OneDrive supports using ten accounts on one device; albeit, they do not permit this without limitations. If you’re working for two or more organizations, it may be helpful to add several business accounts in addition to your standard personal account.
Below, I have provided a brief guide on how you can set up multiple OneDrive accounts on one device.
- Select the OneDrive icon in your taskbar
- Click “Help & Settings”
- Enter the “Account” tab
- Click “Add an account”
- Sign in with your account credentials
The following post will address the process wherein multiple OneDrive accounts are linked to your computer, to what extent account linking is limited, and how you can distinguish one OneDrive account from another.
Below, I have provided several links you can use to access relevant content quickly.
- How do I add an additional account to OneDrive
- Does OneDrive have an account limit
- How do I tell my OneDrive accounts apart
- Blog post recap
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How do I add an additional account to OneDrive
Below is a comprehensive step-by-step guide meant to instruct you on linking multiple OneDrive accounts to your computer. If you get stuck, refer to the images provided for each step— they provide more significant visual clarity.
Step 1 — Access OneDrive’s help menu
On Windows, look to the bar at the bottom of your screen. You should be able to spot a blue or white cloud in your taskbar. The blue cloud is indicative of a OneDrive for Business account. In contrast, the white cloud is indicative of a OneDrive Personal account. You will find a black cloud in the taskbar on macOS, located at the top of your screen. Click your respective OneDrive icon and select “Help & Settings.”
Step 2 — Open OneDrive’s settings
Inconveniently, the help menu slightly differs between Windows and macOS; on Windows, select “Settings,” on macOS, select “Preferences.”
Step 3 — Add an account in the Account tab
At the top of the window, you will find the “Account” tab. Enter the Account tab and select “Add an account—” this will begin the sign-in process via an external window.
Step 4 — Sign in to the account
Now you need to sign in. You will require your account’s email, password, and (if you have them) any MFA-associated devices.
Does OneDrive have an account limit per device?
Yes: as I have stated previously, support for multiple account connections is not provided without limitations.
Account limitations overview
| OneDrive Business (Windows) | OneDrive Business (macOS) | OneDrive Personal |
| A user may connect nine business accounts to their computer— a blue cloud in your taskbar represents each one. | Like on Windows, a user may connect up to nine business accounts to their Mac; however, none of the accounts can be created by the same organization. | Regardless of your platform, you will find that you can only connect a single OneDrive Personal account to your computer. |
External/guest accounts have not been included because they cannot be synced by OneDrive.
How do I tell my OneDrive accounts apart
If you’re using several business accounts, you won’t be able to tell them apart instantly— this is far worse on Macs, where OneDrive Personal and OneDrive Business accounts share the same icon design. Fortunately, there are methods you can use to tell which OneDrive account is which.
Business and Personal accounts for OneDrive
OneDrive for Business and OneDrive Personal accounts are visually distinguishable from one another— provided you’re using Windows. Blue clouds are for business accounts, and white clouds are for personal accounts. Unfortunately, macOS’s OneDrive icons have no visual differences; the black cloud will be used for either account.
Are there any solutions
In your file explorer, OneDrives are suffixed with identifying information, such as their name, when viewed via the file explorer. You can use the Win/Start + E shortcut to open the Windows file explorer. On Mac, search for “Files” via spotlight search.
You can also hover over a OneDrive taskbar icon to reveal the respective drive’s name— this will work for any OneDrive account type.
Blog post recap
OneDrive allows you to use up to nine business accounts and one personal account on each device. Although you cannot easily tell business accounts apart, they noticeably differ from personal accounts— though this is not the case on macOS.
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