How to Backup USB to OneDrive [Two-Way Method]

< a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OneDrive" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">OneDrive and USB are two familiar terms for computer users, and both serve the purpose of storing or backing up crucial data. Occasionally, users might require backing up their OneDrive to a USB flash drive due to insufficient storage space in their OneDrive account or the necessity to transfer essential files and folders to a computer without internet connectivity.

We all know that OneDrive relies on the network, allowing users to access their OneDrive and securely store photos, music, and movies anytime, anywhere. Therefore, you might want to back up your USB drive to OneDrive for convenience. Or perhaps you're looking to replace your old USB drive, in which case you can backup the data from the old one to OneDrive.

We'll guide you on how to back up USB to OneDrive and vice versa. This process will involve using the OneDrive Desktop/Web application along with a third-party backup tool.

Two Methods to Backup USB to OneDrive

"I want to back up my USB drive to OneDrive, and what steps should I follow?" Users can either download the OneDrive Desktop app or utilize professional backup software, such as the ones mentioned here, for the backup process. In the following section, we will explain both methods.

Method 1: How to Backup USB to OneDrive Using Backup Software

We highly recommend backing up your USB drive to OneDrive using reliable backup software. This method can save you a considerable amount of time. The Todo Backup Home tool is an excellent choice for efficiently and securely backing up your files and folders from USB drives to OneDrive.

Have you completed downloading Todo Backup Home? There's a convenient feature worth mentioning - Scheduled Backup. If you frequently need to back up USB drives to OneDrive, you can create a scheduled backup. This backup utility can automatically perform backups daily, weekly, or monthly. Additionally, it offers options for full backup, differential backup, and incremental backup.

Now let's begin backing up USB drives to OneDrive using the tool Todo Backup. It's not too difficult to back up a USB drive or even back up an external hard drive to the cloud with this tool.

Step 1. Launch Todo Backup and choose "Create Backup" on the home screen, then click "Select backup contents".

Step 2. Since you want to back up your disk, simply click "Disk" to start the backup process.

Step 3. Todo Backup provides you with options. Choose to back up the entire disk or a specific partition as needed, and then click "OK".

Step 4.  Choose the destination where you wish to save the backup. You can opt to save the disk to a local drive or to a NAS (Network-Attached Storage) device.

Step 5. Click "Backup Now". After the backup process is done, you can right-click any of the tasks to manage your backup further, like recovering it, creating an incremental backup, and more.

Method 2: How to Backup USB to OneDrive using OneDrive Desktop

If you're a Windows 10/11 user, the OneDrive Desktop app is likely already installed on your computer. If not, you can download it yourself from Microsoft OneDrive. Once your USB drive is connected to the computer, we can proceed.

Step 1. First, launch the OneDrive Desktop app and choose "Settings".

Step 2. Choose "Backup" and then click "Manage Backup".

Step 3. Select the folders on your USB flash drive that you want to back up to OneDrive. Click "Start backup" afterwards.

How to Backup OneDrive to USB [Two Methods]

Even though OneDrive is a convenient tool for storing files and folders, the available storage space is finite. Once the storage limit is reached, it becomes necessary to backup OneDrive files to an external hard drive. We provide you with two approaches to back up your OneDrive content to USB drives, and you can find the detailed steps in the following section.

Method 1: How to Backup OneDrive to USB via OneDrive Web

You can directly download OneDrive files and folders to a USB drive through the OneDrive web interface.

Step 1. Go to the OneDrive website and connect your USB flash drive to the computer.

Step 2. Click on "Chrome Settings" and select "Advanced".

Step 3. Click "Download" and change the destination to your USB drive.

Step 4. Select the files and folders you want to back up to your USB flash drive, then click "Download".

Method 2: How to Backup Local Files to USB using a Backup Tool

If your OneDrive's default download location is set to your local PC, or if all the files you want to back up are already on your PC, you can utilize a tool called Todo Backup to assist you in backing up all the local files to a USB drive.

Step 1. To start the backup process, click the Select backup contents button.

Step 2. Four data backup categories are displayed: File, Disk, OS, and Mail.

Step 3. Lists of both local and network files are displayed on the left-hand side of the screen. Expand the directory to select the files you want to back up.

Step 4. Follow the on-screen instructions and select the location where you want to save the backup.

Ensure that the backup is encrypted and configure the backup schedule by clicking on Options within Backup Options. You can also select a specific time to initiate the backup under Backup Scheme by clicking on Options. There are numerous other customizable options available for you to explore.

Step 5. You can save the backup file on your computer, in the tool's cloud service, or on a network-attached storage (NAS) device.

Step 6. Todo Backup allows customers to store backup copies of their files on a third-party cloud drive or on the company's own cloud storage.

If you wish to back up your data to a third-party cloud drive, choose Local Drive and scroll down to add Cloud Device. Next, enter your account details.

Click Cloud Backup, then sign up and log in with your Todo Backup account if you want to store backup files on Todo Backup's own cloud storage service.

Step 7. Click on Backup Now to initiate the backup process. Once the backup is complete, it will be displayed as a card on the left side of the screen. Right-clicking on the card will provide you with more options for managing and exploring the backup job in greater detail.

Bottom line, conclusion

Todo Backup is a versatile and convenient tool for computer users. It enables you to back up your USB to OneDrive using the disk backup feature, and to back up OneDrive to USB with the file backup option. It also supports operating system backup and cloning. Whatever your backup needs may be, Todo Backup can be of great assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions about Backing Up USB to OneDrive

If you still have doubts, feel free to browse through more questions and answers in this section.

Yes, you can back up an external hard drive to OneDrive. To do this, you'll need to follow these steps: 1. **Connect the External Drive**: Plug your external hard drive into your computer and make sure it's powered on and recognized by your system. 2. **Enable OneDrive Backup**: If you haven't already, sign in to OneDrive on your computer and go to the OneDrive settings. On Windows, right-click the OneDrive icon in the system tray and select "Settings." On macOS, open OneDrive from the Applications folder and click the "Options" button. 3. **Choose Folders to Backup**: In the OneDrive settings, navigate to the "Backup" tab (Windows) or "Advanced" tab (macOS). Here, you can choose which folders from your external drive to backup. Click "Manage backup" or "Add a folder" and browse to select the desired folders on your external drive. 4. **Start the Backup**: Once you've selected the folders, click "Start backup" or "Backup now" to initiate the initial upload process. OneDrive will continuously sync any changes made to these folders in the future. Keep in mind that backing up large amounts of data from an external drive to OneDrive may take a significant amount of time, depending on your internet speed and the size of the files. Also, ensure that your OneDrive subscription has enough storage space for the backup. Remember that backing up to OneDrive offers cloud protection, but it doesn't provide a direct, bootable backup of your entire external drive. For that, you might want to consider using other backup software or methods specifically designed for creating disk images.

You can promptly back up an external hard drive to OneDrive using the utility Todo Backup.

1. Select "Create Backup" and then click on "Select backup contents". 2. Click on "Disk" and choose your external hard drive. 3. Click "Local", and you will find OneDrive listed there. 4. Click "Backup Now" to initiate the backup process.

Yes, you can back up your OneDrive files to an external hard drive. Here's a simple explanation on how to do it: 1. **Connect the External Hard Drive**: Plug in the external hard drive to your computer using a USB cable. 2. **Download OneDrive Files**: Open OneDrive on your computer and sign in with your Microsoft account. Navigate to the files or folders you want to back up. 3. **Manual Copy**: Select the files or folders you wish to back up, right-click, and choose "Copy" or "Ctrl+C" on your keyboard. Then, open the external hard drive folder, right-click, and select "Paste" or use "Ctrl+V" to transfer the files. 4. **Automated Backup with Sync**: If you prefer an automated solution, you can create a symbolic link or junction point that essentially mirrors your OneDrive folder on the external hard drive. This method requires more advanced steps and might involve using tools like "mklink" in Windows Command Prompt. 5. **Third-Party Tools**: There are also third-party backup software options available that can help automate the process of backing up your OneDrive content to an external hard drive. These tools often have scheduling and customization features. Remember to keep your external hard drive safe and regularly updated to ensure your OneDrive backups are current.

Yes, you can easily back up your OneDrive files to an external hard drive by following these steps: 1. Connect the external hard drive to your computer. 2. Open File Explorer on your Windows PC or Finder on your Mac. 3. Locate and access your OneDrive folder. 4. Select the files or folders you want to back up. 5. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) and choose "Copy" or use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl+C" (Windows) or "Cmd+C" (Mac). 6. Navigate to your external hard drive in File Explorer or Finder. 7. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) within the hard drive's folder and choose "Paste" or use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl+V" (Windows) or "Cmd+V" (Mac). 8. Wait for the copying process to finish. This will create a copy of your selected OneDrive files on the external hard drive. However, note that this is a one-time backup and won't sync changes made to the files in real-time like OneDrive does. If you want to keep the backup up-to-date, you'll need to repeat the process periodically.

1. Visit the OneDrive website first. 2. Click on "Chrome Settings" and select "Advanced". 3. Click on "Downloads" and change the destination to your desired hard drive. 4. Select the files and folders you wish to back up to your hard drive and click "Download".

How do I back up my USB to OneDrive?

You can back up your USB to OneDrive online through the web interface or by using backup software. We recommend utilizing tools like Todo Backup for this purpose.

1. Select "Create Backup" and then click "Select backup contents."
2. Click on "Disk" and choose your USB drive.
3. Click "Local," and you will find OneDrive in the list.
4. Finally, click "Backup Now" to initiate the backup process.

How do I synchronize my USB with the cloud?

Applying backup software is the most effective method to synchronize your USB with the cloud. We recommend using the tool Todo Backup for this purpose.

1. Select "Create Backup" and then click "Select backup contents." 2. Click on "Disk" and choose your USB drive. 3. Click "Local," and you will find options for OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox here. 4. Click "Backup Now" to initiate the backup process.