Adding OneDrive accounts to Windows 11

Step-by-step guide

1. Launch OneDrive 

• OneDrive is pre-installed on Windows 11. You can open it by: 

  • Clicking the Start button and typing OneDrive, then selecting the app. 

  • Or clicking the cloud icon in the system tray (bottom-right corner of your screen). 

2. Sign in with your UWaterloo account 

• Enter your UWaterloo email address: username@uwaterloo.ca 
  (Your username is your 8-character UWaterloo username)  

• Click Sign in. 

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3. Authenticate via UWaterloo login 

• You’ll be redirected to the University of Waterloo login page. 
  

  • Confirm your email is correct. 

  • Enter your WatIAM password. 

  • Click Sign in. 

  • Complete multi-factor authentication (MFA) if prompted. 

4. Set up your OneDrive folder 

• After signing in, OneDrive will prompt you to set up your local sync folder. 

• Click Next to proceed through the setup screens. 
  

5. Choose folders to sync 

• You can choose to sync all files or specific folders from your OneDrive. 

• Select your preferences and click Next. 

• Files will begin syncing to your local OneDrive folder. 

6. Final confirmation 

• Once setup is complete, you’ll see a confirmation screen. 

• Click Open my OneDrive folder to view your synced files. 

• You can now access your OneDrive files directly from File Explorer. 

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Files on Demand in Windows 11

OneDrive Files on Demand lets you view all your files without downloading them, saving disk space. 

To manage Files On-Demand: 

1. Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon in the system tray. 

2. Click Settings > Sync and backup > Advanced settings. 

3. Ensure Files On-Demand is turned on. 

For more details, visit Microsoft’s article: Save disk space with OneDrive Files On-Demand 

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Choose what folders to sync

To change which folders are synced: 

1. Right-click the OneDrive icon > Settings. 

2. Under Account, click Choose folders. 

3. Select or deselect folders to sync. 

Troubleshooting OneDrive issues

If OneDrive is not working properly, you may need to reset OneDrive app.

Option 1: Using the Run Command 

1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog. 

2. Copy and paste the following command: 

3. %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset 

4. Press Enter. 

5. Wait a few moments. OneDrive should automatically restart. 

   • If it doesn’t restart, open it manually:  

     • Press Windows Key, type OneDrive, and click the app. 

Option 2: Manually restart OneDrive 

If the reset command doesn’t work: 

1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc). 

2. Find Microsoft OneDrive under the Processes tab. 

3. Right-click and choose End Task. 

4. Then restart OneDrive manually from the Start menu. 

What happens after reset? 

• Your OneDrive settings will be cleared. 

• You’ll need to sign in again and reconfigure sync settings. 

• No files will be deleted from OneDrive or your PC. 

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