Introduction to Microsoft OneDrive

This is an introduction to Microsoft OneDrive.

This is the Ankr Power Bank I have. It has been great and reliable when I go on trips or when I get on my laptop to write somewhere away from home.

Upload photos and files

You can add files to OneDrive in many different ways and then get to them from anywhere. Depending on the web browser you use, you can upload files up to 250Gb in size. For transferring large files or lots of files, I recommend adding the files to the OneDrive desktop app rather than using the 'Upload' button on the website.

1. One the OneDrive website, sign in with your Microsoft account, and then browse to the location where you want to add the files.
2. Select Upload
3. Select the files you want to upload, and then select Open

You can also drag files from File Explorer or Mac Finder straight to your files on the OneDrive website.

In the chrome or Edge browser, you can also upload folders from the folder option on the upload menu.

You can copy or move files between folders within OneDrive, or from other folders on your computer. When you move files on your computer into a OneDrive folder, you are removing them from your computer and adding them to OneDrive.

For both File Explorer and Mac Finder, if you want to copy the item rather than move it, right click the file or folder and select Copy, then open the OneDrive folder and right-click Paste a copy of the item to OneDrive.

To move a file using Windows File Explorer, drag files from the list in the right pane to OneDrive in the left pane.

To move a file using mac Finder, drag files from the file list in the right pane to OneDrive in the left pane. After a moment, Finder will switch to show your existing OneDrive files and folders in the right pane, and you can drag the file into the sub-folder of your choice.

In new installations of Windows 10 or 11 for eligible users, files are saved to OneDrive by default in Windows 10, rather than to your PC. This means you can access those files from any device that can connect to the internet, and they are protected in case your computer is ever damaged. You can change your default save settings anytime.

Microsoft might limit the number of files that you can upload to OneDrive each month.

Deleting Files or Folders

You can delete specific files or photos on OneDrive, or you can delete entire folders and all the items in them. If you need to, you might be able to restore deleted files from the OneDrive recycle bin.

1. On your taskbar, select File Explorer
2. Select your OneDrive folder, select the items you want to delete, and press the Delete key on your keyboard.

If you delete an item that has been shared, you will delete it for everyone. OneDrive may prompt you to confirm if it was intentional.

If you want to keep a file, photo, or folder on your computer, but not on OneDrive, use File Explorer or Mac Finder to move the file outside your OneDrive folder to a different folder

Share OneDrive Files and Folders

The files on your OneDrive are private until you share them. Keep in mind that when you share folders with Edit permissions, people you share with can add the shared folders to their own OneDrive. This lets them keep the folder alongside their own folders and items, easily move items between folders, and more easily work offline. Any updates they make sync with the shared folder, so everyone with access to the folder is up to date.

Recipients can only add shared folders to their OneDrive, not individual files. If you want the recipient to only see certain files, put the files in a separate folder first, and then share that folder.

Choose Share with Copy Link to share items with lots of people you might not know personally. For example, via social media or email, anyone who gets the link can view or edit the item, depending on the permission you set.

Choose Share with specific people if you want to send the link more privately, with permissions set for specific individuals or groups.

You can generate sharing links through the OneDrive desktop app for Windows 10, 11, and Mac. Just right click the file or folder in your OneDrive folder on your computer and select Share a OneDrive Link. This will copy a link to your clipboard that you can paste wherever you want to send it. However, these links are set by default to Edit permission. If you want to change the permissions, follow the steps below:

1. Go to the OneDrive website and sign in with your Microsoft account, work account, or school account.
2. Pick the files or folders you want to share by selecting its circle icon

Sharing multiple items at the same time is not available for work or school account

If you are using List view, select the circle on the left side of the item. You can also pick multiple items

If you are using Tiles view, select the circle in the top right corner of the item. You can also pick multiple items to share them together.

3. Select share at the top of the page
4. Select Copy Link to copy the link
5. To change the link permissions, select the settings gear icon.

Anyone gives access to anyone who receives this link, whether they receive directly from you or forwarded from someone else. This may include people outside your organization.

People in Your Organization with the link gives anyone in your organization who has the link access to the file, whether they receive it directly from you or forwarded from someone else.

People with existing access can be used by people who already have access to the document or folder. It does not change any permissions. Use this if you just want to send a link to somebody who already has access.

Specific people give access only to the people you specify, although other people may already have access. If people forward the sharing invitation, only people who already have access to the item will be able to use the link.

6. Under other settings, you can set any of the following options:
   1. Allow Editing - lets people who are signed in with a Microsoft account edit the files or folders they have access to. If you are sharing a folder, people with the edit permission can copy, move, edit, rename,. Share, and delete anything in the folder they have access to. Unchecking this box means that people can view, copy, or download your items without signing in. They can also forward the link to other people. However, they cannot make changes to the version on your OneDrive.
   2. Allow editing is turned on by default. You can also set editing permissions on the previous screen by selecting the pencil icon to the right of the names you are sharing the file with.
   3. Block download prevents people from downloading the file or folders they have access to. Unchecking this box means that people can download the files onto their devices.
   4. Set expiration date lets you set a date for the link to expire. After the date you set, the link will not work anymore and you will need to create a new link for users requiring access to your file or folder.
   5. Set password lets you set a password to access the file. When a user clicks the link, they will be prompted to enter a password before they can access the file. You will need to provide this password separately to anyone you want to share the file with.
   6. Open the file in review mode only limits people to leaving comments and making suggestions on the file.
   7. Once you have set all your link settings and permissions, select Apply
   8. Select Copy and then select Send
   9. Paste the link and send the link where you want to send it, like an email, message, or post.

Sync OneDrive Files and Folders

If you do not want to sync all of your folders in OneDrive to your computer, you can use the OneDrive app to select which folders you would like to have visible in File Explorer or Finder.

When viewing Windows or Mac via a web browser, you will always see all of your folders:

1. Open the OneDrive settings
2. Go to the 'account' tab
3. Select 'Choose Folders'
4. In the 'Choose Folders' dialog box, uncheck any folders you do not want to sync to your computer and select 'OK'

You can only check or uncheck folders which are already included in your OneDrive. Folders not in your OneDrive cannot be included for sync.

You cannot uncheck certain folders which are important to the PC, including documents, Desktop, Pictures, and your personal vault folder.

If you uncheck a folder you are syncing to your computer, the folder will be removed from your computer, but the folder and its contents will still be available online.

Any custom sync settings you choose are unique to each computer, and each account.

Using OneDrive and Storage Sense

Files on demand gives you easy access to your OneDrive files without taking up storage space on your computer. But, if you view them and edit a lot of files in OneDrive, those files can take up extra space. You may no longer need to store files that were downloaded when you opened them.

Windows Storage Sense is a silent assistant that works with OneDrive to automatically free up space by making locally available files that you are not using anymore online-only again. Online-only files stay safe in OneDrive and are visible on your device. When connected to the internet, you can continue using your online-only files just like any other file.

Turn on Storage Sense:

1. Select the 'Start Menu', and search for storage settings
2. Under 'Storage', turn on 'Storage Sense' by shifting the toggle to 'On'

Any files that you have not used in the last 30 days can be set to online-only when your device runs low on free space. Storage Sense will only set files to online-only until there is enough space freed for Windows to run smoothly, so you can keep your files available locally as much as possible.

Set How Often Storage Sense Runs

If you prefer, you can make Storage Sense run periodically instead of running only when the device is low on storage.

1. On the Storage page in Settings, select Configure Storage Sense or run it now
2. From the drop-down menu, set how often you want Storage Sense to run

If you would like Storage Sense to be more proactive in setting your OneDrive files to online-only, under the Locally available cloud content heading, change the default value in the drop-down menu. For example, if you choose to run Storage Sense every week and select a 14-day window for Files on Demand, Storage Sense will run once a week and identify files that you have not used in the past 14 days and make those files be available online-only.

Syncing Files with OneDrive Files on Demand

OneDrive Files on Demand helps you access all the files in your cloud storage in OneDrive without having to download them and use storage on your computer.

With Files on Demand, you will see all your files as online-only files in File Explorer, but they will not take up any space. When you are connected to the internet, you will be able to use the files like every other file on your device.

You can also select files and folders to be always available, even if you are online. OneDrive will download them, and they will take up space on your PC.

Backing Up Folders

Every computer has standard folders such as Desktop, Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos which you probably use but might not be included in your OneDrive. By backing up these folders to your OneDrive, they are protected and available across all of your devices.

Open OneDrive settings.

1. Open OneDrive settings
2. Go to the Sync and backup tab
3. Select Manage backup

To start backing up a folder, toggle any folder that says not backed up, and then select Save changes.

To stop backing up a folder, select the toggle for the folder to turn it off.

If the folder you wish to stop backing up contains cloud only files, you will see a message saying your files will remain in your OneDrive.

When you stop backing up a folder, you can move files from OneDrive to your computer manually by opening the shortcut to OneDrive, selecting the files, and dragging them to the location on your computer. Anye new files you add to your computer's folder will not back up to OneDrive.

When your files finish syncing to OneDrive, they are backed up and you can access them from anywhere in Documents or Desktop. When you backup your Desktop folder, the items on your Desktop roam with you to your other desktops where you are running OneDrive.

If you are signed in to the OneDrive sync app on your computer, you can use File Explorer to access your OneDrive. You can also use the OneDrive mobile app to access your folders on any device.

To enable back up of your important folders in MacOS, you need the following:

1. The standalone sync app, not the app from the Mac app store. Uninstall any other versions of OneDrive then download the sync app.
2. Your MacOS device must have Full Disk Access enabled. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy Preferences>Privacy and add OneDrive to the list of applications.

If you sign in with a work or school account, your IT Admin may have disabled this.

A common reason for this error is that important folders that are connected to a domain cannot be protected in a personal OneDrive account. For info about data protection solutions, contact your IT admin.

Restore Your OneDrive

OneDrive's restore feature helps Microsoft 365 subscribers undo all the actions that occurred on any files and folders within the last 30 days.

If any OneDrive files or folders were deleted, overwritten, or infected by malware, you can restore your entire OneDrive to a previous time.

If you do not want to restore everything, you can also restore deleted items from the OneDrive recycle bin or restore a previous version of a file.

If a file has been permanently deleted from your OneDrive recycle bin, it can never be recovered. When restoring, any files or folders created after the restore point data will be sent to your OneDrive recycle bin. You can restore files from there regardless of restore point date.

To restore your entire OneDrive, you will need to have Microsoft 365.

1. Go to the OneDrive website and sign in
2. If you are signed in with a personal account, at the top of the page, select Settings>Options> then Restore.

This option is only available with a Microsoft 365 subscription.

3. On the 'Restore your OneDrive' page, select a date from the dropdown list, such as 'Yesterday', or select custom date and time.
4. Use the activity chart and activity feed to review the recent activities that you want to undo
5. If you selected 'Custom date and time', select the earliest activity that you want to undo
6. When you are ready to restore your OneDrive, select 'Restore'