneDrive account as the target location.

Step 5. Click "Transfer Now" to start the migration process.

★Tips:

You can select certain files from OneDrive as the source and select your second OneDrive account as the destination to transfer files between OneDrive accounts. Or you can set up Options > Filter to select certain file types to move.

You can enable the "Schedule" feature to automatically move OneDrive files from one user to another. Unlock all advanced features including Schedule, Filter, and up to 10 threads to transfer faster.

As MultCloud supports offline transfer, you can close the page, or even close your computer because MultCloud can deal with your task in the background.

 

👉Bulk transfer of OneDrive files to New Company Account

When migrating data to a new company account (OneDrive for Business), the process becomes more complex due to larger data volumes, stricter permission settings, and business collaboration requirements. In such cases, manual methods are often inefficient and time-consuming.

To handle enterprise-level migration, MultCloud also provides a powerful "Team Transfer" feature, specifically designed for business users who need to move data from OneDrive for Business to OneDrive for bussiness accounts or even across organizations.

Step 1. Log in to your MultCloud account.Add your OneDrive for Business accounts (both source and destination) to the platform.

Step 2. Navigateto Team Transfer tab, and match the source and target sub-accounts using one of the following methods:

• Auto-Match: Automatically pairs source and target sub-accounts for quick setup.
• Upload CSV: Import a CSV file containing predefined source–target account mappings.
• Download SCV: Export the current matched user-account pairs as a CSV file.

Step 4. Start the transfer task and let MultCloud handle the migration automatically in the cloud.

👉How to Sync Two OneDrive Accounts for File Migration?

When migrating data between two OneDrive accounts, many users assume that a one-time transfer is enough. However, in real-world scenarios, files are often still being updated in the source account during the migration process. This is where cloud synchronization becomes important.

Unlike Cloud Transfer, which is designed for one-time or scheduled data migration, Cloud Sync focuses on keeping two cloud accounts continuously aligned. 

So, if you want to ensure that both OneDrive accounts always contain the latest version of your files during migration, syncing is a more reliable approach than simple transfer.To simplify this process, MultCloud provides a powerful Cloud Sync feature that allows users to connect and sync two OneDrive accounts and keep them synchronized automatically.

Summary

Generally speaking, you can transfer files from one OneDrive account to another by downloading and re-uploading, or dragging and dropping. However, if you don't want to spend any time and energy manually downloading and re-uploading, Multcloud is a better choice.

Apart from moving OneDrive files to another account with the "Cloud Transfer", you can also achieve the result via its "Copy / Copy to", "Cloud Sync" or "Cloud Backup" to copy, sync or back up OneDrive files to another account or another different cloud like Google Drive, Google Photos, iCloud, etc.

FAQs

Q: How to Transfer School OneDrive Files to Personal Account?

A: To transfer school OneDrive files to personal account, you can download files from your school OneDrive and upload them to your personal account. If you have permission, you can also copy shared files into your own storage before transferring them.

Q: How to Move OneDrive Data When Changing Employers?

A: If you want to move OneDrive data when changing employers, first ensure you have access to all necessary files before your old account is deactivated. Then transfer your data to the new company account using download/upload,or MultCloud’s Team Transfer, a more efficient option, allowing you to map old and new sub-accounts and migrate files in bulk automatically.

Q: How to Backup and Transfer OneDrive before Account Deletion?

A: To back up OneDrive data before the account is deleted, you can download your files locally, back up to external drive, or use MultCloud to move data to another account, ensuring no important files are lost permanently.

Q: Is There Any Automated Tools to Transfer Files between Personal OneDrive Accounts?

A: Yes. Tools like MultCloud allow automated cloud-to-cloud transfer and sync between OneDrive accounts.You can also set a fixed schedule (daily, weekly, or custom intervals) to automatically move files, making it especially useful for ongoing backups or long-term account migration.

Q: Is It Possible to Merge Two OneDrive Accounts?

A: No, Microsoft does not currently offer a native "merge accounts" feature for OneDrive to help directly combine storage space, files, or folder structures from two accounts into a single unified account. However, you can achieve a similar result by using MultCloud’s Cloud Transfer for one-time moves, Cloud Sync for continuous sync.

Q: How to Move Shared OneDrive Folders to a New Account?

A: Moving shared OneDrive folders to a new account requires extra care because shared content is often linked to permissions rather than full ownership. Simply transferring files may not preserve access rights,so first check your permission level. If you have edit access, copy the shared files to your OneDrive, then move or upload them to the new account. After migration, re-share the folders if collaboration is still needed.