Using Office365 SharePoint to Share and Store Files

Included in this article:

• What is SharePoint?
• What can be stored on SharePoint?
• Accessing SharePoint via the web
• Uploading Files to SharePoint
• Sharing SharePoint Files
• Viewing/Opening Shared Files
• More Information

What is SharePoint?

Sharepoint (Nexus) is the University's approved web-based collaborative platform for teams and departments, that integrates with Microsoft Office.  SharePoint is primarily used as a document management and storage system, but the product is highly configurable and its usage varies substantially.  Various modules can be added into SharePoint sites, tailored to your collaborative needs.  Sharepoint is similar to OneDrive, however, OneDrive is for personal files and folders.

What can be stored on SharePoint?

We recommend SharePoint as a means of storing any departmental and collaborative team data. While SharePoint can be used to store any type of file, it is primarily designed to integrate with Microsoft Office files.

Accessing SharePoint via the web

To access SharePoint using a web browser: 

1. Go to https://nexus.xavier.edu
2. Log in using your Xavier credentials.
3. You will be taken to the main Nexus homepage.  However, to access your frequently visited site, click the waffle icon in the upper-left corner, and then click SharePoint
    

Uploading Files to SharePoint

To upload files into SharePoint:

1. In the SharePoint site's Document Library, in the 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 SharePoint webpage. Watch a video that demonstrates the above steps.

Sharing SharePoint Files 

By default, files you upload to SharePoint 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.  Click Share.

Share a link to a file

You can quickly share a link to a document 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 accessing OneDrive (rather than SharePoint), and clicking Shared with Me on the left toolbar.  Note this will display files shared in both OneDrive as well as SharePoint:

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

More Information

Microsoft offers short online video tutorials on all aspects of Office 365.  If you need more information on using OneDrive, consult this article.