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Backing up files from OneDrive

Backing up files from OneDrive

guide

On this page, you will learn how to back up your files from OneDrive.

To back up your data, follow these steps:

  1. Check how much storage space is occupied
  2. Back up your data

1. Check how much storage space is in use

Step 1
Log in to OneDrive with something@students.rwth-aachen.de:

Screenshot of the M365 login screen.

Step 2
Select the settings icon:

Screenshot of the OneDrive start page. The settings are located in the top taskbar next to the help page.

Step 3
Select OneDrive settings:

Screenshot of the settings menu. "OneDrive settings" is the first item in the OneDrive section.

Step 4
Select More settings:

Screenshot of the OneDrive settings. The tab "More settings" can be found under the "Notifications" tab.

Step 5
Click on Storage metrics:

Screenshot of the "More settings" tab.

Step 6
The storage space used is displayed here:

Screenshot of the storage metrics. Your folders are listed in a table. The "% of parent" column shows how much storage space each folder occupies. The total storage space used is also displayed.

Step 7
If the storage space you are using is larger than expected, it is probably due to older file versions. You can check this by clicking on Version History of the respective file:

Screenshot of the storage metrics. The "Version history" button appears next to "Last modified" for files. Nothing is displayed in this column for folders.

Step 8
In order to delete all versions except for the current one, click on Delete all Versions:

Screenshot of the version history. The versions are listed in a table. The "Delete all versions" button is located above the table.

 
 

Please note:

It is not immediately displayed that less storage space is being used. This can take up to 24 hours.


2. Back up your data

Step 1
Open the OneDrive Startpage.

Step 2
Click on My files on the left-hand side:

Screenshot of the OneDrive start page. "My files" is located in the menu under your name, between "Home" and "Shared".

Step 3
Select all files, then click on Download.

Step 4
Save the ZIP file on your computer.

 

Please note:

Only the latest versions from the version history will be downloaded. Older files from the version history will not be saved.

Additional information:

Backing up files from SharePoint Online
Backing up OneNote-Notebooks
Switch to local storage in Word, Excel and PowerPoint

last changed on 01/02/2026

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