Transfer OneDrive for Business to Another Account Easily

Why Does the User Need to Transfer OneDrive for Business to Another Account?

There can be several conditions, where users need to transfer OneDrive for Business account to another, some of them are listed below:

• Due to the merger and acquisition activities of the organization.
• Due to the limited storage space in the primary user account.
• The current OneDrive account is not working properly or smoothly.
• Due to the account data backed up to another OneDrive account.

For a better understanding let’s have a quick glance at a real-life situation.

Due to the company merger, right now, I need to move OneDrive for Business account to another account. I can do either of these tasks individually by logging into the OneDrive and moving manually, however, I have to need to do this for 10000+ users. Therefore I need a fast and reliable way of doing it. I need to know if it is possible to migrate this many users easily. Any ideas\suggestions?

Here, we will discuss each method separately one by one along with its workings.

Method #1 – Manual Method to Transfer OneDrive for Business to Another Account

In a manual approach, users need to log in to each source OneDrive account & they need to download each account’s data on their local system, and then manually upload it to their destination account. Users can use this approach if they have to transfer OneDrive for business to another account for a small number of user accounts.

Step 1. Open your internet browser and browse the OneDrive login portal.

Step 2. Use your source OneDrive account credentials to log in to the source OneDrive account. 

Step 3. Now, create a folder with the “Backup” name. Then select all the files and folders that you want to move to the destination and copy and paste them into the Backup folder.

Step 4. Now click on download to save this folder on your local system.

Step 5. Now login to the destination OneDrive account and upload this folder manually. 

Step 6. Now, ensure all the data has been uploaded to the destination OneDrive account.

Performing this task requires multiple logins for a large number of OneDrive user accounts in O365, which can indeed be a laborious and daunting task. However, there are a few ways to streamline this process and make it more efficient. Let’s get to know about them in the coming section.

Also Read: How to Save Emails from Outlook Web App to Computer? Best Guide to Follow

Method #2 – Move OneDrive to Another Account Using Admin Center 

Step 1. You can use the Admin Center to transfer OneDrive for Business files to another OneDrive account. Access Admin Center by using OneDrive (or any other Office application). Remember that you must be logged in as an administrator.

Step 2. Locate the Users section on the left side of your screen and click on it. This will lead you to the Active Users subfolder:

Step 3. A list of all your accounts will be displayed. Scroll through to find the specific account you wish to manage.

Step 4. After clicking on the username, an account panel will appear in the right corner of the screen. Look for the OneDrive tab. Within this tab, there’s a feature labeled “Generate a link to files.” Click on this option.

Step 5. Now, allow a few moments for the link to be generated. The application will provide you with a link that grants access to all of the user’s files.

Step 6. Follow the provided link. You now have the capability to copy and remove files from the OneDrive account.

Step 7. Select the files you intend to transfer, right-click on them, and choose the download option. This will result in a Zip file being generated.

Step 8. Proceed to upload the Zip file to either your OneDrive or the OneDrive belonging to another individual within your organization.

Please note that Microsoft has implemented certain restrictions on file downloads:

• Please note that you cannot directly download files from the Shared view. You’ll need to open the file and save a copy to your preferred location.
• Downloading multiple files or folders from SharePoint Server 2019 is not supported.
• OneNote notebooks cannot be downloaded. If you attempt to download a folder containing a OneNote notebook, the resulting .zip file will contain an error message in the form of a .txt file.
• The option to download multiple files is currently not available in on-premises SharePoint Server (for organizations without a Microsoft 365 business plan).
• Occasionally, the Download button might vanish if you refresh a web page while viewing a folder. To resolve this, either navigate up one level in the folder directory and return it or close the tab and reopen the folder.
• In OneDrive for work or school, you cannot utilize Internet Explorer for downloading folders or multiple files. Instead, you can use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome for this purpose.
• Download Limits
  • Maximum File Size: 250GB
  • Total Number of Files: 10,000
  • Folder Size Limit: 10,000 files
• If you download multiple .zip files, each .zip file cannot exceed 10GB in size, and the cumulative size of all downloaded .zip files should not exceed 20GB.

Bringing It All Together

Users can easily transfer OneDrive for business to another account if they follow the right approach for it. The manual method can be used to transfer files for a small number of user accounts. Whereas for a larger number of OneDrive user accounts, it is always recommended to use a powerful automated tool over a manual method.

Hence, by using the above-mentioned tool, one can perform this type of data transfer effortlessly without losing a bit of data.