OneDrive is owned by Microsoft Corporation, a publicly traded company on NASDAQ under ticker MSFT. It operates as a product line inside Microsoft's productivity and cloud businesses rather than as a separate subsidiary.

Is OneDrive publicly traded?

OneDrive itself is not publicly traded. Its owner, Microsoft Corporation, trades on NASDAQ under the symbol MSFT.

When was OneDrive launched?

The service launched in August 2007 under the name Windows Live SkyDrive. It was renamed OneDrive in February 2014 following a trademark dispute with the British broadcaster Sky.

Is OneDrive a subsidiary of Microsoft?

No. OneDrive is a product line, not a subsidiary or a separate legal entity. Consumer OneDrive and OneDrive for Business are managed inside Microsoft's consumer and commercial cloud organizations.

How much free storage does OneDrive give?

Free Microsoft accounts include 5 GB of OneDrive storage. Paid tiers start at Microsoft 365 Basic with 100 GB, while Microsoft 365 Personal includes 1 TB and Family or Premium plans include 2 TB shared among up to six people as of October 2026.

What is OneDrive's market position?

OneDrive is one of the most widely used mainstream cloud storage services in the world, bundled with Windows and Microsoft 365. It competes directly with Google Drive and Dropbox and is frequently ranked the best value cloud storage for Office users.

Technology & Software

Who Owns OneDrive?

OneDrive is owned by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) and operates as a product line inside Microsoft's productivity and cloud businesses. The service launched in August 2007 as Windows Live SkyDrive and was renamed OneDrive in February 2014. It provides consumer and business cloud storage, file sync, and sharing, with paid tiers bundled into Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

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Parent Company

Microsoft Corporation

Founded

2007

Status

Publicly Traded

Headquarters

Redmond, Washington, USA

OneDrive Timeline

1975

Microsoft Corporation

Parent company established in Redmond, Washington, USA

Company Founded

2007

OneDrive

Founded by Microsoft (internal development)

Founded

freemiummass marketGlobalOfficial Website

Who Owns OneDrive?

Parent Company: Microsoft Corporation
Ownership Type: Product line
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock Ticker: NASDAQ: MSFT

Brand	Parent Company	Ownership Type
OneDrive	Microsoft Corporation	Product line

History of OneDrive

Founded: 2007
Founders: Microsoft (internal development)

Microsoft introduced the service in August 2007 as Windows Live Folders, a beta cloud storage product that was rebranded Windows Live SkyDrive before its wider release. At launch it offered 5 GB of free storage, a generous amount for the period when most webmail and file services measured storage in hundreds of megabytes. SkyDrive was positioned inside the Windows Live suite of consumer web services that Microsoft built to counter Google and Yahoo.

In 2012 and 2013, Microsoft rebuilt SkyDrive with dedicated sync clients for Windows and Mac, deeper integration into Windows 8, and Office Web Apps access. The service became the default save location for Office documents, tying cloud storage directly to Microsoft's most important product franchise.

A trademark dispute changed the name. British broadcaster BSkyB (Sky) sued Microsoft in the UK over the SkyDrive name, and in 2013 Microsoft agreed to rebrand rather than fight a global trademark battle. On February 19, 2014, the service relaunched as OneDrive with a refreshed logo and an expanded referral program.

Through the mid-2010s Microsoft experimented with storage limits, briefly offering unlimited storage to Office 365 subscribers in 2014 before reversing the policy in 2015 after abuse. The free tier settled at 5 GB, down from an earlier 15 GB allotment.

The service added differentiated features over time: Files On-Demand in 2017 let Windows users browse cloud files without downloading them; Personal Vault, introduced in 2019, added a second authentication layer for sensitive files; and ransomware detection and restore tools arrived for Microsoft 365 subscribers. In 2023 and 2024, OneDrive gained AI features through Microsoft Copilot, including file summarization and question answering over stored documents.

In October 2026, Microsoft restructured Microsoft 365 storage entitlements. New Family and Premium subscriptions now include 2 TB of shared OneDrive storage pooled across up to six members, replacing the previous 1 TB per person model, while new Microsoft 365 Pro subscriptions include 5 TB of shared storage. Existing subscribers transition at renewal dates starting May 2027.

About Microsoft Corporation

What does Microsoft own?
Microsoft owns a portfolio of technology brands including Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Windows, Xbox, LinkedIn (acquired 2016 for $26.2 billion), GitHub (acquired 2018 for $7.5 billion), and Activision Blizzard gaming franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush (acquired 2023 for $69 billion). The company also owns Minecraft, Skype, Bing, Surface, and Dynamics 365.

Is Microsoft publicly traded?
Yes, Microsoft Corporation is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol MSFT. The company has been publicly traded since its IPO on March 13, 1986, at $21 per share. It is consistently one of the world's most valuable companies by market capitalization, with a market cap exceeding $3 trillion as of mid-2026.

Who founded Microsoft?
Microsoft was founded on April 4, 1975, by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The childhood friends developed a version of the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800 microcomputer. Gates served as CEO until 2000, when Steve Ballmer succeeded him. Satya Nadella became CEO in February 2014.

Where is Microsoft headquartered?
Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA. The company moved to Redmond in 1986 after relocating from Bellevue, Washington, where it had been based since 1979. The Redmond campus spans over 500 acres and houses executive leadership, research facilities, and key business units.

How many brands does Microsoft own?
Microsoft owns approximately 15 major brands including Microsoft 365, Azure, Windows, Xbox, LinkedIn, GitHub, Microsoft Teams, Copilot, Dynamics 365, Surface, Minecraft, Skype, Bing, and Activision Blizzard franchises (Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Candy Crush). These brands serve enterprise, consumer, and developer markets globally.

Who owns Microsoft?
Microsoft is publicly owned with no controlling shareholder. Ownership is distributed among institutional investors including Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and State Street Global Advisors. Bill Gates has significantly reduced his stake through philanthropy and share sales. CEO Satya Nadella holds a meaningful ownership position through equity compensation.

What is Microsoft's revenue?
Microsoft reported revenue of $331.8 billion for fiscal year 2026 (ended June 30, 2026), up 18% from $281.7 billion in FY2025. Operating income was $155.2 billion, up 21%. Net income was $133.7 billion, up 31% on a GAAP basis. Microsoft Cloud revenue surpassed $214 billion, growing 27%.

What is the Microsoft OpenAI partnership?
Microsoft has invested approximately $13 billion in OpenAI since 2019, making it OpenAI's exclusive cloud provider through Azure. The partnership integrates OpenAI's GPT models into Microsoft products through the Copilot AI assistant. In FY2026, Microsoft's investment in OpenAI generated $4.96 billion in net gains, reversing $3.62 billion in losses from FY2025. Regulators in the EU and UK have examined whether the relationship constitutes a de facto merger.

Founded: 1975
Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, USA
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock: NASDAQ: MSFT
Revenue: $331.8 billion (FY2026, year ended June 30, 2026)
Employees: Approximately 223,000

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Where Is OneDrive Made / Based?

Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, USA

OneDrive Categories & Tags

Cloud Storage File Sync Microsoft Microsoft 365 Data Backup Productivity

OneDrive Recalls & Controversies

OneDrive has drawn criticism on several fronts over the years. In 2015, Microsoft reversed its promise of unlimited storage for Office 365 subscribers, citing abuse, and cut free storage from 15 GB to 5 GB, a move that angered long-time users. The October 2026 change to shared 2 TB family storage generated a similar backlash among subscribers who had relied on the per-person model.

Privacy advocates have periodically criticized the depth of OneDrive integration in Windows 10 and 11, including default folder backup that uploads Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders during setup. Microsoft provides controls to disable the feature, but consumer groups have argued the defaults push users into cloud dependency.

Microsoft has also faced regulatory scrutiny over cloud bundling. European regulators and rival cloud providers have complained that tying OneDrive and Teams to Microsoft 365 disadvantages independent cloud storage competitors, contributing to the EU Digital Markets Act scrutiny applied to Microsoft's bundling practices in 2024 and 2025.

OneDrive Ownership: Pros & Cons

Advantages

+Backed by Microsoft's $280 billion-plus revenue base and global data center network
+Deep integration with Windows and Office that competitors cannot replicate
+Bundled Microsoft 365 pricing undercuts standalone storage subscriptions
+Enterprise-grade compliance, residency options, and administration through OneDrive for Business
+Continuous investment in AI features through Microsoft Copilot

Considerations

-Not a standalone company, so the roadmap follows Microsoft's broader strategy rather than user requests
-Aggressive Windows defaults have drawn privacy criticism
-Storage entitlements change with Microsoft's subscription strategy, as the 2026 pooled-storage shift demonstrated
-Rival cloud providers allege bundling gives OneDrive an unfair advantage
-Free tier of 5 GB is smaller than Google Drive's 15 GB

Frequently Asked Questions About OneDrive

Sources & Further Reading

Competitors to OneDrive

These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.

Brand	Parent Company	Country	Founded	Market Position	Primary Market	Gender Target
Dropbox	Dropbox	USA	2007	Mass market	Global	All Genders
Google Drive	Alphabet	USA (Google)	2012	Mass market	Global	All-ages
iCloud	Apple	USA	2011	Premium	Global	All Genders
Sync	Sync	Canada	2011	Mass market	Global	All Genders
WeTransfer	Bending Spoons	Netherlands	2009	Mass market	Global	All Genders
Microsoft LensSister Brand	Microsoft	USA (Microsoft)	2015	Discontinued	Global	All-ages