How to Switch Between OneDrive for Business Accounts – Different Methods

There is no question that OneDrive is now a part of many professional environments. Considering its robust cloud storage solution capability, this was never an issue. However, as more and more organizations continue to join with Microsoft’s cloud service some queries started to pop up. Out of them one of the most highly requested queries is how to switch between OneDrive accounts. However, as long as any official mandate to add such a feature is pending users can go for the workarounds mentioned here instead. Before we begin let us underline some situations of why users might want to have access to a secondary OneDrive account.

Scenarios Demanding a Switch Between OneDrive Accounts

• Handle the account of a colleague who is on leave or has left.
• Artificially increase the amount of free storage available for use.
• Copy content from an old OneDrive account to a new one.
• Keep a gap between professional and personal cloud storage.

Methods Available to Switch Between OneDrive Accounts for Single Users

• Use separate devices – This might sound absurd but inside the modern workplace using two or more devices is not unheard of. Log in to a OneDrive account on one device, boot up another one, and repeat. However, many users might not be comfortable juggling between two machines, and as a result, they might experience a drop in productivity. So they can try the next workaround instead.
• Use Different browsers – If using different devices doesn’t suit your work style then download a new browser on your work computer. Once the browser installation is done login to OneDrive web with the second account credentials. 
• Using incognito/private mode on the same browser – If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of browser installation, we suggest you utilize your browser’s incognito/private mode feature. Use your cursor to pen the expanded menu (usually at the top right corner) and pick the private/incognito tab option. Otherwise, you can also use the keyboard shortcuts given below.
• Note: Replace Ctrl with Command Key on Macs
• • Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + P 
  • Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + N
  • Edge: Ctrl + Shift + N
• Once You have a private browser window open, Go to the OneDrive login site and sign in with the credentials of the account you want to switch to. However, if users close their private browsers either accidentally or otherwise they lose the ability to switch accounts at will. Therefore, a more concrete solution is needed if access to multiple accounts is to be prolonged beyond immediate use. For that follow the advice given ahead

Change OneDrive accounts With the Help of OneDrive Desktop Application

To maintain long-term account switching capability download and set up the “OneDrive for business” desktop app. This is because the app maintains the configuration even after the device gets switched off.

Once the app setup is complete with a default account users have two options to enable account switching 

• Use an App + browser combination – We recommend that you install the OneDrive desktop app on the device that contains the secondary account data. As it allows you to transport all on-premise data inside the device to the cloud. Moreover, this support is available alongside all preexisting cloud data. Use the browser installed on your device to log in and access your primary OneDrive account. This way you can easily switch between the two whenever you want.
• Use an App-only Configuration – Be warned you cannot add more than a single OneDrive account into the app if they are of the same type. In other words, if your default account was of the business category then the second account must be personal or vice versa. to the same type. However, once both personal and professional are configured then you can change among the two freely.

Confused Whether to Switch Between OneDrive for Business Accounts or Not?

If by switching your real intention is to completely move away from the pre-existing account then you might need a different solution than mentioned earlier. As your problem now comes under the domain of data migration the only real solution you should trust is the Migrator Wizard OneDrive Migration software.

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This tool allows permanent switching of OneDrive accounts in bulk with all data in its original format.

With features like workload selection and setting user priority, the tool has provisions for any data transfer scenarios. Moreover, admins can define a timeline from where to pick and place the OneDrive data. These along with many other features make the tool a worthy accessory for your data transfer needs. However, it is still suggested that you follow the OneDrive migration best practices. 

Try out the trial version and use the steps below as the guide

• Step 1. Download a copy of the tool Start it and choose Office 365 as both the endpoints.
• Step 2. Confirm OneDrive as the sole Workload by marking the Documents option, after that set the Date filter.
• Step 3. Enter the Admin Credentials, Validate them, and press Next for both source and target.
• Step 4. Choose a mapping method such as Fetch user, Import user, or Download template.
• Step 5. Preview the User list, select the ones you want to move, Validate, and Start Migration.

Conclusion

In this write-up, we provided users with some workarounds about how to switch between OneDrive accounts. Using the methods described above which include, devices, browsers, and app-based solutions. However, all the above methods are catered towards individual-level account switching. If any admins require a mass account switching of multiple users simultaneously then they can check out the automated solution instead. Using the above software you can also connect two OneDrive for Business accounts.