OneDrive & Desktop Backup
WorkTop is fully compatible with OneDrive. However, OneDrive has a feature called Desktop Backup (also known as Known Folder Move) that changes where Windows stores your Desktop files. Because WorkTop also manages the Desktop folder location, there are a few things to keep in mind.
What is Desktop Backup?
OneDrive's Desktop Backup moves your Desktop folder from its default local
location to OneDrive, so your desktop files are synced to the cloud. When
enabled, Windows changes the Desktop path from something like C:\Users\You\Desktop to
C:\Users\You\OneDrive\Desktop.
This is a one-time migration. OneDrive moves the contents of your Desktop folder to the new location and updates Windows to point there going forward.
How WorkTop handles this
When you use WorkTop, your OS Desktop (the first desktop, labeled "Desktop 1 [OS default]") continues to use whatever path Windows has set, whether that's a local folder or an OneDrive-synced folder. If Desktop Backup is enabled, your OS Desktop files sync to OneDrive as normal.
Custom desktops you create in WorkTop store their files in a
WorkTop-managed folder under %USERPROFILE%\.worktop\ by
default, or in a folder you choose on a local drive (see
Custom Desktop Folders). A chosen
folder inside OneDrive is rejected, so custom desktop files are
not synced to OneDrive in either case. This is by
design: it keeps your custom desktops fast and private.
The golden rule
Whenever you plan to change OneDrive Desktop Backup settings, whether enabling or disabling, always switch to your OS Desktop first. This one step prevents every known issue.
- Open WorkTop and switch to your OS Desktop ("Desktop 1").
- Open OneDrive settings and enable or disable Desktop Backup.
- WorkTop will detect the change automatically. No further action needed.
What happens if I don't?
If you enable or disable Desktop Backup while a custom desktop is active, OneDrive will move the custom desktop's files instead of your OS Desktop files. This puts files in the wrong place.
WorkTop detects this situation automatically (both at startup and while running) and will show a recovery dialog explaining what happened. In most cases, WorkTop can fully recover your files to the correct desktops. However, recovery may not be perfect in all situations, so we recommend verifying your files afterward.
Edge cases to be aware of
There are two specific scenarios where things get more complicated. Both are avoided entirely by following the golden rule above.
OneDrive may not show Desktop Backup as enabled
If Desktop Backup is enabled and you then switch to a custom desktop, OneDrive may report that Desktop Backup is not enabled. This happens because OneDrive checks the current Desktop folder path, and while a custom desktop is active, that path points to WorkTop's local folder rather than OneDrive. This is cosmetic. Your OS Desktop files are still in OneDrive, and switching back to the OS Desktop will make OneDrive show the correct status again.
Re-enabling Desktop Backup while on a custom desktop
If you see the above and try to re-enable Desktop Backup from OneDrive settings, OneDrive will move files from the currently active custom desktop folder into OneDrive and may delete that folder. Because WorkTop has already recorded OneDrive as the OS Desktop path from the first time it was enabled, this second change looks identical to the current state. WorkTop cannot detect it, and the affected custom desktop's files will be lost from their original location.
Your files are not gone (they were moved into OneDrive), but they will be mixed in with your OS Desktop files and WorkTop will not be able to recover them automatically. You would need to manually sort them back.
Switch to your OS Desktop before opening OneDrive settings. If OneDrive shows Desktop Backup as disabled while a custom desktop is active, don't change it. Switch to the OS Desktop first, then check again.