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Microsoft Account & One Drive Question
I have a small basic laptop that has like 18 gig free on the hard drive I use as a backup to my desktop that died.It’s a great cheap Asus that serves its purpose well. My question is that when I get my new desktop in a few days, should I create a separate Microsoft account for the new desktop, or use that same for both PCs? My concern is if I store a lot on the desktop, will it sync to the smaller laptop and transfer all the data to it? Basically, I am not clear how this would work.
2 Replies
If you sign into both your desktop and laptop with the same Microsoft account, certain settings, preferences, and app data (like themes, passwords stored in Edge, language preferences) can sync across both devices.
Hi, I’m Edwin Valentín and it’s a pleasure to help you. In your case, the best option is to use the same Microsoft Account on both your new desktop and your laptop. OneDrive works by account, not by device, so everything you save on your desktop PC will sync to the cloud and also be available on your laptop.
Steps to configure Files On-Demand:
1. Right–click the OneDrive icon (cloud) in the taskbar.
2. Select Settings.
3. Go to the Sync and backup tab.
4. Scroll down to Files On-Demand.
5. Choose Free up disk space → files will appear in File Explorer but will only download when you open them.
Recommendation: Set up your new desktop to sync all the files you need, and on the laptop enable Files On-Demand with Free up disk space. This way, you’ll have access to everything without filling up the small drive on your laptop, while always keeping a secure copy in the cloud.
