Onedrive file structure

You didn’t do anything “wrong” — this is normal behavior when OneDrive is set up with the “Backup” (also called Known Folder Move) option enabled.

Here’s what happened:

Why Your Documents Moved

• During OneDrive setup, Microsoft prompts you (sometimes automatically checks) to back up your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders.
• If you accept, Windows redirects those folders so they now live inside your OneDrive folder (e.g., C:\Users\<username>\OneDrive\Documents) instead of the old C:\Users\<username>\Documents.
• That’s why your Documents folder under “This PC” looks empty — it’s actually pointing to OneDrive’s synced location now.

How to Confirm

1. Right-click your Documents folder (the one in "This PC").
2. Select Properties → Location.
3. You’ll likely see the path pointing to OneDrive\Documents.

Options Going Forward

• Keep It As-Is (Recommended):
  • Your Documents are backed up to the cloud, accessible across devices, and recoverable if something happens.
  • This is Microsoft’s preferred setup.
• Revert to Local Documents Folder:
  1. Open OneDrive settings (right-click the cloud icon in your taskbar > Settings).
  2. Go to the Backup tab.
  3. Click Manage Backup.
  4. Stop backup for Documents.
  5. OneDrive will offer to move your files back to the original local Documents folder.
• Hybrid Approach:
  • You can stop the automatic redirect but still manually save certain files to OneDrive when you want them backed up.

No, you didn’t set it up incorrectly — OneDrive redirected your Documents folder to sync with OneDrive. That’s why the local “Documents” looks empty and everything is now under OneDrive > Documents. You can change this back in OneDrive settings under Backup > Manage folder backup if you prefer them stored locally.