Using Office365 OneDrive to Share and Store Files

Included in this article:

What is Onedrive?

OneDrive is Xavier University's officially supported cloud storage for University files and folders. It also allows you to share and collaborate on documents with colleagues as well as those outside Xavier.  We recommend SharePoint (Nexus) as a means of storing any departmental and collaborative team data.

What can be stored on OneDrive?

You can store up to 1 TB worth of documents in OneDrive, with a 10 GB file size limit.

We recommend that you refrain from storing any departmental data on OneDrive. Faculty and staff should instead use SharePoint (Nexus) or the R drive for collaborative sharing of department materials, especially sensitive items.

OneDrive and Storage Considerations

While OneDrive can be used to share data with individuals, you should be mindful about information sharing.  Do not share information with individuals that should not have access to it.  Data in OneDrive is for Xavier use, this data becomes inaccessible once an individual has left the university.  People are encouraged to use Sharepoint sites, or R:\ department network shares for department information that needs to be preserved.  Personally provisioned cloud storage solutions (Dropbox. Google Drive, Box, etc)  should not be used for storing for department/institutional data. 

Accessing OneDrive via the web

To access OneDrive using a web browser: 

  1. Go to https://mail.xavier.edu
  2. Log in using your Xavier credentials.
  3. Click in the upper-left corner on the waffle icon, and then click the OneDrive.

Uploading Files to OneDrive

To upload files into OneDrive:

  1. In the Onedrive toolbar, click Upload.


     
  2. Choose the file you wish to upload, and click Open. The file will be uploaded and added to your OneDrive file list.

Alternatively, you can also drag-and-drop a file directly onto the OneDrive webpage. Watch a video that demonstrates the above steps.

Sharing OneDrive Files 

By default, files you upload to OneDrive are private until shared with others. There are several ways to share a document. By default, you can target specific individuals by sending a sharing invitation. 

Sharing via Invitation

  1. Right-click the file or folder you want to share, and then select Share.
  2. In the Share dialog box on the Invite people tab, type names or email addresses of people you want to share the document or folder with.


     
  3. Choose to grant Edit or View permissions from the pulldown menu on the right.


     
  4. If you want, type a message to be included with an email that’s sent to all invitees. The email includes a link to the shared document.
  5. Click Share.

Share a link to a file

You can quickly share a link to a document that others can also share by using Get a link. Get a link is available only for individual files and folders, and is the easiest way to share with others in your organization or individuals external to your organization.

  1. Right-click on the file in OneDrive, and select Get a Link from the menu.
  2. Select an appropriate level of access from the list.
  3. The link created can then be copied and pasted into an email, Teams, Canvas course, etc.
  4. Click the Close button.

Viewing/Opening Shared Files

You can quickly get an overview of all files shared with you by clicking Shared with Me on the left toolbar:

Files and folders can be opened by left-clicking the name of the file or folder.

OneDrive Apps

The OneDrive app is available for download at https://onedrive.live.com/about/en-us/download. 

More Information

Microsoft offers short online video tutorials on all aspects of Office 365. 

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