Forum Discussion
Can OneDrive mobile sync a specific local folder on Android or iOS?
The supported behavior of the OneDrive mobile app (Android / iOS) when it comes to folder synchronization.
You cannot sync arbitrary local folders on Android or iOS
There is no built-in feature in the OneDrive mobile app that lets you pick an arbitrary folder on the device (e.g., /storage/emulated/0/Documents/MyFolder) and have OneDrive automatically sync it continuously the same way the OneDrive desktop sync client does. That capability simply doesn’t exist in the official app.
What mobile sync does not support
- Selecting any local device folder (outside camera/photos) for automatic sync.
- Two-way continuous sync between a phone folder and a OneDrive cloud folder.
- Automatic cloud → device sync of OneDrive folders into a local folder visible to the OS file system (except offline mode).
What the OneDrive mobile app does support
Camera roll backup / upload
Manual uploads
Offline access (“Keep offline”)
Limitations worth knowing
No selective or arbitrary sync
App integration limits
Workarounds if you must sync a local folder
Android
Use third-party apps such as Autosync for OneDrive or Folder Sync to create sync pairs between a phone folder and OneDrive. These aren’t official Microsoft products, but they operate in the background to sync folders.
iOS
Due to iOS restrictions on filesystem access for third-party apps, true folder sync (outside photos) is even more limited. In practice, you’d need:
- The app’s Files integration to manually open and move files.
- Or third-party sync apps that use the iOS File Provider API (limited and not continuous background sync).
OneDrive Mobile App Behavior
Feature | Supported in Official OneDrive Mobile App? |
Sync arbitrary local folder → cloud | Not supported |
Continuous two-way sync with cloud folder | Not supported |
Camera roll automatic upload | Supported |
Manual file uploads | Supported |
Offline access to cloud files | Supported (read offline) |
Official Microsoft References
- OneDrive Camera Upload (Android/iOS): You can enable automatic upload for photos and other device folders in Camera backup settings — but this is not general folder sync. Microsoft Support+1
- Microsoft forum (official Q&A) confirming the mobile app doesn’t offer general local folder sync. Tech Community
- Mobile upload and offline features are documented in the main support article. Microsoft Support
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