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MSnoob365's avatar
MSnoob365
Copper Contributor
Jan 22, 2025

Slow OneDrive uploadspeed!

For a few years i used an university MS-account with 2TB OneDrive storage. Now these cooperation runs out and i made my own MS account with those 1TB OneDrive storage. 

I have like ~500GB of data in that old OneDrive and right now try to copy everything to my new personal one... But the uploadspeed is horrible! Referring to speedtests I have like 50Mbit/s (Ethernet so quite stable) so ~ like 6.25MB/s upload. The maximum onedrive reaches is like 1.5MB/s.... and in average i get like 750kB/s...

My PC is already running for 2 days...

Do you have any idea to solve this problem or is this just something i have to accept?

Is it possible that institutions like universities have better uploadspeeds, or are just prioritized and so on? 

 

Thanks in advance!

BR

7 Replies

  • NikolinoDE's avatar
    NikolinoDE
    Gold Contributor

    How to Speed Up OneDrive Uploads?

    Check OneDrive’s Throttling Settings

    1. Right-click the OneDrive icon in your system tray → Settings.
    2. Go to the Network tab.
    3. Under Upload rate, select “Don’t limit”.
    4. Click OK.

    (If it’s already set to “Don’t limit,” toggle it to “Limit” → set a high number (e.g., 99999 KB/s) → then back to “Don’t limit” to reset.)

     

    My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!

     

    Hope this will help you.

     

    Was the answer useful? Mark as best response and like it!

    This will help all forum participants.

    • MSnoob365's avatar
      MSnoob365
      Copper Contributor

      I already tried that but it did not make a difference...

       

      But thank you!! 

      • artivalys_france's avatar
        artivalys_france
        Copper Contributor

        OneDrive performances : exactly same pb : my own MS account with those 1TB OneDrive storage is too bad. 

        I have like ~500GB of data in that OneDrive and right now try to copy everything to my personal one... But the uploadspeed is so difficult ! Referring to speedtests of my fiber link (orange/France) I have like around 500Mbit/s (up & load through Ethernet so quite stable) The maximum 1D reaches is like 1.5MB/s.... and in average i get like 750kB/s ...

        My PC is already running for 2 days... what's happening ?

        Do you have any idea to solve this problem or is this just something i have to accept ?

  • MSnoob365's avatar
    MSnoob365
    Copper Contributor

    Hi!
    Thanks for your answer.

    In 90% of the case i first downloaded the University1D zu my local storage and then uploaded from there to my Personal 1D.
    But that 10% directly from 1D to 1D didn't seem slower - as my downloadspeed with stable ~300Mbit/s is not the worst...

    I was just curious if other people also have such low uploadspeeds to 1D compared to what should be possible...

    Just tested and got like 100GB in 24h which is like 1.185MB/s... 

    Thanks!

    BR

     

     

    • NikolinoDE's avatar
      NikolinoDE
      Gold Contributor

      Regarding your question about institutions like universities having better upload speeds or being prioritized: It's possible that large organizations have more robust network infrastructures and may receive some level of priority in terms of service from their internet providers. However, this can vary greatly depending on the specific arrangements and services they have in place.

      Keep in mind that copying files directly from one OneDrive account to another (cloud-to-cloud) can also be an option, but it might still be subject to similar speed limitations.

       

      Based on what you confirmed and ruled out, here are some additional things they could try:

      Possible Reasons for Slow OneDrive Uploads & Solutions:

      1. OneDrive’s Backend Prioritization

      • Yes, institutions like universities may have prioritized bandwidth or use enterprise servers that handle uploads differently. Personal OneDrive accounts might not get the same speed.

      2. Microsoft’s Upload Throttling (Even if ‘Don’t Limit’ is Set)

      • OneDrive can still throttle uploads at peak hours.
      • Solution: Try uploading during off-peak hours (late night or early morning).

      3. Packet Loss or Network Congestion

      • Even with 50 Mbps upload, congestion can affect sustained speeds.
      • Solution proposal: Run a ping test (ping -n 50 onedrive.live.com) and a packet loss test (pathping onedrive.live.com in Command Prompt).

      4. Try Using OneDrive’s Web Upload

      • Sometimes, the web version (drag-and-drop files into OneDrive.com) is faster than the desktop client.

      5. Use a Different Connection

      • If possible, test another network (e.g., mobile hotspot or VPN) to see if ISP throttling is the issue.

      6. Use PowerShell for Direct Transfer

      • Instead of syncing files through the app, a script can upload them in parallel, potentially speeding things up.

       7. Reset OneDrive: Resetting OneDrive can sometimes solve sync issues.

      • To do this: Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
      • Type onedrive /reset and press Enter.
      • Restart OneDrive from the start menu or by running onedrive.exe.

                                  The text was created with the help of AI.

       

      My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!

      Hope this will help you.

    • PaulS54's avatar
      PaulS54
      Copper Contributor

      Hey BR,

      I have 1Gb fiber to my house. I use wifi from my hub to my laptop. I see 433Mbits xmit/rcv but that is due to my older laptop's wifi card.  My ISP provides 1Gbit bidirectionally. 

      Just a thought on use of "B" vs. "b". The standing convention is B = Byte = one character | b = bit, 8 bits = one character. (7 bits define an ASCII character + 1 bit for parity).

      Looking at a file in Windows File Explorer, it is represented in Bytes. Network transmissions are serial, one bit at a time. So a file that is 1GB on disk, 8Gb is transmitted (or received) to convey the file. There is also network overhead (TCP etc.) that must be considered in the complete bit count transferred. 

      So a 100GByte on-disk file = 800Gbits transferred in 24hs (86400sec) = 93Kbits/second.
      Now that isn't a good xfer rate.

      That all said, 300Mbits/second is a decent xfer rate.

      /psr

  • PaulS54's avatar
    PaulS54
    Copper Contributor

    Hey BR,

    Might it be you are copying from the University OneDrive (cloud) directly to your Personal OneDrive (cloud)?

    That scenario will cause rather long copy times given each directory/file copies to your PC first then to your Personal OneDrive. These down-then-up actions essentially cut your bandwidth in half for each direction. 

    I suggest turning off syncing in your Personal 1D, copy all University 1D files down to your PC. Turn off U-1D completely, then "move" all directories/files from University 1D folder into your Personal 1D folder and start sync on your Personal 1D. 

    This should greatly reduce your "wait" time for getting your University files into your Personal OneDrive.

    /psr

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