Copy OneDrive Files to Another Account

Someone leaves a job, you change your email or two accounts need to end up as one. Either way you need your files in a second OneDrive, and you find no Copy to another account option.

I get this question from home users and admins alike. This guide shows four ways to copy OneDrive files to another OneDrive account, what every method leaves behind and when it is time to stop doing it by hand.

Why Copy OneDrive Files to Another Account?

Four jobs bring people here. A new employer gives you a new work account. A personal account fills up and you want a fresh one. A team merges and two people share one folder tree. A company wants a leaver's files in a manager's account.

Copy and move are not the same thing. A copy leaves the original where it is, so you can check the result before you delete anything. I always copy first.

Which Method should You Use to Copy OneDrive Files?

Start with the size of the job and the type of account. A few folders on a personal account need no tools at all. Fifty work accounts do.

How do You Copy OneDrive Files to Another Account by Download and Upload?

This is the simplest way and it works for personal and work accounts. You pull the files to your PC, then push them into the second account.

1. Sign in to the source account. Open OneDrive in a browser and go to the folder you want.
2. Select the files or folders. Tick the items, then select Download. OneDrive sends a zip file when you select more than one item.
3. Unzip the download. Extract the zip into a new folder on your PC and check the file count.
4. Sign out and sign in to the destination account. Use a private browser window if both accounts are in the same browser.
5. Upload the folder. Select Upload, then Folder, and choose the extracted folder.
6. Compare the two sides. Match the folder sizes and item counts before you delete anything at the source.

Microsoft lists limits for downloads on its page about downloading files and folders from OneDrive or SharePoint. It names a 250 GB file size limit and a 10,000 file limit per download. For compressed files it names 10 GB per zip and 20 GB overall. If your data is bigger, download in batches by folder.

Upload and download copy the current version of every file. Older versions and sharing links stay in the source account.

How do You Copy a Folder With Share and Add to My OneDrive?

Microsoft documents this route on its page about moving files to another OneDrive account. Nothing travels through your PC, so it suits slow connections.

1. Gather the files in one folder. In the source account, create a folder and put the files you want to copy inside it.
2. Share the folder. Select the folder, choose Share and enter the email address of the destination account.
3. Open the invitation. Sign in to the destination account, open Shared in the left pane and open the folder.
4. Add it to the destination. Select Add to my OneDrive at the top of the page.
5. Copy the files out. Open the added folder, select all the files, choose Copy to and select a normal folder in the destination account.

Step five is my own addition. Microsoft's article does not say whether the added folder holds independent files, and an added folder can behave like a link to the source. Copying the files into a normal folder removes that doubt. Then you can stop sharing the original folder.

How do You Copy OneDrive Files Between Two Synced Accounts on One PC?

Windows lets you sign in to a personal OneDrive and a work OneDrive at the same time. Both show up as folders in File Explorer, so you can copy between them like any two folders.

1. Sign in to both accounts. Open OneDrive settings and add the second account.
2. Open both folders. In File Explorer you will see one OneDrive folder for the personal account and one for the work account.
3. Copy the files. Select the files in the source folder and copy them into a folder in the destination account.
4. Wait for sync to finish. Check the OneDrive icon in the taskbar until it shows no pending items.
5. Confirm in the browser. Open the destination account online and check that the files are there.

Files that live only online are downloaded when you copy them, so keep free space on the drive. Large folders can take hours, so leave the PC on and connected.

Can You Transfer Photos From One OneDrive to Another?

Yes, and the same four methods apply. Photos are usually the biggest part of a personal account, so the download limits above matter most here. Copy the Pictures folder in batches by year, and use the sync client if the set is large.

Check the Camera Roll and any album folders after the copy. Albums are views of your photos and do not travel as folders, so rebuild them in the new account if you use them.

How do You Merge Two OneDrive Accounts?

OneDrive has no merge button. To merge OneDrive accounts, copy the files from the second account into a folder inside the first, then compare the result before you close anything. Use a clear folder name like Old Account so you can sort duplicates later.

Give every source folder its own parent folder at the destination. This stops files with the same name from clashing, and it keeps the original folder trees apart until you have time to sort them.

Can an Admin Copy a User's OneDrive to Another Work Account?

Yes, for accounts in the same Microsoft 365 organization. An admin can get access to a user's OneDrive and copy the files out. I cover those steps in how to transfer OneDrive files to another user.

If the user has already left, Microsoft deletes their OneDrive after a retention period. Read what happens to OneDrive files when an employee leaves before you wait too long.

What Stays Behind When You Copy OneDrive Files?

Manual methods copy files and folders. Most other things stay in the source account.

• Sharing links. Anyone who used a link to the old file must get a new one from the new account.
• Version history. Only the current version of a file is copied by hand. Older versions stay in the source.
• Personal Vault. Its files are locked behind a second step, so move them out of the vault yourself before you copy.
• File dates. Created dates can change when you upload, so check any folder where dates matter.
• Large and long names. Very deep folder paths and long file names can fail on upload. Shorten them at the source and try again.

I cover the version history problem in more detail in OneDrive cross tenant migration.

When should You Use a Tool to Copy OneDrive Files?

Manual copying works for one person. It stops working when you have ten accounts, a deadline or a move between two Microsoft 365 organizations. Every account needs its own sign in, its own downloads and its own checks.

RecoveryTools OneDrive Migrator copies OneDrive for Business accounts between two organizations or inside the same organization. It keeps the folder tree and version history, maps users from a CSV file and never overwrites a file that already exists at the destination. If some items fail, a retry copies only the failed ones. It does not copy sharing links, Personal Vault content, groups or outside guests, so plan for those.

For a full tenant move, follow how to migrate OneDrive from one tenant to another.

What are the Best Practices for Copying OneDrive Files?

• Copy first, delete later. Keep the source untouched until you have checked the destination for a few days.
• Count before and after. Compare folder sizes and item counts on both sides.
• Work in batches. Copy by folder so a failed upload costs you minutes, not hours.
• Clear the vault. Move Personal Vault files out before you start.
• Tell people about links. Warn anyone who relied on shared links that they will need new ones.

Which Mistakes Break a OneDrive Copy?

Four show up again and again. First, deleting the source before checking the destination. Second, trusting a zip download that stopped at the limit. Third, forgetting that the added shared folder is not yet a copy. Fourth, leaving the sync client half finished and closing the PC.

My Verdict on Copying OneDrive Files

Use download and upload for a few files and Share and Copy to for one folder. Use the sync client when both accounts live on one PC and the data is large. Switch to a migration tool when accounts pile up.

At the time of writing, Microsoft offers no one click copy between two OneDrive accounts. Until it does, a short checklist and a count at the end save more time than any shortcut.

Frequently Asked Questions

Published 15 October 2026. Limits and steps come from Microsoft's pages on downloading files and folders from OneDrive or SharePoint and moving files to another OneDrive account. The final copy step in the share method is my own addition, because Microsoft does not say whether the added folder holds independent files.