Can't afford to use OneDrive 2 steps as a hard drive

When the features of your personal network disk are disabled, you're not limited to just using an NAS server or backing up your data onto large-capacity hard drives or portable drives. There's still hope—Microsoft’s OneDrive offers 5GB of free storage space, which should be enough to keep your essentials safe. While it might not be ideal, it’s better than nothing.

Now, let’s talk about OneDrive. Like many Microsoft services, it has its quirks—some find it convenient while others aren’t particularly impressed. By default, files are stored in C:\Users\username\OneDrive, but the upload speed can feel slow at times. Compared to something like Baidu Cloud Disk, it lacks some of the user-friendly features, though the perk of syncing documents across devices via your Microsoft account is quite handy.

First things first, head over to https://onedrive.live.com/about/zh-cn/ and sign in with your Microsoft account. No need to create a new one unless you don’t already have one; having a Microsoft account is essential, especially since Windows 8. Once logged in, check the URL in your browser. It should look something like https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=31ed82c670ea74d1. Take note of the string after "cid=". This string is crucial for mapping your OneDrive as a network drive.

Once you’ve noted the CID string, open "This PC" on your computer and click on "Map Network Drive." Choose a drive letter that isn't currently in use. In the folder field, type in https://d.docs.live.net/ followed by the CID string you recorded earlier. Wait for the prompt to appear, then enter your Microsoft account credentials. Depending on your internet connection, this process could take a while—so be patient!

If everything goes smoothly, you'll see a new network drive appear on your computer. This drive represents your OneDrive storage, and you can use it just like any other local drive. Want to upload files to the cloud? Simply drag and drop them into this mapped drive, and they’ll automatically sync to your OneDrive. Best of all, you won’t have to worry about taking up valuable space on your local disks.

The default name for this mapped drive is usually your OneDrive account ID. If you'd prefer a more personalized name, right-click on the drive, select "Rename," and give it a name that suits you. And there you have it—you’re now ready to use OneDrive seamlessly.

Compared to other cloud services that require you to install clients or face download speed limitations, OneDrive holds its own. Plus, given Microsoft’s focus on security, you can trust that your files are well-protected. Even if something were to happen, Microsoft’s ecosystem is robust enough to ensure minimal risk. So whether you’re storing documents, photos, or videos, OneDrive provides a reliable solution without much hassle.