How Do I Move Photos from OneDrive to My PC Storage in Windows 11?

Microsoft OneDrive is available for Windows 11 and earlier versions, Mac, Android and iOS. One of the reasons behind its popularity is it makes file sharing incredibly easy, quick and effortless. OneDrive keeps the past and present versions of your documents, allowing you to view how a particular file was changed over a period of time. Automated file sharing, integration with Microsoft Office and other features are add-on benefits. If your OneDrive is almost full and you want to move photos locally, here are some simple methods.

Wait a minute! Before you download your OneDrive photos to your computer, why not scan them for duplication? This will mean the download/ sync job will be over much sooner. It will also mean space on your computer won’t be taken up by any duplicate photos. All of this can be done by simply scanning your data with Cloud Duplicate Finder.

Scan your OneDrive photos for duplicates

Cloud Duplicate Finder is safe, it uses the official OneDrive API to gain limited access to your data

 

Note: You can also scan for visually similar photos in your OneDrive data to free up more space using the Similar Photo Finder tool of Cloud Duplicate Finder.

Method 1: Download Your Photos

The simplest way is to download your OneDrive photos directly from the website. Your files are automatically compressed to take lesser space prior to the download process.

1. Sign in to your Microsoft OneDrive account.
2. Click on the Files section on the left panel.
3. The topmost folders in your OneDrive account will now be visible. Go to the folder that contains the files you want to download.
4. Select multiple files and folders to download using various keyboard shortcuts:
   • To select all the photos in a folder, press Ctrl + A.
   • To select photos in a sequence, press and keep holding the Shift key while you click on the first file in the sequence. Now, select the last file to end the selection.
   • To select photos in a non-sequential order, press and hold the Ctrl key of your keyboard while you individually select each file randomly.
5. Once you’ve selected the files/ folders to download, click on the Download icon on the toolbar.
6. OneDrive will first compress your files and folders and then start the download process. This may take some time.

Method 2: Link OneDrive to Your Device

Microsoft provides a dedicated Desktop synchronization software for OneDrive users. You can download the app to automatically make all the folders or specific folders of your choice from OneDrive available on your PC.

1. Microsoft OneDrive comes pre-installed on Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems. An icon of the same can be found in the system tray area of the taskbar. If another user or your system administrator has previously uninstalled OneDrive, you can download it again from the Microsoft Download Center.
2. Click on the system tray icon of OneDrive.
3. Sign in to your Microsoft account.
4. If your account is protected with 2-Factor Authentication, type in the code displayed in your authentication app, or an OTP sent to your registered phone number or email.
5. Once your account is signed-in, it may take some time to sync your photos. Please wait for some time.
6. Click on the OneDrive icon in the system tray area.
7. Click on Help & Settings > Settings.
8. Uncheck the box labeled Save space and download files as you use them under the Settings tab.
9. Click on OK.
10. Alternatively, you can open File Explorer and right-click a folder in OneDrive and select Always keep on this device.

Method 3: Move Photos from OneDrive to Your NAS

Do you use a Network Attached Storage (NAS) to save your photos? If so, there’s a direct way to transfer your photos from OneDrive to your NAS.

You can sign up for a free plan of MultCloud to seamlessly transfer your photos from OneDrive to NAS. The free plan provides limited bandwidth. If you need to transfer a lot of data, you might have to upgrade.

1. Visit the MultCloud website and create a new account. The account creation is free-of-cost. Once you receive a verification email, click on the verification link.
2. Click on the Cloud Explorer tab.
3. Click on the Add Cloud Drives button.
4. Select Microsoft OneDrive from the list of supported cloud platforms.
5. Click on Next.
6. Type in your sign-in credentials and then click on Allow when you’re prompted to provide data access permissions.
7. Specify a display name for your account and then click on Finish.
8. Similarly, add your Network Attached Storage (NAS) Drive by repeating the same procedure while selecting the NAS Drive option instead of Microsoft OneDrive.
9. Now, click on the Cloud Transfer icon.
10. Select Microsoft OneDrive as the source account, and your NAS Drive as the destination.
11. Click on Transfer Now.