How to set up and manage OneDrive Known Folder Move for automatic PC backup

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to set up and manage OneDrive Known Folder Move for automatic PC backup. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

OneDrive Known Folder Move (KFM) is a powerful feature that automatically redirects your primary user folders—Desktop, Documents, and Pictures—to your OneDrive cloud storage. Instead of manually dragging files into a OneDrive folder, KFM ensures that any file saved to these standard Windows locations is synchronised in real-time, protecting your business data from local hardware failure.

How to Enable Known Folder Move

Follow these steps to ensure your critical local folders are being backed up to the cloud.

1. Locate the OneDrive (cloud) icon in your Windows system tray (bottom right corner of your screen). If it is hidden, click the ^ arrow to reveal it.
2. Right-click the OneDrive icon and select the Settings (gear icon).
3. In the left-hand navigation menu, click on Sync and backup.
4. Click the Manage backup button.
5. A window will appear listing the folders available for backup: Documents, Pictures, and Desktop.
6. Toggle the switch to On for each folder you wish to protect.
7. Click Start backup to begin the process.

Managing Your Backed Up Folders

How to stop backing up a specific folder

If you no longer wish to sync a specific folder to the cloud, you can revert the process:

1. Navigate back to Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup.
2. Toggle the switch to Off for the desired folder.
3. Click Save changes.

Checking Sync Status

• Blue Cloud: The file is stored online only and does not take up space on your hard drive.
• Green Tick (White background): The file is stored locally and synced to the cloud.
• Solid Green Circle: The file is marked as "Always keep on this device".
• Circular Arrows: The file is currently synchronising.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Folder cannot be backed up

If you receive an error stating a folder cannot be backed up, it is usually caused by one of the following:

• Existing Redirects: If you have previously redirected your folders to another drive or a network share, OneDrive cannot take over the path. You must reset the folder location to default first.
• Unsupported Files: Ensure there are no files with extremely long file paths (over 260 characters) or invalid characters in the filenames.
• Storage Limits: Check that your Microsoft 365 subscription has enough available storage to accommodate the size of your local folders.

Files missing after disabling backup

If you turned off KFM and your Desktop looks empty, do not panic. Your files have not been deleted; they are simply still located in the OneDrive directory. To restore them:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Navigate to C:\Users\YourName\OneDrive.
3. Open the Desktop or Documents folder within OneDrive.
4. Select your files and drag them back to the local Desktop or Documents folder.

Getting Further Assistance

If you are unable to enable Known Folder Move or are encountering persistent synchronisation errors, please Open a Ticket and our technical team will analyse your configuration.

Still Having Issues?