Backup OneDrive Files to External Hard Drive – 3 Effective Ways

Summary: Have you ever been stuck while taking a backup of OneDrive files to an external hard drive and gotten scared to do so? Then don’t worry, this article will help you to get rid of this issue and guide you to backup OneDrive files to external hard drive manually or by OneDrive Backup Tool.

If you are an entrepreneur or IT professional, you may have to migrate a large chunk of data frequently. Most of the time, the email client you use offers a cloud to store their data. Of the several email clients, Office 365 is one of them and allows the OneDrive cloud to store personal or professional data.

Although the Microsoft cloud is secure enough to save your data, sometimes you may not be able to retrieve your data. It happens because you deleted your data accidentally, a technical error occurred, or there was an internet outage. In this case, you can backup OneDrive files to external hard drive to ensure your data security. Now learn some methods that can help you save your OneDrive data locally.

Method 1: Download From OneDrive to External Hard Drive

• Open OneDrive cloud storage, either desktop-based or Web-based.
• Select the file that you want to back up.
• Right-click on that file and choose the Download option.
• Assign a name and destination for the output folder.
• Finally, your OneDrive data is stored at your selected hard drive destination.

The above method can apply to Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Note: Make sure to connect the external hard drive successfully. You need to transfer your locally saved data to this hard drive.

Also Read: Migrate Data From OneDrive to OneDrive for Business

Method 2: Sync OneDrive to External Hard Drive Using Desktop App

This method can be used for other Windows versions, excluding Windows 10 and 11. OneDrive is already present in Windows settings, but in other Windows OS, you either need to download OneDrive, or you can directly use it on the Web. Here are the steps to backup OneDrive to external hard drive.

Steps to Move Files From OneDrive to External Hard Drive

• Open My Computer or This PC. Select OneDrive, right-click on it, and choose Settings.
• In this wizard, tap Unlink this PC as it disconnects your OneDrive from the hard drive.
• In the subsequent wizard, enter Email Address to sign-in.
• Following, Change Location and specify the location on your external hard drive.
• Assign a name to your OneDrive folder.

Following these steps, your data is downloaded from OneDrive to an external hard drive. 

Method 3: Quick & Smart Approach to Backup OneDrive Files to External Hard Drive

For this method, you can use the OneDrive Backup Tool. It is one of the fastest and safest utilities that can safely back up your OneDrive data to local destinations. Moreover, you can also convert your OneDrive data into PDF, PNG, JPG, and others. Here are the steps to run the OneDrive Migration utility.

Steps to Backup OneDrive Files to External Hard Drive

• Install the OneDrive Backup Tool and run it as an administrator.
• Select OneDrive from its source destination.
• The following wizard asks you to confirm your Microsoft account.
• Following that, the software starts scanning your account.
• Then choose the folder that you want to migrate.
• In the subsequent wizard, Select the extension of the file(s) filter to add particular file extensions for migration.
  Note: You can add more than one extension if your OneDrive data is present in more than one file format.
• Rest, manage the utility feature as per accordance.
• Select the destination, Backup to local Drive for the resultant OneDrive file.
• Enter the name for the output file.
• Finally, take the exit and go to the selected destination.
• You have successfully transfer files from Onedrive to an external hard drive.

By following the above methods, you can ease your task of migration. The above two methods can be successful for small migrations. While the third method offers you the OneDrive Backup Software, which will enable you to transfer OneDrive files to Google Drive. Moreover, you need not be technically proficient while using this utility, which offers you a safe and secure backup of your OneDrive.

Conclusion

I hope after following the article systematically, you will be able to backup OneDrive files to external hard drive. This article provides you with some tried-and-true techniques that you can use to make your migration task easier. If any case, you are stuck with the above two methods, you can opt for an automated OneDrive Backup Tool. This utility also offers you some additional features that you can avail of in its demo version.