How to Merge Two OneDrive Accounts: Learn the Way I Do It

Learning how to merge two OneDrive accounts became my top priority the day I spent twenty minutes frantically searching for a single tax document. I knew it was in one of my many accounts, but I couldn’t remember which one.

If you find yourself in similar situations often or just want to consolidate your digital life, don’t worry. Here I have for you the complete guide with all manual methods and even an automated tool for special business accounts.  So admins who regularly check the OneDrive Usage Report will now have the means to join all inactive OneDrive accounts.

Just follow what I tell you, and soon you will be able to combine 2 or more of your OneDrive accounts without losing metadata, folder structures, or your sanity.

The Big Question: Can I Merge Two OneDrive Accounts?

You can search everywhere in OneDrive’s UI, but you won’t find any “Merge” button. Trust me, I understand what OneDrive is perfectly, and I am telling you “Merge” button does not exist. No need to waste time searching for it.

Microsoft does not provide a native feature to combine accounts, and even on looking at the official M365 OneDrive roadmap, I could not find any upcoming updates that add this feature.

Despite this, many users still ask, “Can I merge two OneDrive accounts directly?” The official answer is no. However, I was still able to, and I am going to teach you too. One workaround is that you copy OneDrive files to another OneDrive account yourself.

I found three reliable ways to do this. I will explain which method works best for specific scenarios. So let’s get started.

Method 1: The Manual Download and Upload Strategy

Perhaps the first thing that came to the minds of those who thought about how to merge two OneDrive accounts. They are on the right track. This was the very first method that I used myself, and it works great if you only have a few gigabytes of data.

Here is what I did.

• Step 1: Log in to the source OneDrive account in a web browser.
• Step 2: Create a new folder in OneDrive named “Merge_Export”.
• Step 3: Move all files you want to keep into this folder. You can easily select all photos in OneDrive to speed this up.
• Step 4: Download all data from OneDrive by saving this folder to your local hard drive.
• Step 5: Log in to the destination OneDrive account.
• Step 6: Upload the folder. That’s it.

This method teaches you how to merge different OneDrive user accounts for free. However, a major limitation is that your internet speed decides how fast the process will be.

I personally found it frustrating for large datasets, as downloads would seize up without warning. Sometimes your browser may crash, and when it happened to me, I thought Microsoft OneDrive had stopped working entirely, but thankfully, my data was intact.

Method 2: How to Sync Two OneDrive Accounts via Desktop App

I prefer this method for ongoing access. It lets me manage files locally. Moreover, it answers the common question of how to use two OneDrive accounts on one computer effectively.

Steps I followed:

• Step 1: Download and install the OneDrive desktop client.
• Step 2: Sign in with your first account (Account A, the source).
• Step 3: Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the taskbar.
• Step 4: Select Settings > Account > Add an account.
• Step 5: Sign in with your second account (Account B).

Important Disclaimer: Please note that the OneDrive desktop app (Both on Windows and Mac) has a pretty big limitation.

You cannot add two personal accounts (e.g., two @outlook.com or @hotmail.com addresses) at the same time.

However, you can only have one personal account and multiple Work or School accounts (e.g., @yourcompany.com) running simultaneously.

So, if you are specifically trying to merge two personal accounts, you must use Method 1 or Method 3.

Performing these steps on my personal computer meant that both my personal and business OneDrive now appear in my File Explorer.

All I have to do now is drag and drop folders from Account A to Account B. Now you also know how to sync two OneDrive accounts manually. Additionally, if you also transfer photos from one OneDrive to another regularly, this method is quite useful.

You might want to move everything at once. However, I warn you, please don’t. I speak from personal experience. Once, I tried to drag all of my 50GB of data together, but it ended up freezing my laptop. So I suggest you opt for the slow and steady approach. Move folders in small batches. Wait for the sync icon to turn green before moving the next batch.

Method 3: How to Merge Two OneDrive for Business Accounts

Organizations have compliance requirements. They can’t rely on manual methods. I learned it the hard way when I tried to perform a complex OneDrive for Business migration to another tenant via drag and drop. The risk of data loss is too high. I wish I had known the safest way to merge OneDrive accounts professionally.

You don’t have to scan the entire internet to find it. The solution I use is none other than the SysTools OneDrive Migration Tool for Business.

Download Now Purchase Now

Scriptless, Secure, and Swift are the words people choose to describe the tool, and trust me, once you use it, you won’t ever think of using anything else.

Now, if any IT admin asks me, “Can I merge two OneDrive accounts without headaches?”, I point them towards this tool. The most reliable way to move business-critical OneDrives.

My journey hadn’t been smooth before I started using the tool. Let me tell you about the problems I faced.

Common Issues to Watch Out for During OneDrive Merger

I encounter these hurdles even after I knew how to merge OneDrive accounts technically.

Duplicate Files: When I was manually dragging and dropping between two accounts, I accidentally put in two of the same images twice. Then I had to delete a file in OneDrive manually to clean up the mess.

Permission Errors: These came up frequently when I was merging accounts that had too many Shared with me type of files. So beware of the OneDrive file sharing issue that might pop up. What I do is I ask my colleagues to reshare files, or if you are an admin, you can always learn how to give OneDrive access to another user again.

Link Breaking: If your links break and users start asking Can I link two OneDrive accounts permanently?. Understand the difference between a OneDrive sharing link and a direct download link, then generate new ones for your team.

Conclusion

Cloud storage is a necessity for both regular users and business people. That is why knowing how to merge two OneDrive accounts becomes critical. Here I shared with you my own tried and tested methods. You can download and upload or even establish a direct sync between two OneDrives. If you are an admin looking to combine OneDrive inside your organization, the professional tool will be quite helpful.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I link two OneDrive accounts to view them together?

No, Microsoft does not allow you to link them on the browser app. However, if you have a desktop application, you can view the contents side by side.

Q: Does merging accounts delete the old one?

No, these steps just taught you how to merge OneDrive accounts. Which only moves the data. Both the new and old accounts remain active until you manually close them.

Q: How do I move the Shared files?

No, this is because you are not the owner. However, you can download the file and then add it to the second account.

Q: When I merge two accounts, do I double the storage?

You double the total occupied storage, but the total available storage remains the same.