OneDrive — Free Service Overview

OneDrive is Microsoft's consumer and business cloud-storage service, deeply integrated with Windows, Microsoft 365, and Office. The service is operated by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), headquartered in Redmond, Washington. OneDrive's roots go back to August 2007 (originally as Windows Live Folders); the OneDrive name landed in February 2014 after the SkyDrive trademark dispute. Microsoft 365 Basic at $1.99/month is the cheapest standalone OneDrive plan at 100 GB; most consumer users get OneDrive bundled with Microsoft 365 Personal ($9.99/month, 1 TB) or Family ($12.99/month, 6 TB total).

Quick facts · Operator: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) · Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States · Launched: 2007 · Pricing anchor: $1.99/month for 100 GB (Microsoft 365 Basic), $9.99/month for 1 TB (Microsoft 365 Personal) · Bundled with Microsoft 365 Personal ($9.99/mo, 1 TB) and Family ($12.99/mo, 6 TB) · Personal Vault with MFA on every paid tier · Native Files On-Demand integration on Windows 11.

What is OneDrive?

OneDrive is Microsoft's cloud-storage service for consumers and businesses, originally launched as Windows Live Folders in August 2007 and rebranded through SkyDrive (2008) to its current OneDrive name in February 2014 (the rebrand followed a UK High Court ruling that the SkyDrive name infringed British Sky Broadcasting's trademark). For consumers, OneDrive sells either as a standalone Microsoft 365 Basic plan ($1.99/month for 100 GB plus an ad-free Outlook mailbox) or bundled with a full Microsoft 365 Personal ($9.99/month for 1 TB) or Family ($12.99/month for 6 TB across six members) subscription. Business OneDrive runs as part of the Microsoft 365 Business plans.

Why choose OneDrive

Privacy and data handling

OneDrive's data-handling practices are published by Microsoft Corporation in the privacy policy linked from the Microsoft site. As a cloud storage service operated from Redmond, Washington, United States, Microsoft processes account, billing, and usage data under the data-protection regime applicable to its headquarters jurisdiction. Consult the published policy for the authoritative current statement on collection, retention, and third-party sharing.

Features and product surface

Microsoft bundles a specific feature set into the OneDrive subscription:

• 1 TB of cloud storage per Microsoft 365 Personal account — or 6 TB total on Family (1 TB per family member, up to six)
• Files On-Demand — every OneDrive file shows in File Explorer without using local disk space until opened
• Personal Vault — MFA-protected folder for sensitive documents (passports, IDs, financial records)
• Office co-authoring — real-time collaboration on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote with version history
• Camera roll backup — automatic phone-photo backup from iOS and Android to OneDrive
• Microsoft 365 Copilot in OneDrive — AI file search, summarisation, and Q&A across your OneDrive content
• SharePoint and Teams integration — business OneDrive integrates with SharePoint sites and Teams channels

Windows and Microsoft 365 integration

OneDrive's strongest argument is integration depth: Windows 11 ships with OneDrive in File Explorer, Office desktop apps default to OneDrive for save targets, the Photos app pulls camera roll from OneDrive, and the same files sync across Microsoft 365 apps on Mac, iOS, Android, and the web. For households or small businesses already paying for Microsoft 365 Personal or Family, the 1 TB (or 6 TB on Family) cloud storage comes bundled with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Copilot for less than the standalone price of equivalent cloud storage and Office subscriptions paid separately.

Pricing in 2026

OneDrive sells access across 5 published tiers: Free, Microsoft 365 Basic, Microsoft 365 Personal, Microsoft 365 Family, OneDrive for Business (Plan 1). The headline anchor is $1.99/month for 100 GB (Microsoft 365 Basic), $9.99/month for 1 TB (Microsoft 365 Personal). OneDrive's headline advantage is native Windows integration — Files On-Demand puts every cloud file in File Explorer without using local disk space, Personal Vault adds an MFA-protected folder for sensitive documents, and Office desktop apps save directly to OneDrive with real-time collaboration. The 2024-2025 rollout added AI-powered Copilot in OneDrive for file-level search and summary, available on Microsoft 365 Personal and Family at no extra charge.

OneDrive apps and platform support

OneDrive ships native clients on Windows (built into Windows 11), macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and the web at onedrive.live.com. The Linux desktop has no official OneDrive client; the web app or third-party tools like rclone are the standard path. Xbox and Windows-on-ARM platforms work natively.

Who operates OneDrive

OneDrive is operated by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Microsoft was founded in April 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen and went public on NASDAQ in 1986. The service that became OneDrive launched in August 2007 as Windows Live Folders, rebranded to Windows Live SkyDrive shortly after, then to OneDrive in February 2014 following the UK High Court trademark ruling against the SkyDrive name. OneDrive runs as part of Microsoft's Productivity and Business Processes segment. Satya Nadella has been Microsoft's CEO since 2014.

Use cases OneDrive fits

• Microsoft 365 subscribers — OneDrive comes free with the same subscription for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, making it the default for households already paying for Microsoft 365
• Windows households — Files On-Demand in File Explorer makes OneDrive feel like a local drive with cloud-backed expansion, saving local SSD space on small laptops
• iPhone or Android phone backup — the camera-roll backup feature handles automatic photo backup at full resolution into OneDrive
• Households with sensitive documents — Personal Vault adds MFA protection for passports, tax records, and IDs that you don't want in the main OneDrive folder
• Small businesses on Microsoft 365 Business — OneDrive for Business at 1 TB per user is bundled with most Microsoft 365 Business plans
• Mac users in Office-heavy environments — OneDrive's macOS app integrates with Finder and the native Word/Excel/PowerPoint Mac apps without forcing iCloud workflows

Frequently asked questions

How much does OneDrive cost in 2026?

Free Microsoft accounts get 5 GB OneDrive. Microsoft 365 Basic at $1.99/month gives 100 GB. Microsoft 365 Personal at $9.99/month bundles 1 TB OneDrive with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Copilot. Family at $12.99/month covers six users with 1 TB each (6 TB total). Subger tracks live country rates on this page.

Is OneDrive included with Microsoft 365?

Yes — every paid Microsoft 365 plan includes OneDrive. Personal gets 1 TB, Family gives each of up to six users their own 1 TB OneDrive, and Business plans include 1 TB per user. Microsoft 365 Basic at $1.99/month gives 100 GB plus an ad-free Outlook mailbox.

How does OneDrive compare to Google Drive?

OneDrive is tightly integrated with Windows, Microsoft 365, and the Office desktop apps; Google Drive is tightly integrated with Chrome, Google Workspace, and Gmail. Households on Windows with Office desktop apps generally prefer OneDrive; households on Chromebooks or using Google Workspace generally prefer Drive.

What is OneDrive Personal Vault?

Personal Vault is an MFA-protected folder inside OneDrive designed for sensitive documents like passports, IDs, tax records, and financial documents. It re-authenticates every time it's opened and automatically re-locks after a short timeout. Personal Vault is included on every Microsoft 365 consumer tier.

Can OneDrive back up my entire PC?

OneDrive's Folder Backup syncs your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders to OneDrive automatically. It is not a full disk-image backup — for that use Windows Backup or a third-party imaging tool. Folder Backup is included on every OneDrive tier including free.

Does OneDrive work on Mac and Linux?

Yes on Mac (native app integrates with Finder and the Microsoft 365 Mac apps). No official Linux client — Linux users use the web app at onedrive.live.com or third-party CLI tools like rclone. The Microsoft 365 web apps run in any modern browser including on Linux.

How do I cancel OneDrive?

Cancel from Services & subscriptions at account.microsoft.com. The plan stays active through the end of the paid period; afterwards your storage drops back to the free 5 GB and any files exceeding that go read-only until you reduce or restore paid storage. See Subger's OneDrive cancellation guide.

How long do files stay in OneDrive after cancellation?

After downgrade to free 5 GB, files exceeding the cap become read-only. Microsoft warns via email and gives a multi-month grace period before deleting files exceeding the free quota. Check your OneDrive account notice for the exact deletion date if you've cancelled and are over quota.

Does OneDrive support file versioning?

Yes. OneDrive keeps version history for Office files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote) automatically, and for other files up to a configurable limit. You can restore older versions from the OneDrive web interface for up to 30 days on consumer plans.

Is OneDrive secure?

OneDrive encrypts files at rest with BitLocker on Microsoft's servers and in transit with TLS. Personal Vault adds MFA protection and per-folder encryption for sensitive documents. Microsoft also offers Advanced Threat Protection on consumer Microsoft 365 plans for malicious-file scanning. See Microsoft's privacy and security pages for the authoritative current statement.

How to get started with OneDrive

To subscribe to OneDrive, the pricing table above this section shows current Subger-tracked rates for your country. For the vendor's own checkout flow, sign up at the Microsoft site. For renewal-vs-introductory math, see Subger's true-price tracker for OneDrive.

Related Subger guides

• How to cancel OneDrive — step-by-step cancellation walkthrough plus refund-process specifics
• OneDrive deals — current promotional offers and partnership campaigns
• OneDrive promo codes — active discount codes
• OneDrive true-price tracker — intro-vs-renewal math
• Cloud storage category hub — Subger's broader cloud storage catalogue