I'm worried about my University OneDrive account potentially being canceled due to my graduation. I wanted to get a better understanding of what happens to the files on my laptop that are stored in the university OneDrive folder. My main concern is whether OneDrive would try to sync and delete the local copies of these files if my account was indeed terminated. I've heard some scary stories about OneDrive, so I'm a bit paranoid. I don't have any files stored exclusively in OneDrive; everything starts locally. If the account is canceled, will it just stop syncing, or could I lose my local files? Should I disconnect my Wi-Fi router before booting up my computer and manually back everything up? Also, is it safe to log into my account on my phone or another device to check if there's still storage available, especially since nothing is saved locally on my phone? Thanks for any insight you can provide!
5 Answers
Your local files won't vanish, but you'll be locked out of any newer files stored on your university account. Just make sure you move your local data to another location for safety!
Once your university account is no longer active, you won't be able to access your OneDrive files online, and Office apps will have limited functionality. However, your local copies of the files should still remain on your PC. If your computer is managed by the university, though, there’s a chance they might wipe it remotely. It’s a good idea to log into OneDrive via a different computer and back everything up just to be safe!
That makes sense! I was worried about OneDrive deleting files after the account closes. I’ll definitely log in from another device and start backing things up.
Make sure to copy your files to at least two different locations if they're important to you. Better to be safe than sorry!
Absolutely! I'm trying to sort everything out and set up a proper backup system.
Honestly, just get an external drive with at least the same capacity as your OneDrive and transfer everything over. It's easier than trying to figure out if there's a loophole. Do it about a week before your account closes, and keep anything new in a separate folder to back up daily until you're done with uni.
Thanks! I'm in the process of streamlining my storage anyway. I got a bit nervous because I wasn't sure if my OneDrive might close earlier than expected.
Remember the 321 backup rule: 3 copies of each file (in case of errors), 2 different locations (for drive safety), and 1 offsite (to protect against disasters). If you stick with that, you won't have to worry about what the university might do with your files!
Thanks for the tip! I plan to follow that rule to get my backups organized. I just wanted to double-check about OneDrive possibly deleting local files.
Thank you! That's what I hoped to hear. I just want to ensure I back everything up before anything goes wrong.