Download All OneDrive Files and Unlink Your Account Before Leaving Bowdoin

Questions

• How do I download my OneDrive contents to my laptop?
• How do I unlink my Bowdoin OneDrive account from my laptop?
• I'm graduating and need to know how to make sure my OneDrive files are all on my Mac.
• How do I make sure my OneDrive files are always stored locally on my Mac?
• What steps should I follow to keep all OneDrive files on my computer when known folder move (KFM) is enabled?
• Why are some OneDrive files online-only even after moving known folders on macOS?
• Can I prevent OneDrive from removing local copies of files on my Mac?
• What settings should I use in OneDrive to make all files available offline with known folder move (KFM)?

Environment

This article applies to Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff who are leaving the College and use the OneDrive app on macOS (Sequoia or Tahoe). When a Bowdoin account is deactivated after graduation or departure, access to files stored only in OneDrive cloud storage is lost, so the files must be downloaded and moved to a local folder first.

• Files On-Demand is enabled by default. When Files On-Demand is on, all OneDrive files appear in the OneDrive app and online as online-only files that do not take up space on the Mac until they are downloaded.
• Desktop & Documents folder backup stores the contents of the Desktop and Documents folders in OneDrive rather than on the computer itself.

Resolution

Leaving Bowdoin means losing access to OneDrive contents once the account is deactivated. To keep everything, download all cloud-stored contents, unlink the Bowdoin OneDrive account from the computer, and then move the files into a local folder.

Download all OneDrive files

1. Open the OneDrive app on the Mac. If it is not running, start it by searching for "OneDrive" in Spotlight or opening it from the Applications folder.
2. Make sure the OneDrive account is signed in. If not, follow the on-screen instructions to sign in.
3. Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the menu bar at the top right of the screen.
4. Select Help & Settings (gear icon), then choose Preferences.
5. In the Preferences tab, under the Files On-Demand (Advanced) section, click Download all OneDrive files now.
   • If there is not enough space to store the files on the Mac, move some files to another location or online storage to make room.
6. Wait until the OneDrive menu bar icon shows that syncing is complete.
   • This may take a long time depending on how many files are stored in OneDrive. Verify that the OneDrive app says Your files are synced.

Unlink the OneDrive account

1. Return to the OneDrive Preferences, click the Account tab, and under the @bowdoin.edu account click Unlink this Mac.
2. Reboot the computer. After signing back in, the Desktop and Documents folders will no longer contain files, because folder backup has stopped. The Desktop and Documents folders and their files are now inside the OneDrive folder.

Move files out of the OneDrive folder

1. Create a folder on the Desktop called "Bowdoin Files".
   • Ctrl+Click on the Desktop and select New Folder.
   • Title the folder "Bowdoin Files".
2. Move all the files and folders from inside the OneDrive folder into the new "Bowdoin Files" folder.
   • Press Ctrl+A to select all the files in the OneDrive folder.
   • Drag the selected files to the "Bowdoin Files" folder.

For guidance on files that were shared with others or owned by other people, see Preserving Shared OneDrive Files in the Related Articles section.

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

• Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
• Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
• In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
• Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.