OneDrive has a new folder protection feature that allows you to sync your Windows 10 folders (Desktop, Pictures, and Documents) to the cloud service to make sure those files are protected against ransomware, viruses, and other malware.

If you have multiple devices, OneDrive can also keep these folders in sync without extra steps.

How to sync Windows 10 folders automatically to OneDrive

STEP 1.  Click on the OneDrive icon  in the taskbar

STEP 2.  Click on More > Settings

STEP 3.  Click on the Auto Save tab and under “Protect your important folders“, click on the Update folders

STEP 4.  Select the folders you want to sync to OneDrive, the options are Desktop, Pictures and Documents

NOTE:  If you do not see the Update folders button, then you cannot protect your files using this feature.  You would need to move the files from these folders to folders in your OneDrive folder.

STEP 5.  Click on Start protection

Once you have completed the above steps, OneDrive will upload and protect your files in the cloud against ransomware, viruses, and other types of malware. Also, your Desktop, Pictures, and Documents folders will sync to your other devices, and you will now be able to access those files from virtually anywhere.

If you don’t have enough space available in OneDrive to sync your files, you can get an Office 365 Personal (1 User) or Office 365 Home (5 User) subscription which gives you 1TB of cloud storage, plus a number of other benefits.