OneDrive KFM: A complete guide to migrating and protecting known folders

If you manage teams Windows In an organization, sooner or later you will have to deal with OneDrive Known Folder Move (KFM) and the transition from classic Folder RedirectionAnd this is where the typical doubts arise: what happens to the user's data, how to avoid conflicts with offline files, or what happens if the user already had their Documents or Desktop within OneDrive before applying policies.

In this guide we will review, in considerable detail and using the simplest language possible, How does OneDrive KFM work, what policies are involved, what exactly does it do with existing data, and what are the best practices? to migrate from file servers or traditional folder redirection without anyone losing documents along the way.

What is OneDrive Known Folder Move and why should you care?

OneDrive Known Folder Move is a feature of the OneDrive sync client that allows Automatically redirect known Windows folders (Desktop, Documents and Pictures, including subfolders such as Screenshots and Camera Roll) to the user's OneDrive account.

The beauty of KFM is that users can continue working "as usual," saving in their usual folders, but in reality All those files are stored and synchronized with OneDriveIn other words, you get automatic cloud backups and access from any device, without forcing them to change their habits.

This functionality is available in Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7through the Next Generation OneDrive Sync Client. For businesses, especially medium and large ones, this is considered an almost essential configuration to protect user data and simplify team management.

It can also be very useful for small businesses, but keep in mind that requires some knowledge of policy configuration (GPO, Intune, administrative templates, etc.) so that everything works automatically and silently.

Real advantages of moving known folders to OneDrive

When you implement KFM in your domain, your users continue to use the exact same paths as always (Desktop, Documents, Pictures), but at a technical level, those folders are redirected and synchronized with OneDriveThis provides several important benefits.

On the one hand, it maintains known user experienceThere's no need to explain to them that they should save to "C:\OneDrive\User" or any other unusual paths. They just keep clicking on Documents or Desktop, and that's it. The change is completely transparent from their perspective.

On the other hand, saving to OneDrive allows you to resilience to failures hardware and full mobilityIf your computer breaks down, you switch laptops, or you work from home, your documents are still available when you sign in to OneDrive, whether from another PC, your browser, or even your mobile device.

Furthermore, when using KFM in conjunction with OneDrive features such as Files On Demand, you can optimize the storage localkeeping only what is necessary on the device and the rest in the cloud, downloading on the fly when a file is opened.

However, it's important to be clear that KFM is not supported for users who sync OneDrive from SharePoint On-premises serverThis feature is intended for environments Microsoft 365 OneDrive for Business in the cloud.

What happens if the user already has Documents/Desktop/Pictures inside OneDrive?

A very common question is what happens if, before applying KFM, the user has already manually created a Documents, Desktop, or Pictures folder within their OneDrive, or you have made a previous migration from file server to OneDrive using some tool.

When KFM is enabled correctly, the system's redirected folder (C:\Users\username\Documents, for example) is Move and merge with the existing equivalent folder in OneDriveDuplicate folders with unusual suffixes are not created unless there are very specific name conflicts.

In the scenarios recommended by Microsoft for migrating from file servers, the idea is precisely this: first, the content of the network share is copied to the corresponding OneDrive folders (Documents, Pictures, Desktop), and then KFM is enabled so that The familiar Windows folder will merge with that existing structure..

The important exception occurs when the redirected folders point to another OneDrive tenantThat is, to a different organization. In that case, when you redirect to your own tenant, new Documents, Pictures, or Desktop folders are created in your organization, and the user may find a seemingly empty Desktop. The old content remains in the other organization's OneDrive and must be moved. migrate manually or with specific tools.

Prerequisites and checks before deploying KFM

Before you rush to push KFM across the entire organization, it's a good idea to check a few key points to to avoid deployment errors and surprises for users.

The first thing to do is verify the OneDrive sync client versionFor the KFM option to be available and behave as described in the Microsoft documentation, you need at least build 18.151.0729.0012 or higher.

To check it, look for the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area, right-click, and go to Configuration and go to the tab AboutThe client version is displayed there. If the version is old, it's advisable to update before deploying any known folder movement policies.

Another key aspect is to verify that the user's personal OneDrive site has the necessary capabilities (PersonalSiteCapabilities)This is done from the SharePoint Online admin center, in the User Profiles section. In the user profile, the Personal Site Capabilities value should be 4, 6, or 8, depending on the organization's configuration, so that KFM can function without restrictions.

Finally, on the user's own computer, it is necessary to ensure that the file exists. PreSignInSettingsConfig.json in the path %localappdata%/Microsoft/OneDrive/Settings. This file is critical for the sync client; if it is missing, it could be due to network issues, proxies, or antivirus software blocking the necessary Microsoft 365 URLs. Copying this file from a working machine can serve as a test to rule out environmental interference.

OneDrive policies that control Known Folder Move

KFM's management is primarily carried out through group policies (GPOs), Intune administrative templates, or registry valuesMicrosoft documents all available policies and their associated registry keys, but there are four that particularly govern KFM's behavior.

The first is the policy of “Ask users if they want to move their familiar Windows folders to OneDrive”This option presents users with a call to action to decide whether to move their known folders. If they dismiss it, OneDrive maintains a persistent notification in the Action Center until the folders are moved or an error occurs that allows the alert to be dismissed.

The second, much more commonly used in business environments, is the “Silently move known folders from Windows to OneDrive”With this policy, you can redirect and move folders without user intervention, selecting whether you want all folders (Desktop, Documents, Pictures) or only some. Once a folder has been moved using this policy, changing the folder selection later will not revert that already migrated folder or reprocess the moves.

This silent move policy can optionally display a notification to the user when folders have been redirected, but in many deployments it is disabled. to avoid confusion or unnecessary questions to the IT department.

The third relevant policy is that of “Prevent users from disabling the movement of known folders”This prevents them from going to the OneDrive options and undoing KFM on their own, so that the redirection remains the corporate standard.

The fourth one, at the opposite extreme, is “Prevent users from moving their known Windows folders to OneDrive”This essentially blocks the adoption of KFM for any OneDrive account. It is typically used only in very specific scenarios or when you want to completely control the migration and prevent the user from initiating it on their own.

Transition from Windows Folder Redirection to OneDrive KFM

Many environments have been using the classic for years. Folder Redirection using GPO pointing to a file server or another location. In these cases, it is essential to plan the transition well, because KFM GPOs will not work if the Documents, Pictures, or Desktop folders are already redirected to a destination other than OneDrive using those legacy policies.

The good news is that the Music and Videos folders are not affected by OneDrive's GPOs, so You can keep your traditional redirect If you need to, while you migrate only Desktop, Documents and Pictures to KFM.

If your folders were already redirected to OneDrive using classic Windows redirection (for example, pointing to the user's OneDrive path instead of a server), the process is quite simple: first You disable the Folder Redirection GPO You ensure the folder and its contents remain in OneDrive, and then enable the Known Folders Move Group Policy. In this scenario, the folders are already in OneDrive, so KFM simply keeps them there.

If the folders were redirected to a local location of the equipmentThe approach is similar: you disable classic redirection, leave the content in the current path, and then activate the KFM policy so that OneDrive takes control and moves the content to the cloud.

When folders are redirected to a network share (The most typical case with file servers) is to use migration tools such as Migration Manager, the SharePoint Migration Tool, or services like Move. These tools first copy the content of the shared resource to the user's corresponding OneDrive folders (Documents, Pictures, Desktop), ensuring that everything ends up in the correct locations.

Next, disable the Windows folder redirection GPO, leaving the folder and its data on the share, and finally enable KFM. At this point, the known folders will be moved to OneDrive and They will be merged with the existing folders that already contain the data migrated from the file server, avoiding unnecessary duplicates.

What happens to the data when you remove classic Folder Redirection

A key question in any migration is what happens to the data when the old Folder Redirection policy is removed, especially if the option to “Leave the folder in the new location when the policy is removed”.

When you disable that GPO with that configuration, the user's folders (Documents, Desktop, etc.) They remain on the file server or in the location where they were redirected.Windows simply stops forcing the redirection, but does not repatriate or copy the data back to the local profile.

There is no automated process that takes that data from the server and sends it to OneDrive. There is no "magical" sync to OneDrive simply by disabling classic redirection: folders continue to be referenced by their UNC path (\server\users%username%\Documents, for example) until you do something to move them.

That's why it's so important to combine disabling traditional redirection with a clear migration strategy to OneDrive KFM, using data backup tools or letting KFM handle the process. Automatically move the contents of known folders from wherever they are to OneDrive.

In scenarios where there were also offline file cache If enabled, it's advisable to disable it before running KFM to avoid synchronization conflicts between the Windows mechanism and the OneDrive client. Otherwise, you may encounter duplicates, version conflicts, or confusing behavior.

Best practices for a smooth migration to OneDrive KFM

If you want the transition from Folder Redirection (and file servers) to OneDrive Known Folder Move to be as smooth as possible, there are a number of good practice which should be followed.

First, disable Offline files on the computers before enabling OneDrive to avoid overlaps. Once Offline Files is removed, you can proceed to remove Folder Redirection using the option to leave the folder in its current location.

Next, configure the KFM policies. In professional environments, it's common to use the option to Silently move known folders to OneDrive and enable simultaneous synchronization of Desktop, Documents, and Pictures. This way, all of the user's content is consolidated into OneDrive without them having to answer any dialog boxes.

It is also important to ensure that users They automatically log in to OneDrive with their Windows credentialsThere's a very useful policy for this: "Silently sign in users to the OneDrive sync app with their Windows credentials." This avoids having to go user by user and help them configure OneDrive for the first time.

Regarding communication, it is key to notify users in advance that there will be changes in the way their documents are saved, which They should no longer use old file server paths and that their data will be stored on OneDrive. A clear explanation drastically reduces the number of subsequent incidents and support tickets.

Finally, before considering the migration complete, it is essential to verify that everything has gone well: check the synchronization status in the OneDrive icon, verify that the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders have the cloud or synchronized icon, and Verify that all the content that was on the file server is now on OneDriveOnly when you have that certainty should you consider dismantling the old storage.

Setting up OneDrive KFM with Intune step by step

If your environment is managed with Intune, KFM configuration is primarily done through configuration profiles using the configuration catalogThe overall flow is quite manageable.

The first thing you need is to have located the tenant ID of your organizationbecause some OneDrive policies require that identifier. You can easily obtain it from the portal at entra.microsoft.com, in the Identity section, on the summary page; there you will see the tenant ID in the basic information block.

Next, log into the Intune portal and go to the Devices section, specifically to Configuration profilesCreate a new profile by choosing “Windows 10 and later” as the platform and “Configuration Catalog” as the profile type.

After giving the profile a recognizable name, add settings and look for the option “Slowly move Windows known folders to OneDrive”You will see two entries; you should select the one that groups more related options, as it is the most complete for controlling KFM.

Next, add the configuration again and add the policy. “Slowly sign in users to the OneDrive sync app with their Windows credentials”With these two settings, you can now get the user to automatically connect to OneDrive and have their known folders start migrating without them having to do anything.

In the settings, enable silent login and, in the KFM section, turn on folder moving and select the folders you want to include (usually Desktop, Documents, and Pictures). You can leave the option to show or hide a notification after redirection disabled if you want a completely seamless experience.

Don't forget to enter the correct tenant ID In the relevant section of the KFM policy, configure the OneDrive client to know which organization to associate the user's known folders with. Then, assign the profile to the appropriate groups (always testing first in a pilot group) and allow the devices to receive and apply the configuration.

Control KFM notifications from Office: "Restrict KFM from Office" policy

In addition to OneDrive's own policies, Microsoft offers a specific GPO for Office called “Restrict Known Folder Move from Office” (or “Restrict KFM from Office”). This policy controls whether Office applications display prompts encouraging users to back up their folders to OneDrive.

When this policy is enabled, WordExcel and PowerPoint stop showing the message bar which usually appears at the top, offering the user the option to move their folders to OneDrive. This is a way to centralize KFM management and prevent each user from activating things on their own.

It's important to understand that this setting only affects notifications within Office; It does not modify OneDrive policies or KFM behavior at the system level. It simply prevents Office from pressuring users to activate backups.

You can deploy this policy in two main ways: by Traditional GPOs in Active Directory environments (on-premises or hybrid)by importing updated Office administrative templates (ADMX/ADML), or by using the Cloud Policy for Microsoft 365 service, which applies settings to users when they log on to Office, even on devices that are not joined to the domain.

For Group Policy Objects (GPOs), the process involves downloading the Office ADMX files, copying them to the PolicyDefinitions folder on the domain controller, opening the Group Policy Management Console, locating the "Restrict KFM from Office" setting in the User Configuration branch, and setting it to Enabled. For Cloud Policy, a new configuration is created, the scope is chosen (all users or specific groups), and the policy is enabled from the Microsoft 365 admin panel. Apps.

Related article:

Folder Redirection vs Roaming User Profiles in Windows: A practical guide with advantages, risks, and best practices

Isaac

Passionate writer about the world of bytes and technology in general. I love sharing my knowledge through writing, and that's what I'll do on this blog, show you all the most interesting things about gadgets, software, hardware, tech trends, and more. My goal is to help you navigate the digital world in a simple and entertaining way.