OneDrive for Business is for storing personal files in a secure environment, sharing them with others, and accessing them from anywhere on any device.
OneDrive is accessible from the Office 365 application portal; sign in with your Yale email address and password. OneDrive for Business also has a desktop sync app built into newer versions of Windows 10. If your computer does not already have it, see the article for OneDrive Sync client installation.
Yes, OneDrive is secure. OneDrive also allows you to manage security to share files within or outside the organization. For more information, click here.
Your account starts at 2 TB of space; this can be expanded upon request if necessary.
Individual files can currently be up to 250 GB in size.
OneDrive for Business Integrates with Microsoft Teams, Office 365 Email, and SharePoint Online. You gain the ability to save email attachments directly to OneDrive. You can also share files stored in OneDrive with people you chat with in Microsoft Teams. OneDrive also makes moving files between OneDrive, Teams, and SharePoint libraries you have access to easy.
OneDrive has many features to manage, share, and sync files. Click here for more information.
Certain characters, certain naming conventions, and file types are not allowed. For more information, click here.
You can save directly from all O365 applications (e.g., Word, Excel) by clicking “Save As” and selecting your OneDrive folder. OneDrive is always available through any web browser from any device. You can also upload a document by logging into the O365 portal, clicking on "Create or Upload."
From a web browser, click on Files in the upper left-hand corner. Click on "New Folder."
If you have installed the sync client, you can create a new folder just like you would on your local computer. You can also create a new folder by logging into the O365 portal, clicking on the OneDrive icon, and clicking on “Upload.”
Yes, log into the O365 portal, click on the OneDrive folder needed, and click on “Sync.” You can sync files and folders from Teams and SharePoint file locations by clicking the Sync button from any of those locations. The synced files will show up in File Explorer under the “Yale University” section instead of “OneDrive - Yale University.” You can also use the OneDrive sync app to sync files with your Windows or MacOS desktop. (Please note that the sync client for Mac needs to be requested using this link.)
You can restore a previous version of your file up to the last 500 changes. To learn how, click here.
You can recover a deleted file from the recycle bin. Files are kept in the recycle bin for 93 days. To learn how, click here.
We suggest saving files on OneDrive. With OneDrive, files are in the cloud so that you can access files from any device.
Open “File Explorer” and drag and drop files or folders into the OneDrive – Yale University section.
Yes, toggle the Autosave feature in the top left-hand side of the Office app (e.g., Word, Excel) and chose OneDrive as the autosave location.
To share a file, click on the three dots next to the folder name (…) or click on the "lock" symbol. Select "Invite Others." Type in the user's last name and select the person from the directory. To add non-Yale users, type in their email address. If you want to share a file anonymously, open your document and go to Sharing. Select "Get a Link." You can create a "read-only" or "edit" link to send to anyone via email. Please note that anyone you send the link to will be able to forward the email to anyone, and you will not be able to track changes to the document if you created an "edit" link. Click here for best practices for securely sharing links.
To share a folder, click on the three dots next to the folder name (…) or click on the "lock" symbol. Select "Invite Others." Type in the user's last name and select the person from the directory. To add non-Yale users, type in their email address. Click here for best practices for securely sharing folders.
With the file request feature in OneDrive for Business, you can choose a folder where individuals can upload files using a link that you send them. Click here for instructions.
Click here for instructions.
You can manage OneDrive or SharePoint files or folders in detail by selecting the option to “Manage access” for a file or folder. Click here for instructions. You can also run a sharing report to easily see the details on the files and folders you have shared. For more information, click here.
Yes, you will need to open the document in Office Web Apps. In the upper right-hand corner, you will see when someone is also editing the file. You will see a flag while the other person is typing.
Yes, click here for more information.
If you are just getting started with OneDrive and want to know more, Microsoft hosts a help and learning page that makes it easy to find information and helpful OneDrive Training Videos. For more in-depth help, we suggest you search Microsoft's OneDrive Help Center (knowledge articles and training).
If you are experiencing an issue or have a question you cannot resolve via Microsoft's hosted resources, we encourage you to contact the ITS Help Desk.