Sometimes in OneDrive, files may need to be transferred between users. Perhaps this is due to the file’s origin account being deactivated, or that the user simply wishes to move the file in question onto another account.
Thankfully, the means by which file ownership for deleted users can be transferred is a fairly simple process to understand. If you want to transfer files from users that may end up deleted, then you do so by accessing the Control Panel of your computer, and altering the advanced settings.
Doing this will create a copy of the file(s) you select and give you the opportunity to place them somewhere, which will allow you to maintain access to your documents if ever your origin account is deleted.
Don’t worry if this isn’t enough for you to go on. Not only will there be a step-by-step, but there will be a more detailed, thorough walkthrough of each of the processes we discuss in this blog.
Step by step: Transferring file ownership for deleted users
- Search for ‘Control Panel’ in the search bar at the bottom of your screen.
- Click the ‘Control Panel’ option.
- When you’ve opened the Panel, click the ‘System’ option.
- From here, go to ‘Advanced System Settings’.
- Under ‘User Profiles’, click ‘Settings’.
- Click the profile you wish to copy. After selecting it, click ‘Copy To…’
- Either enter your folder name or find it via ‘Browse’, then click ‘OK’ once it’s selected.
   |
Recommended SoftwareSo, above is the step by step guide on how to transfer file ownership via the control panel. Following this, as aforementioned, will be a more detailed analysis of the process that will hopefully serve to solve any issues you may have.
Your first step when wanting to find the control panel is to search for it. Granted, you could find it manually, but the far more simple approach is to type ‘control panel’ into the search bar at the bottom of your screen. Manual navigation would be an incredibly tedious process.
After typing that in, the control panel should appear as the top option. You’ll then want to click that option.
After opening the control panel, you will be greeted with a variety of options. Of all of the options presented to you, you will want to click the option titled ‘System and Security’. It has been highlighted below for you.
After opening the System and Security menu, you will want to click the ‘System’ option, which is the third option down. It has, yet again, been highlighted below.
After opening the system menu, you should look to open the advanced system settings subsection, which has been emboldened below through the red rectangle.
After clicking the advanced system settings option, you will be greeted with a pop-up menu. You should automatically be on the ‘Advanced’ tab, which is where you want to be.
From here, you will want to click ‘Settings’, under the ‘User Profile’ tab. Clicking this should open yet another menu, and this menu should display your files to you.
Here, click the file you wish to transfer and click ‘copy to’. Doing so will open the ‘Copy to’ menu, from which you will be able to find the file you wish to copy. Either find your file manually, or search for it, whichever you find easier. Once you have selected your file, make sure to click ‘OK’ to save what you’ve done.
After doing this, you will have successfully transferred a copy of your files to a new folder!
Thank you for reading this blog, I hope you found it as helpful as you wanted it to be! As always, if you run into any issues following this article, or simply wish to let us know your thoughts on the process, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team.
Below are links to some blogs of similar topics, if perhaps this one didn’t quite answer the question(s) you were hoping to answer.
   |
How to change ownership of OneDrive content before deleting user – Business Tech Planet
(Granting permissions via the means of Manage Access, then Manage Parent)
How to prevent OneDrive from syncing a specific folder – Business Tech Planet
(Preventing OneDrive syncing via Location in Syncing, through Preferences)
How to set OneDrive to sync at a certain time – Business Tech Planet
(Setting OneDrive to sync through Trigger in the Action subsection of options)
OneDrive external sharing not working: How to fix – Business Tech Planet
(Enabling external sharing in OneDrive in Sharing, under Policies)